Bob Dylan's Favorite Movie Is Martin Scorsese's Controversial '80s Masterpiece

Musician Bob Dylan, the trailblazing singer/songwriter, was last seen on the big screen — at least in a wholly scripted, non-documentary capacity — in Larry Charles' 2003 dystopian drama "Masked and Anonymous." In the film, Dylan plays a very Dylan-like music legend named Jack Fate who, after a stint in prison, is enlisted to perform in a benefit concert. Despite an impressive cast, "Masked" is a pretty crummy movie with unclear politics, amateurish production, and a lazy, freewheeling quality that makes the entire movie feel made up on the spot. 

But then, Dylan's acting choices have always been a little off-center. In 1999, he played a chauffeur in a neo-noir called "Paradise Cove." Before that, he appeared in the 1990 thriller "Catchfire," directed by Alan Smithee (really Dennis Hopper). In 1987, he had a rare starring role in Richard Marquand's drama "Hearts of Fire." You probably haven't seen these movies. 

It's a good thing that Dylan is better known for his music, which has earned him a few awards. He has an Oscar for penning "Things Have Changed" for the 2001 movie "Wonder Boys," which also netted him a Golden Globe. He's also won 10 Grammys, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Oh yes, and he's also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Oh yes, and he also has a Pulitzer Prize, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, an honorary doctorate from Princeton, and a Nobel Prize in Literature. And more.

As it happens, he also has interesting taste in movies. At the Beacon Theater in 2019, Dylan was caught on tape (with the recording posted on X/Twitter) declaring that he was a big fan of Martin Scorsese's controversial 1988 religious epic "The Last Temptation of Christ."

In the audio recording, Dylan, speaking off the cuff, said: 

"Martin Scorsese, he's out there. He's one of probably the best directors ever. My favorite movie, I told him before, is 'The Last Temptation of Christ.' I think he's gonna make one for 'The First Temptation' one of these days. Right, Marty? [...] You just got to, for me."

Dylan was clearly making a little dad-level joke with his "First Temptation" crack; there was nothing about "The Last Temptation of Christ" that warranted or demanded a prequel. 

"The Last Temptation of Christ" is, of course, Scorsese's highly contentious film adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' 1955 book of the same title. It is a modernized biography of Jesus of Nazareth (Willem Dafoe) and details his life, with a special focus on the various human temptations that he faced, even as the Messiah. In Scorsese's film, Christ was often fearful, more often doubtful, and even expressed lust. The "Last Temptation" of the title is the temptation of Jesus, while being crucified, to imagine a human life for himself. He can go back to his friends, marry Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey), and live to be a very old man. He is tempted to renounce being the Messiah. It's a heady film about the nature of Christ and the humanity of a godly figure. 

The film sported an impressive cast, with Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Harry Dean Stanton as Paul, and David Bowie as Pontius Pilate. The controversy surrounding "The Last Temptation of Christ" has been well-documented here at /Film. There were many protests from church groups who found the very concepts in "Temptation" to be blasphemous, but any film with such ire surrounding it is definitely worth seeing.

Bob Dylan liked Martin Scorsese's movie, and, perhaps naturally, Scorsese loved Bob Dylan's music. Indeed, Dylan and Scorsese have crossed paths several times in their respective careers, going all the way back to the 1974 concert film "The Last Waltz, which /Film called one of the best music documentaries of all time. That film focused on the farewell tour of The Band, but featured scads of special performances, including a short set from Bob Dylan. 

In 2005, Scorsese and Dylan teamed up again, this time with Dylan as the star. The pair made the 208-minute "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan," which may be as complete a filmed biography as we may ever have of the musical legend. (/Film also called "No Direction Home" one of the best music documentaries of all time.) It's almost like Scorsese and Dylan fit well together. Both, after all, are usually considered among the most important of all American artists. 

But Scorsese and Dylan weren't finished working together. In 2019, Scorsese made "Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese." That film is a curious collaboration, as Dylan and Scorsese ostensibly covered the real-life events following Dylan's 1975 "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour, but they also impishly mixed in interviews with fictional characters, and included some false anecdotes. Only a Dylan scholar might be able to spot immediately which segments are documentary footage, and which ones are fictional. Sharon Stone plays herself, but makes up a wholly false story about her interactions with Dylan on the "Thunder" tour. Dylan himself claims, on camera, that he doesn't remember the 1975 tour, but Scorsese's movie is clearly intended to muddy the waters, not clear things up.