74-480: " The Last Temptation of Krust " is the fifteenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It first aired on Fox in the United States on February 22, 1998. It was written by Donick Cary and directed by Mike B. Anderson . Comedian Jay Leno makes a guest appearance. In the episode, Bart convinces Krusty the Clown to appear at a comedy festival organized by Jay Leno, but Krusty's old material does not go over well with
148-457: A "kind of a cease and desist", but the production staff decided not to cut the scene from the episode. (Of note, Fox was a national television rightsholder for NHL games at the time this episode originally aired.) The poem recited by Krusty when he announces his retirement from comedy is based on "To an Athlete Dying Young" by A. E. Housman . Krusty attends the coffee shop Java the Hut, a reference to
222-459: A 2006 article, Seth Jayson of The Motley Fool compared the wording in a Ford advertisement myFord Owner Magazine to this episode, writing: "the unholiest of unholies is the writing, which is so thick with absurd adspeak, you'd think it was written by the crew at The Onion or The Simpsons – especially that episode where Krusty starts shilling for the Canyonero." In a 2004 article in
296-468: A dark sweater and tying his hair in a ponytail. Observing his newfound popularity, two marketing executives try to persuade Krusty to endorse a new sport utility vehicle called the Canyonero. Although he tries to resist, he eventually succumbs to the lure of money. After promoting the Canyonero at a comedy performance in Moe's Tavern , he is booed off stage by the patrons. He finally admits to himself that comedy
370-502: A landslide. Initially, Homer is able is keep his promise, but he uses an entire year's budget in a month, causing the workers to go on strike, fearing they will not be paid. Homer makes a deal with neighboring towns to dump their trash in Springfield's abandoned mines to make money, but when the mines are filled, trash starts to burst out of the ground. The town is then forced to completely move five miles away. In terms of households,
444-633: A nomination for Worst Supporting Actor at the Golden Raspberry Awards . Jesus of Nazareth is a carpenter in the Roman client state, Judea . He is torn between his own desires and his knowledge of God 's plan for him. His friend Judas Iscariot is sent to kill him for collaborating with the Romans to crucify Jewish rebels, but suspects that Jesus is the Messiah and asks him to lead
518-658: A nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director . Hershey's performance as Mary Magdalene earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress . Peter Gabriel 's music score also received acclaim, including a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score . Dafoe's performance as Jesus was praised, with some thinking he should have been nominated for Best Actor . In stark contrast, Keitel's performance as Judas received
592-726: A result of the film's controversial reception. In 1997, the Criterion Collection issued a special edition of The Last Temptation of Christ on Laserdisc, which Criterion re-issued on DVD in 2000 and on Blu-ray disc in Region A in March 2012 and Region B in April 2019. The Last Temptation of Christ opened in 123 theaters on August 12, 1988, in the United States and Canada, and grossed $ 401,211 in its opening weekend. At
666-439: A seat in the less supervised underground room, where a different film was being shown. The incendiary device consisted of a charge of potassium chlorate , triggered by a vial containing sulphuric acid . The attack injured thirteen people, four of whom were severely burned, and severely damaged the cinema. In Roger Ebert 's book Scorsese by Ebert , the critic wrote of the reaction to The Last Temptation of Christ , "...Scorsese
740-408: A sign that he must die on the cross to bring salvation to mankind and instructs Judas to give him to the Romans. Jesus convenes his disciples for a Passover seder , whereupon Judas leads a contingent of soldiers to arrest Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane . Although acknowledging his virtues and their significance, Pontius Pilate tells Jesus that he must be put to death as he represents a threat to
814-534: A standard rectangular cardboard box featuring Lisa with a backstage pass to a show at a club. The menus continue the same format from the previous four seasons, and the overall theme is various characters waiting in line at a club. The Last Temptation of Christ (film) The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 epic religious drama film directed by Martin Scorsese . Written by Paul Schrader with uncredited rewrites from Scorsese and Jay Cocks , it
