‘If it was suddenly revealed to me that [it] was true, that there was a hell and a heaven, I wouldn’t be surprised.’ – Anthony Burgess
Films that engage with Christianity often prove highly controversial. This season revisits a number of works that still spark debate, even when offering what seems to be a sympathetic portrayal of Christ and Christianity.
Anthony Burgess was a novelist, composer, screenwriter, librettist and critic whose Catholic upbringing and later apostasy greatly influenced his work.
Previously in this season
Cinema
The Devils
Putting Ken Russell and Christianity together in 1971 was bound to create interesting results. So it proved with this disturbingly violent, sexually-charged film based on…
Cinema
The Gospel According to St. Matthew
Given that its director is Pier Paolo Pasolini, perhaps the most controversial thing about The Gospel According to St. Matthew is its serious minded and…
Cinema
The Last Temptation of Christ
Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader’s adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel proved highly controversial due to the film’s clear departure from the gospels. Most of the…
Cinema
Jesus of Nazareth
Scripted by Anthony Burgess for Franco Zeffirelli, Jesus of Nazareth was controversial in its time for its portrayal of Jesus as an ordinary and fallible…