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The Last Temptation of Christ IQ Score 165/200

The Last Temptation of Christ has an IQ Score of 165/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Masterclass tier.

dramareligiouscontroversial
165/ 200
Masterclass

Exceptional cognitive and educational substance, delivered with craft that sustains close attention

The Last Temptation of Christ poster, IQ Score 165/200, Masterclass tier on TV Intelligentsia

Score Breakdown

Legacy score. Published under our earlier workflow, before the current standard took effect in August 2026. A founder reviewed and approved it against our methodology, under a process that does not meet the standard we hold now. What this means →

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Cognitive Stimulation/50
42
Educational Value/50
41
Craft & Quality/50
40
IQ = round((Cognitive × 0.4 + Educational × 0.35 + Craft × 0.25) × 4)  · How we score →
What these dimensions mean
  • Cognitive Stimulation: observable narrative complexity, conceptual density, ambiguity, inference, and sustained intellectual demands in the work.
  • Educational Value: the density and integration of substantive academic, historical, scientific, cultural, ethical, or practical information in the work.
  • Craft & Quality: production excellence in service of the work, its direction, writing, performance, and aesthetic intent.

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Why you should trust this score

Scored under Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH
Physician and founding editor. Maintains the adult catalog against the published rubric and reviews the rubric application.
Formula
round((C × 0.40 + E × 0.35 + Q × 0.25) × 4)
Database scale
2,607 titles, version-controlled

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The TVI Take

Scorsese's 1988 Nikos Kazantzakis adaptation that produced the most sustained organized Christian protests of any American film. The 'last temptation' sequence, Christ on the cross imagining the alternative life he didn't take, is theologically more serious than the controversy suggested.

Willem Dafoe's Jesus, Harvey Keitel's Judas, and Peter Gabriel's score are the film's structural commitments. Required viewing for understanding Scorsese's religious preoccupation.

People & Production Martin Scorsese · Cineplex Odeon Films · Canada 25 connections

Direction & creation

On screen & sound

Selected cast
Willem Dafoe Harvey Keitel Barbara Hershey Harry Dean Stanton David Bowie Victor ArgoSelected in source order; not represented as billing order.
Cinematography

Production & release

Production company
Country of origin
Original language

Related works

Credits and relationships: Wikidata, CC0. TVI preserves production, broadcasting, and distribution as separate roles.

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Where to go next

Cite this score

The Last Temptation of Christ scored 165/200 (Masterclass tier) on TV Intelligentsia's published methodology. Source: tvintelligentsia.com/titles/the-last-temptation-of-christ/

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