Bob Dylan’s Favourite Film Is Martin Scorsese’s Controversial ’80s Masterpiece – SlashFilm – The Imperial Wire Insider

Musician Bob Dylan, the trailblazing singer/songwriter, was final seen on the massive display — not less than in a completely scripted, non-documentary capability — in Larry Charles’ 2003 dystopian drama “Masked and Nameless.” Within the movie, Dylan performs a really Dylan-like music legend named Jack Destiny who, after a stint in jail, is enlisted to carry out in a profit live performance. Regardless of a powerful solid, “Masked” is a reasonably crummy film with unclear politics, amateurish manufacturing, and a lazy, freewheeling high quality that makes your entire film really feel made up on the spot. 

However then, Dylan’s performing selections have at all times been slightly off-center. In 1999, he performed a chauffeur in a neo-noir known as “Paradise Cove.” Earlier than that, he appeared within the 1990 thriller “Catchfire,” directed by Alan Smithee (actually Dennis Hopper). In 1987, he had a uncommon starring position in Richard Marquand’s drama “Hearts of Hearth.” You in all probability have not seen these motion pictures. 

It is a good factor that Dylan is best recognized for his music, which has earned him a number of awards. He has an Oscar for penning “Issues Have Modified” for the 2001 film “Surprise Boys,” which additionally netted him a Golden Globe. He is additionally gained 10 Grammys, in addition to a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Oh sure, and he is additionally been inducted into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame. 

Oh sure, and he additionally has a Pulitzer Prize, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, an honorary doctorate from Princeton, and a Nobel Prize in Literature. And extra.

Because it occurs, he additionally has fascinating style in motion pictures. On the Beacon Theater in 2019, Dylan was caught on tape (with the recording posted on X/Twitter) declaring that he was a giant fan of Martin Scorsese’s controversial 1988 non secular epic “The Final Temptation of Christ.”

Within the audio recording, Dylan, talking off the cuff, mentioned: 

“Martin Scorsese, he is on the market. He is certainly one of in all probability the most effective administrators ever. My favourite film, I advised him earlier than, is ‘The Final Temptation of Christ.’ I feel he is gonna make one for ‘The First Temptation’ certainly one of today. Proper, Marty? […] You simply received to, for me.”

Dylan was clearly making slightly dad-level joke along with his “First Temptation” crack; there was nothing about “The Final Temptation of Christ” that warranted or demanded a prequel. 

“The Final Temptation of Christ” is, in fact, Scorsese’s extremely contentious movie adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ 1955 guide of the identical title. It’s a modernized biography of Jesus of Nazareth (Willem Dafoe) and particulars his life, with a particular deal with the assorted human temptations that he confronted, even because the Messiah. In Scorsese’s movie, Christ was typically fearful, extra typically uncertain, and even expressed lust. The “Final Temptation” of the title is the temptation of Jesus, whereas being crucified, to think about a human life for himself. He can return to his pals, marry Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey), and dwell to be a really previous man. He’s tempted to resign being the Messiah. It is a heady movie in regards to the nature of Christ and the humanity of a godly determine. 

The movie sported a powerful solid, with Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Harry Dean Stanton as Paul, and David Bowie as Pontius Pilate. The controversy surrounding “The Final Temptation of Christ” has been well-documented right here at /Movie. There have been many protests from church teams who discovered the very ideas in “Temptation” to be blasphemous, however any movie with such ire surrounding it’s undoubtedly value seeing.

Bob Dylan appreciated Martin Scorsese’s film, and, maybe naturally, Scorsese cherished Bob Dylan’s music. Certainly, Dylan and Scorsese have crossed paths a number of occasions of their respective careers, going all the best way again to the 1974 live performance movie “The Final Waltz, which /Movie known as probably the greatest music documentaries of all time. That movie targeted on the farewell tour of The Band, however featured scads of particular performances, together with a brief set from Bob Dylan. 

In 2005, Scorsese and Dylan teamed up once more, this time with Dylan because the star. The pair made the 208-minute “No Path Residence: Bob Dylan,” which can be as full a filmed biography as we could ever have of the musical legend. (/Movie additionally known as “No Path Residence” probably the greatest music documentaries of all time.) It is virtually like Scorsese and Dylan match nicely collectively. Each, in spite of everything, are normally thought-about among the many most necessary of all American artists. 

However Scorsese and Dylan weren’t completed working collectively. In 2019, Scorsese made “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese.” That movie is a curious collaboration, as Dylan and Scorsese ostensibly lined the real-life occasions following Dylan’s 1975 “Rolling Thunder Revue” tour, however in addition they impishly combined in interviews with fictional characters, and included some false anecdotes. Solely a Dylan scholar would possibly be capable to spot instantly which segments are documentary footage, and which of them are fictional. Sharon Stone performs herself, however makes up a completely false story about her interactions with Dylan on the “Thunder” tour. Dylan himself claims, on digicam, that he does not keep in mind the 1975 tour, however Scorsese’s film is clearly meant to muddy the waters, not clear issues up.