'The Last Temptation of Christ' evoked praise and damnation as it opened across the nation today but some theaters refused to show it and police in Los Angeles beefed up security in anticipation of protests.
Religious leaders were shown the film Thursday in advance of its premiere in nine cities and the reactions varied from 'blasphemy' to 'a blessing.'
Movie critics have had similarly divergent reactions, ranging from 'beautiful' to 'boring.' Christians looking beyond its secular attributes said Martin Scorsese's long-anticipated work was blasphemous.
The West Los Angeles Police Divison today arranged for more manpower for the noon opening of the movie. They said they did not expect violence from zealots opposed to the film, which portrays Jesus with some all-too human failings and sexual urges, but were concerned over a repeat of a traffic snarl that shut down the Hollywood Freeway during a protest Thursday by 25,000 people at Universial Studios.
Los Angeles Times' film critic Sheila Benson in today's editions called the movie 'an intense, utterly sincere, frequently fascinating piece of art ... (in which) the message of Jesus' life has immediacy and meaning.'
A group called the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property ran full-page ads in several newspapers today accusing Universal of libeling Christ.
'There are laws in the United States that protect individuals from being the object of defamatory remarks ... and if such laws protect any John Doe, then we believe with even greater reason they should protect our Lord Jesus Christ,' the ad said.
In Los Angeles Thursday, 25,000 hymn-singing protesters accompanied by balloons spelling out 'Jesus' rallied against the movie outside the gates of Universal Studios -- arriving in cars, trucks and vans and parking in a Universal-owned lot for an estimated $4,500.
The parents of actor Willem Dafoe, who plays Jesus in the film, said today they appreciate the public's right to protest but think people should see the movie to make an informed decision.
'He is from a good Christian home and he believes in God,' Muriel Dafoe said of her son from the retired couple's Orlando, Fla., home. 'I can't believe he would do anything blasphemous. That will have to be proven to me when I see the film.'
William Dafoe urged disgruntled Christians to study their Bible - to see that Christ did resist temptation as depicted in the film - before condemning the movie's content.
One of the most controversial scenes in the film is a dream sequence in which Christ marries and has sex with Mary Magdalene, portraying the last temptation referred to in the title of the movie, which is based on the 1955 novel by Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis.
'Personally, I was not offended by the dream sequence because it was presented as a fantasy, not a reality,' said the Rev. William Boggs, pastor of the Wilshire United Methodist Church in Los Angeles.
'It was well within the boundaries of what the church has said. The church has always said that at his best moments, Jesus was always human and divine,' Boggs said.
Although only a handful of clergymen chose to speak to reporters after attending a screening of the film, most of the comments expressed were similar to those made by the Rev. Frank Eiklor.
'I see why Universal waited until the last day (before the nationwide premiere) to show this film to us,' Eiklor said. 'When you see Jesus portrayed this way, when you see Jesus Christ made the wimp, I could only walk out outraged.'
A handful of the two dozen religious leaders attending an advance screening of the movie at the Motion Picture Association in Washington, D.C., also left before the film's conclusion, including one who departed during the dream scene.
In Washington, moviegoers started arriving nearly two hours before the film was to start. About 100 people were on line to buy tickets by the time the box office opened 50 minutes before show time.
About 20 sign-carrying protesters were present, as well as a handful of police and one counter-protester.
Private screenings also were held Thursday for religious writers in New York and for religious leaders in Chicago. The premiere was set in the four cities as well as in San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, Seattle and Minneapolis.
Most exhibitors indicated they would guage reaction from today's limited release before deciding whether they will book the film, the Hollywood Reporter said Thursday.
The nation's third-largest movie exhibitor -- General Cinema Corp. - said it had already decided against showing 'Temptation' on its 1,339 screens. James Tharp, General Cinema spokesman, said the decision was made after a private screening in Boston on Wednesday.
The National Association of Theater Owners has chosen to remain neutral on the issue.
Officials from Baltimore's three major movie chains, which together nearly control the city's movie theater business, say they probably will not show the film.
The National Conference of Catholic Bishops gave the movie an 'O' rating for morally offensive. And leaders of the Moral Majority, a fundamentalist religious group, urged its membership to boycott the movie.
The audience at the Washington screening gave mixed reviews to the movie.
Dr. Rubel Shelly of the Church of Christ in Nashville, Tenn., dismissed it as 'blasphemous,' but said while Universal has the right to make the film, 'I have a moral right, even an obligation ... to encourage people not to reward those film makers with the monetary reward that they would like have at the box office.'
