It’s amazing what time can do for relationships, especially when it comes to those who once stood in opposition to each other over a work of art. Nearly 30 years ago, Martin Scorsese once faced the scorn from the Catholic Church and Christians around the world thanks to his adaptation of The Last Temptation of Christ. Now Scorsese is getting a different type of reception from the church thanks to his epic passion project Silence, due to hit theaters before the end of the year.
The film will get a premiere at The Vatican in front of around 400 priests and other guests according to The Guardian, but one special guest will be missing:
There will be no red carpet, and almost certainly none of the usual glamour. But when Martin Scorsese’s new film, Silence, has its world premiere at the Vatican on Tuesday, it will be the culmination of a 27-year project that the director has described as “an obsession”
Pope Francis is not expected to attend the screening at the Pontifical Oriental Institute for the Jesuits, but Scorsese will join about 400 priests and other guests to watch the 159-minute movie. The director may meet the pontiff separately.
The running time is a note of interest according to The Independent, refuting previous rumors that Silence would be Scorsese’s longest film to date. It also is interesting to note that this isn’t the first film to gain a Vatican premiere, but the fact that it is Scorsese will elevate this above the rest.
If you’ve never seen The Last Temptation of Christ, it’s one of the more interesting and controversial depictions of Jesus, taking a swift departure from the gospel to show a Jesus that lives like a man and even consummates his relationship with Mary Magdalene. This did not sit well with many, sparking protests, boycotts, and even an attack on a Paris theater showing the film. PBS covered the situation on their Culture Shock program:
The audience is especially disgusted by a closing image: Christ on the cross is tempted by Satan with visions of a “normal” life with the prostitute Mary Magdalene, replete with sex, marriage, and children. Some 1,200 Christian radio stations in California denounce the film, and Mastermedia International urges a boycott against parent company MCA. Bill Bright offers to reimburse Universal for its investment in The Last Temptation of Christ in exchange for all existing prints, which he vows to destroy. Universal responds with an open letter in newspapers across the country, saying that acquiescence to these forces would infringe on the First Amendment rights of all Americans. On the day the letter appears, more than 600 protesters, sponsored by a Christian radio station in Los Angeles, picket MCA headquarters.
The protests are effective. Edwards Theaters, with 150 theaters nationwide, refuses to screen the film, as do United Artists and General Cinemas, with 3,500 theaters between them. In August 1988, Universal opens The Last Temptation of Christ in nine major cities in the United States and Canada. The day before its premiere, Citizens for a Universal Appeal, a coalition of religious groups from Orange County, CA, stages a protest in front of Universal’s L.A. headquarters that attracts some 25,000 participants. By the time The Last Temptation of Christ goes into wide release in September, the national controversy has waned, but now individual cities and towns seek bans. Among them, Savannah, GA, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, and Santa Ana, CA, succeed.
The film was called “morally grotesque” at the time according to The LA Times and even gained criticism from Mother Teresa, calling for prayers and the promise that “Our Blessed Mother (Mary) will see that this film is removed from your land.” Silence won’t be without controversy itself according to The Guardian, with its final section detailing how the main character “betrays everything his life has stood for” in reference to his faith. The book was also criticized as “heretical and blasphemous” by Catholics in Japan, so this is also a concern for the film. It’s still popular, but will audiences — particular those at The Vatican — feel the same way?
(Via The Guardian / The Independent)