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#1732798421442888-477: A war of liberation against the Romans. While Jesus assures him that his message is one of love for mankind, Judas warns him not to harm the rebellion. Jesus starts preaching after saving prostitute Mary Magdalene from a stoning and being baptized by John the Baptist . He acquires disciples , some who want freedom from the Romans while Jesus maintains people should tend to matters of the spirit. Jesus goes into
962-437: Is a parody of a commercial for a sport utility vehicle and Hank Williams Jr. sings a song about the Canyonero accompanied by country guitar music and whip cracks. The song "Canyonero" closely resembles the theme to the 1960s television series Rawhide . This episode was the first appearance of the Canyonero, which again appeared in the season 10 episode " Marge Simpson in: 'Screaming Yellow Honkers' " . The "Canyonero" song
1036-467: Is an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis ' controversial 1955 novel of the same name . The film, starring Willem Dafoe , Harvey Keitel , Barbara Hershey , Andre Gregory , Harry Dean Stanton and David Bowie , was shot entirely in Morocco . The film depicts the life of Jesus Christ and his struggle with various forms of temptation including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance, and lust. The book and
1110-544: Is consoled by his angel and goes on to start a family with Mary and Martha , the sisters of Lazarus. As an older man, Jesus encounters the apostle Paul preaching about the Messiah and tries to tell him that he is the man about whom Paul has been preaching. Paul repudiates him, saying that even if Jesus had not died on the cross, his message was the truth, and nothing would stop him from proclaiming that. Jesus debates him, stating that salvation cannot be founded on lies. Near
1184-556: Is included on the 1999 soundtrack album Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons . Two years later, Ford released the Super Duty -based Ford Excursion , the largest and heaviest SUV ever until the electric GMC Hummer SUV and pickup. Chris Turner wrote positively of the Canyonero spoof piece in Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation , calling it "a brilliant parody of an SUV ad". In an article in
1258-525: Is not in his blood and selling out is. The episode ends with an extended advertisement for the Canyonero, as Krusty and Bart leave Moe Szyslak 's tavern in Krusty's new SUV. In the DVD commentary for The Simpsons ' ninth season, writer Donick Cary stated that the inspiration for the idea of an episode about stand-up comedy came out of comedy festivals at the time. Executive producer Mike Scully said that
1332-528: Is picked to be the designated driver for that night at Moe's Tavern . However, Barney disappears for two months with the car, and returns without it. Homer searches for his car, and eventually receives a letter from the City of New York . The family is excited to go there to obtain the car, but Homer, who had had a bad experience in New York when he was younger, is reluctant. After reaching New York City, Homer sees
1406-503: Is revealed to be an impostor when the real Principal, Sgt. Principal Skinner, shows up. The principal's real name is revealed to be Armin Tamzarian, an orphan from Capital City . Armin soon leaves to return to Capital City, and Sgt. Principal Skinner takes over as principal. However, many, including Agnes Skinner , soon decide they preferred the old Seymour. After persuading him to come back from Capital City to be Principal Skinner again,
1480-667: The Chicago Tribune , Jim Mateja noted that people have pointed out a similarity between the GMC Canyon and the Canyonero. When contacted, GMC responded that the GMC is a pickup truck, while the Canyonero is a parody of an SUV. Joshua Dowling of The Sun-Herald described the philosophy of the Ford F-250 as "The Canyonero comes to life". In its original broadcast, "The Last Temptation of Krust" finished 21st in ratings for
1554-555: The Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt . Additionally, Krusty's anti-commercialism and anti-corporate stances, along with styling his hair in a ponytail, is a reference to comedian George Carlin who styled his hair the same way later in his career and often had anti-capitalist, anti-consumerist and anti-commercialist overtones in his performance. The "Canyonero" song and visual sequence was modeled after Ford commercials. The sequence
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#17327984214421628-666: The Fox network between September 21, 1997 and May 17, 1998, beginning on Sunday, September 21, 1997, with " The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson ". Mike Scully served as showrunner for the ninth production season. The ninth broadcast season contained three episodes with 4F-series production codes, indicating that they were hold-over episodes from production season eight , and two episodes with 3G-series production codes, which are not explicitly confirmed to be part of any production season but are speculated to be relabeled 3F-series ( seventh production season ) episodes. This makes it
