An explosive tour de force from one of our greatest filmmakers, Martin Scorsese's long-gestating passion project shares elements with several films on our list: sex, violence, Jesus Christ. But this reimagining of Nikos Kazantzakis' speculative novel about the Son of God's human fallibility easily ascends to the top of our countdown due to the sheer furor it inspired worldwide. Pundits denounced it. The Vatican and numerous Christians took vocal issue with the extended sequence in which Jesus imagines an alternate life for himself (sun-dappled sex scenes included) with the prostitute Mary Magdalene. One French fundamentalist group launched Molotov cocktails into a Paris theater, injuring several patrons. And some countries banned the film sight unseen (it still can't be shown in the Philippines or Singapore). Lost in all the commotion is the film itself: Beautifully performed (especially by Willem Dafoe as Jesus), impeccably shot and scored (Peter Gabriel's propulsive soundtrack is one for the ages), it's the work of a true believer in both movies and mankind.
It’s often said – usually by unfunny comics and angry white guys in bowties on cable news – that we’re living in an era of unprecedented cultural sensitivity; that every person of a certain age spends every day desperately scouring the internet in hopes of finding another reason to clasp their proverbial pearls. When it comes to movies, in particular, the oft-repeated phrase is, ‘You couldn’t make this today.’ Usually, it’s revisionist nonsense. Sometimes, though, it’s at least partially true – if only because those movies barely got made in the first place, and certainly didn’t escape outrage at the time of release.
Not all controversies are created equal, however. Some broke legitimate boundaries and have come to be seen as pioneering works of art. Others were banned and panned and ended up ruining whole careers. A few are just downright vile – some led to criminal charges, and in one famous instance, helped prop up a fascist regime. But even the most unsavory have great stories behind them. So, in the interest of indulging the prurient curiosity of our readers, we’ve compiled this list of the most controversial movies ever made. Prepare your pearls for clutching.
Written by Joshua Rothkopf, David Fear, Keith Uhlich, Andy Kryza & Matthew Singer
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