The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 American drama movie. It is based on the 1953 novel of the same name. Martin Scorsese directed the movie. It stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus, Harvey Keitel as Judas and Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene. This movie was highly controversial on multiple levels: certain countries went as far as banning it. Furthermore, certain video stores, such as Blockbuster, would not carry the movie or make it available for rental due to the controversy. This movie was released on August 12, 1988.