1702-428: The first episode who had undergone much character development , was an impostor. The episode has been criticized by series creator Matt Groening , and by Skinner's voice actor Harry Shearer . In his 2004 book Planet Simpson , Chris Turner describes the episode as the "broadcast that marked [the] abrupt plunge" from The Simpsons ' "Golden Age", which he says began in the middle of the show's third season . He calls
1776-584: The "Outstanding Music and Lyrics" award. Clausen was also nominated for "Outstanding Music Direction" and "Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for " Treehouse of Horror VIII ". Season nine was also nominated for a "Best Network Television Series" award by the Saturn Awards and "Best Sound Editing" for a Golden Reel Award . The Simpsons 9th Season DVD was released on December 19, 2006, in Region 1 , January 29, 2007, in Region 2 and March 21, 2007, in Region 4 . The DVD
1850-536: The "show became stupid" in 1997, pointing to the episode as the bellwether. "Come again? A major character in a long-running series gets unmasked as a fraud? It was cheap, idle storytelling", he remarks. In a February 2006 article in The Star-Ledger , Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz cite the episode when asserting that the quality of The Simpsons "gets much spottier" in season nine. Alan Sepinwall observes in another Star-Ledger article, "[The episode]
1924-731: The 1972 film Boxcar Bertha , she gave him a copy of the Kazantzakis novel. Scorsese optioned the book in the late 1970s, and he gave it to Paul Schrader to adapt. The Last Temptation of Christ was originally to be Scorsese's follow-up to The King of Comedy , with production slated to begin in 1983 for Paramount on a budget of about $ 14 million, shot on location in Israel . The original cast included Aidan Quinn as Jesus, Sting as Pontius Pilate, Ray Davies as Judas Iscariot and Vanity as Mary Magdalene. Management at Paramount and its then parent company, Gulf+Western , grew uneasy due to
1998-681: The Clown is persuaded by Bart Simpson to appear at a comedy festival organized by Jay Leno. Krusty's outdated and offensive material fails to impress the audience when compared with the trendier comedians also appearing. Discouraged by a negative review of his act, Krusty goes on a bender and passes out on Ned Flanders ' lawn. While recovering in Bart's memorabilia-covered room, Krusty realizes that he should have spent more time honing his act rather than selling out , and he enlists Bart and Leno's aid. However, his attempts at observational humor fall flat with
2072-407: The Messiah!". Jesus then finds himself once more on the cross, having overcome the "last temptation" of escaping death, being married and raising a family, and the ensuing disaster that would have consequently encompassed mankind. Jesus cries out "It is accomplished!" and dies. Martin Scorsese had wanted to make a film version of Jesus' life since childhood. While he was directing Barbara Hershey in
2146-548: The Roman Empire; he is subsequently beaten, flogged , mocked and taken to be crucified . While on the cross, a young girl who claims to be Jesus's guardian angel tells him that, while he is the Son of God, he is not the Messiah and that God is pleased with him and wants him to be happy. She brings him down off the cross and takes him to Mary Magdalene, whom he marries. They live a happy life, but when she abruptly dies, Jesus
2220-575: The Simpson family. Krusty holds a press conference to announce his retirement and in short order launches into a bitter tirade against modern-day comedians. The audience finds Krusty's rant hysterically funny and he subsequently announces his return to comedy. Krusty is inspired to return to doing low-key events, where he structures a new image for himself as a stand-up comedian who tells the truth, criticizes commercialism, and refuses to sell out to corporate America. He also changes his appearance, sporting
2294-482: The United States and Canada on December 19, 2006, eight years after it had completed broadcast on television. As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including deleted scenes , animatics , and commentaries for every episode. As with the two preceding seasons, the set was released in two different packagings: A "Collector's Edition" plastic packaging molded to look like Lisa's head, and
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2368-433: The audience and he receives bad reviews. He briefly retires from comedy but returns with a new, better-received gimmick. He soon returns to his old ways, selling out to a motor-vehicle company. The production team's decision to write an episode about stand-up comedy was influenced by comedy festivals. The writing staff initially had trouble getting Krusty's offensive bad jokes through network censors, but convinced them this
