Mexico see Last Temptation

Apparently The Last Temptation of Christ (dir. Martin Scorsese, 1988) is only this week getting its release in Mexico, a week ahead of the release there of The Passion of the Christ, according to this Reuters story on Yahoo! News:

Christ Film Reaches Mexico 16 Years Later
By Elizabeth Fullerton

Heavily Catholic Mexico outlawed director Scorsese's film "The Last Temptation of Christ" for portraying a weak-willed Jesus Christ tempted to have sex with Mary Magdalene.

It will finally debut in cinemas here on Friday.

The film's distributor said this week it was launching "this work of art so the Mexican public can decide for itself and draw its own conclusions."

The film has been timed to open exactly one week before the March 19 Mexican premiere of Gibson's "The Passion"

Still more evidence of this interesting side effect of the popularity of The Passion of the Christ, that it is increasing interest in other Jesus films. Let's hope for a TV airing in the UK of some Jesus films over Easter. Perhaps even some of the rarities, The Day Christ Died or Son of Man?