2442-498: The ballooning budget for the picture and protest letters received from religious groups. The project went into turnaround , and was finally canceled in December 1983. Scorsese went on to make After Hours instead, disappointed at Paramount's abandonment of the project. In 1986, Universal Studios became interested in the project. Scorsese offered to shoot the film in 58 days for $ 7 million, and Universal eventually greenlighted
2516-404: The bribe Chief Wiggum was asking for. Homer decides to allow the two carnies to stay at his home. The next day, the family goes to a glass bottom boat ride with the tickets Cooder gave them, only to discover their house has been taken over by the two carnies when they return. After brainstorming on how to get the house back, Homer decides to make Cooder a deal: If Homer can get a hula hoop around
2590-478: The car parked near the World Trade Center , where he must wait by so that an officer can remove the wheel clamp . He is distracted from standing watch for the police when he has to go the bathroom, and causes him to miss the police officer. Homer gets angry and leaves the city with the clamp on. When a celebration is held at Springfield Elementary to honor his 20 years as principal, Principal Skinner
2664-453: The compliment of taking him and his message seriously, and they have made a film that does not turn him into a garish, emasculated image from a religious postcard. Here he is flesh and blood, struggling, questioning, asking himself and his father which is the right way, and finally, after great suffering, earning the right to say, on the cross, 'It is accomplished. ' " Gene Siskel from the Chicago Tribune said: "Dafoe manages to draw us into
2738-462: The desert to test his connection to God, where he resists temptation by Satan . Returning from the desert, Jesus is nursed back to health by Martha and Mary of Bethany , who encourage him to marry and have children. After performing miracles, including raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus's ministry reaches Jerusalem , where he and his followers chase out money changers from the temple . He begins bleeding from his hands, which he recognizes as
2812-464: The drop-off actually was." On Rotten Tomatoes, the ninth season of The Simpsons has a 67% approval rating based on 6 critical reviews. The second episode of the ninth season, " The Principal and the Pauper " is often regarded as one of the most controversial episodes of the entire series. Many fans and critics reacted negatively to the revelation that Principal Skinner , a recurring character since
2886-432: The end of his life, with Jerusalem in the throes of rebellion , an elderly dying Jesus calls his former disciples to his bed. When Judas comes, he reveals Jesus's guardian angel is actually Satan, who tricked him into believing he did not have to give himself up to save the world. Crawling back through the burning city, Jesus reaches the site of his crucifixion and begs God to let him fulfill his purpose, stating "I want to be
2960-528: The end of its run, it had grossed $ 8,373,585 in the United States and Canada. Internationally, it grossed $ 25.4 million for a worldwide total of $ 33.8 million. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 82% of 103 film critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The consensus states: "Contrary to accusations of irreverence, The Last Temptation of Christ ' s biggest sins are actually languid pacing and some tinny dialogue — but Martin Scorsese's passion for
3034-420: The end of the episode. The episode title is a reference to the controversial novel (and later film ) The Last Temptation of Christ . In addition to Jay Leno, other real-life comedians that portrayed themselves in the episode include Steven Wright , Janeane Garofalo , Bobcat Goldthwait , and Bruce Baum , whose appearance helped increase his popularity. Garofalo would return to guest star again as herself in
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3108-453: The ending of the episode inadvertently made you complicit in its viciousness. Ultimately, the citizens of Springfield decide to force things back to normal by tying the real Skinner to a departing train and legally declaring that Tamzarian's theft of an entire life is fine. And, well, yeah we as the viewers wanted things to go back to normal once the episode was over, but…this was just heartless." Homer allows Barney to use his car when Barney
3182-639: The episode "[one of] the weakest episodes in Simpsons history", and adds, "A blatant, continuity-scrambling plot twist of this sort might've been forgivable if the result had been as funny or sharply satirical as the classics of the Golden Age, but alas it's emphatically not." Turner notes that the episode "still sports a couple of virtuoso gags", but says that such moments are limited. In July 2007, in an article in The Guardian , Ian Jones argues that
3256-452: The episode fifth on his list "Ten Times The Simpsons Jumped the Shark", calling it a "nonsensical meta-comedy" and arguing that it "seemed to betray the reality of the show itself". On the 25th anniversary of the episode airing, Fatherly looked back negatively at the episode, described the plot twist as the moment the show stopped being perfect, saying: "It wasn't funny, it was just mean, and
3330-430: The episode in The Star-Ledger , citing the Canyonero sequence as "the real reason to watch" the episode and that "It's an oversize vehicle that will create oversized laughs." Some sources mistakenly refer to this episode as "The Last Temptation of Krusty". In the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide , Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood characterized the episode as "a good twist on
3404-498: The episode were making fun of him or complimenting him. William Irwin's The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer references a scene from the episode as an example of Marge 's passive resistance , her moral influence on Lisa , and her value as a role model for her children. Bibliography The Simpsons season 9 The ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on
3478-494: The family transcend its mundane station-wagon existence but instead brought only misery." The term "Canyonero" has since been used in the news media to refer critically to large trucks and SUVs. In an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about SUV owners, Vicki Haddock wrote "SUV owners have become something of a punch line, succinctly captured in a "Simpsons" parody touting the apocryphal Canyonero". In
3552-555: The film depict Christ being tempted by imagining himself engaged in sexual activities, which caused outrage from certain Christian groups, claiming the work as blasphemy . It includes a disclaimer stating: "This film is not based on the Gospels , but upon the fictional exploration of the eternal spiritual conflict." The Last Temptation of Christ received positive reviews from critics and some religious leaders, and Scorsese received
3626-528: The film prior to and upon its release. One protest, organized by a religious Californian radio station, gathered 600 protesters to picket the headquarters of Universal Studios' then parent company MCA . One of the protestors dressed up as MCA's Chairman Lew Wasserman and pretended to drive nails through Jesus' hands into a wooden cross. Evangelist Bill Bright offered to buy the film's negative from Universal in order to destroy it. The protests were effective in convincing several theater chains not to screen
3700-534: The film. One of those chains, General Cinemas , later apologized to Scorsese for doing so. Mother Angelica , a Catholic nun and founder of Eternal Word Television Network , described Last Temptation as "the most blasphemous ridicule of the Eucharist that's ever been perpetrated in this world" and "a holocaust movie that has the power to destroy souls eternally." In some countries, including Greece , South Africa , Turkey , Mexico , Chile , and Argentina ,
3774-456: The first broadcast season to include holdover episodes from two previous production seasons. Season nine won three Emmy Awards : " Trash of the Titans " for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) in 1998, Hank Azaria won "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance" for the voice of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon , and Alf Clausen and Ken Keeler won
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#17327984214423848-443: The house collects a huge amount of trash, Marge writes an apology letter to the sanitary commission, signing with Homer's name. However, Homer finds out and goes to city hall to rescind it. Following an angry meeting with the commissioner, Homer decides to run for his position. Homer's campaigning fails to win much support, until he promises the town that they will no longer need to do any garbage-related work. This causes Homer to win in
3922-423: The house's chimney, he can have his house back, but if he does not, he will sign the deed of the house to Cooder. However, the family fool the two carnies, and rush back into the house before the two can do anything. When Homer is unable to take all of his trash to the curb, barely missing the garbage truck , Homer insults the garbage men, leading the family to have their garbage collection service cut off. After
3996-423: The journal Environmental Politics , Steve Vanderheiden commented that the Canyonero reflected an "anti-SUV" stance by The Simpsons . Vanderheiden wrote: "Even the popular animated television series 'The Simpsons' joined the anti-SUV fray in 1998, featuring a mammoth vehicle called the 'Canyonero' (marketed with the jingle: 'Twelve yards long, two lanes wide/Sixty-five tons of American pride!'), which promised to help
4070-565: The life of Jesus" and "neither blasphemous nor offensive", though he felt it was "slightly too long, and Scorsese does pull some punches in deference to the subject matter", but described these as "minor criticisms" and concluded that it was a "sincere work". On October 22, 1988, an Integralist Catholic group set fire to the Saint Michel cinema in Paris while it was showing the film. Shortly after midnight, an incendiary device ignited under
4144-594: The mystery, anguish and joy of the holy life. This is anything but another one of those boring biblical costume epics. There is genuine challenge and hope in this movie." A review associated with Catholic News Service asserts that The Last Temptation of Christ "fails because of artistic inadequacy rather than anti-religious bias." Halliwell's Film Guide awarded it one star from a possible four, describing it as "beautifully shot and strikingly acted, but wordy and too long". Alan Jones awarded it four stars out of five for Radio Times , calling it "a challenging essay on
4218-618: The never-ending Krusty story" and suggested that while "Jay Leno turns in a nice cameo [...] the show is stolen by the advert for the Canyonero". The authors also praised Krusty's "ponytail and black sweater" look. In the DVD audio commentary for "The Last Temptation of Krust", Leno said that he believed the essence of comedy clubs was depicted very well in the episode and referred to Krusty's remodeled appearance as " [George] Carlin post-Vegas act". He also appreciated Krusty's poke at Leno's use of news headlines on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and said that he could not figure out whether parts of
4292-676: The production, as Scorsese agreed to direct a more mainstream film for the studio in the future (which eventually resulted in Cape Fear ). Critic and screenwriter Jay Cocks worked with Scorsese to revise Schrader's script. Aidan Quinn passed on the role of Jesus, and Scorsese recast Willem Dafoe in the part. Sting also passed on the role of Pilate, with the role being recast with David Bowie . Principal photography began in October 1987. The location shoot in Morocco (a first for Scorsese)
4366-498: The season 23 episode " The Ten-Per-Cent Solution ". Krusty's "Krustylu Studios" is a spoof on the company Desilu studios, set up by Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz , where the series Star Trek was once filmed. During Krusty's "bender to end all benders" montage , he is seen drinking out of and vomiting into the Stanley Cup . The National Hockey League sent a letter regarding this scene. Mike Scully described it as
4440-569: The season nine DVD, Joseph Szadkowski of The Washington Times noted: "Among the 22-minute gems found in the set, I most enjoyed ... [Krusty's] work with Jay Leno." Mark Evans of the Evening Herald wrote: "'The Last Temptation of Krust' is a winner for its title alone as Krusty the clown becomes a satiric 'alternative' comedian but then sells out by advertising the Canyonero SUV road hazard." Alan Sepinwall wrote positively of
4514-453: The show ranked just outside the Top 30, coming in at No. 32 with a 9.3 household rating and a 15 percent audience share. However, in terms of total viewers, the show ranked within the Top 20, coming in at No. 18 for the season, (tying with Dateline Tuesday ) and being watched by an average of 15.3 million viewers per episode. The DVD boxset for season nine was released by 20th Century Fox in
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#17327984214424588-541: The subject shines through in an oft-transcendent rumination on faith." Metacritic , which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 80 based on 18 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". In a four-out-of-four star review for the Chicago Sun-Times , Roger Ebert , who later included the film in his list of "Great Movies", wrote that Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader "paid Christ
4662-401: The townspeople send Sgt. Skinner out of town on a railroad. While the family is at a traveling carnival , Bart accidentally crashes Adolf Hitler 's car. To pay off the debts, Homer and Bart get jobs at the carnival by helping with the booths and exhibits, where they befriend Cooder and Spud, a father-and-son carny team. Homer causes their booth to get shut down, when he does not recognize
4736-499: The week of February 16–23, 1998, with a Nielsen rating of 9.7, equivalent to approximately 9.5 million viewing households. It was the fourth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files , The World's Scariest Police Chases , and King of the Hill . In 2006, USA Today highlighted the episode in a review of The Simpsons ninth season . In his review of
4810-431: The writers had difficulty getting Krusty's offensive bad jokes through the network censors. The stereotypical jokes were allowed because the writers convinced the network censors that viewers would understand it was simply emphasizing Krusty's dated comedic material. Mike B. Anderson stated that at least three different acts of material were written and animated for Krusty's comeback stand-up appearance at Moe's Tavern. It
4884-476: Was difficult, and the difficulties were compounded by the hurried schedule. "We worked in a state of emergency," Scorsese recalled. Scenes had to be improvised and worked out on the set with little deliberation, leading Scorsese to develop a minimalist aesthetic for the film. Shooting wrapped by December 25, 1987. The film's musical soundtrack , composed by Peter Gabriel , received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Score - Motion Picture in 1988 and
4958-536: Was later screened as a part of the Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 1988. In response to the film's acceptance as a part of the festival's lineup, director Franco Zeffirelli removed his film Young Toscanini from the program. Although The Last Temptation of Christ was released on VHS and Laserdisc , many video rental stores, including the then-dominant Blockbuster Video , declined to carry it for rental, as
5032-441: Was not until the editing process that the material used was decided upon. The episode was still being animated three weeks before it was due to air and the production process moved frantically shortly before completion. The Canyonero sequence was originally planned to be displayed during the closing credits. The production team liked the scene so much that they did not want it to be obscured by the credits and gave it its own segment at
5106-461: Was released in two different forms: a Lisa -shaped head, to match the Maggie , Homer and Marge shaped heads from the three previous DVD sets, and also a standard rectangular shaped box. Like the previous DVD sets, both versions are available for sale separately. This is the last season to feature the character Lionel Hutz , voiced by Phil Hartman . Following Hartman's death on May 28, 1998, Hutz
5180-688: Was released on CD with the title Passion , which won a Grammy in 1990 for Best New Age Album. The film's score itself helped to popularize world music . Gabriel subsequently compiled an album called Passion – Sources , including additional material by various musicians that inspired him in composing the soundtrack, or which he sampled for the soundtrack. The original scores brought together many international artists including Pakistani musician and vocalist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan , Egyptian kanun player Abdul Aziz, Turkish ney flute player Kudsi Ergüner , Armenian duduk players Antranik Askarian and Vatche Housepian. The film opened on August 12, 1988. The film
5254-557: Was retired along with Hartman's other recurring character Troy McClure ; his final speaking role as Hutz was five months earlier, in the episode " Realty Bites ", and has since occasionally appeared as a background character. The ninth season is considered by some fans and critics to be the end of the Golden Age of The Simpsons . Alasdair Wilkins of The A.V. Club said: "From here on out, we're in The Simpsons' decline phase, though there's plenty of room to disagree just how stark
5328-524: Was simply a way to emphasize his old and dated comedic material. The "Canyonero" sequence was modeled after Ford commercials and was given its own segment at the end of the episode because the production staff liked it so much. The episode was highlighted by USA Today in a review of The Simpsons ' ninth season and received positive reviews in The Washington Times , the Evening Herald , and in books on The Simpsons . Krusty
5402-521: Was so implausible that even the characters were disavowing it by the end of the episode." Jon Hein , who coined the term " jumping the shark " to refer to negative changes in television series, writes in Jump the Shark: TV Edition , "We finally spotted a fin at the start of the ninth season when Principal Skinner's true identity was revealed as Armin Tamzarian." James Greene of Nerve.com put
5476-456: Was targeted by death threats and the jeremiads of TV evangelists". The threats were significant enough that Scorsese had to use bodyguards during public appearances for a few years. Because of the film's departures from the gospel narratives—and especially a brief scene wherein Jesus and Mary Magdalene consummate their marriage—several Christian groups organized vocal protests and boycotts of
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