Martin Scorsese: Films Of Faith - Imprint Films Limited Edition Blu-ray

As someone without any belief in a system of organized religion, I’m fascinated by stories of people with devout faith. Akin to an anthropologist studying an obscure culture, I look at people who ardently believe in their religion to understand how someone could be so firm in their beliefs. Where does this passion come from? That isn’t to say I’m a non-believer, because of my pragmatic nature I’d call myself an agnostic, but I can’t hang my shingle on a single religion like some can. Regardless of my personal faith, I am fascinated by these stories and explorations. 

Now, one can admire Martin Scorsese for any number of gifts as a filmmaker. He’s a master storyteller who always finds a way to transport you into a world. You may know the place and time, or you could be completely alien to it, but you’re along for one hell of a journey. One theme that connects most (if not all) of Scorsese’s films is religion and faith and how it affects a character’s choices. Some of Scorsese’s films are more obvious with these meditations, others less so, but it’s a prevailing theme that enriches his work. Imprint Films’ Martin Scorsese Films of Faith box set features three of the filmmaker's more obvious explorations - The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun, and Silence. Each an interesting film in its own way, although not all are of his best efforts

The Last Temptation of Christ
Talk about a controversial release! I was too young to see this film in theaters at the time, but I remember the discourse about it. Mostly because I can remember my very catholic grandmother who saw it in theaters and was completely offended by it and would tell everyone how offended she was for a long time after seeing it. I had to discover it on my own terms and it’s certainly an incredible piece of work. My interest in this film was hooked when I caught the idea that we’re watching the story of Christ through this almost clinical lens of someone observing a man possibly enduring severe mental illness. The film gives Willem Dafoe’s Jesus his place to discover his true path as The Christ while also allowing for Harvey Keitel’s Judas to doubt. And then we see this duality of Jesus as a flesh and blood man and Jesus as a savior and how these two conflicting personalities could be part of one individual. He doesn't have to be presented as either-or but both. It’s a fascinating work to be sure, but it’s also one I’ve never fully connected with beyond appreciating the great performances. 3.5/5

Kundun
1997 was the year that Hollywood decided Free Tibet was the theme de jure and celebrate the life of the exiled Dalai Lama. Arriving mere months after the beautifully shot but absurdly silly Seven Years in Tibet (Brad’s German accent, my god! Take a drink every time he tries to pronounce “Himalayas.”) came Scoresese’s Kundun. Written by E.T. scribe Melissa Mathison and starring several family members of the Dalai Lama, the film is less of a coherent A to B narrative than a collection of memories captured on film. And it’s an impressive production and beautifully shot by Roger Deakins, but it can also feel oddly weightless. It’s a film I’ve come back to several times through the years but I never quite crack into it. Caving to backlash from China, Disney essentially buried the film into obscurity and was a box office bust long before people could even see it for themselves. 3/5 

Silence
Perhaps a little more obvious dive into the exploration of faith, Scorsese’s underseen 2016 film about two 16th-century missionaries traveling to Japan to find their mentor is an incredible production. Featuring fantastic committed performances from Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson, the film beautifully explores faith and devotion against impossible odds under the harshest conditions within a foreign culture and it’s a brilliant piece of work. As our own David Krauss pointed out in his Blu-ray review, the film’s pace is a sticking point. At 160 minutes, it’s by no means Scorsese’s longest film, it just feels like it. Steeped in mood and atmosphere with breathtaking photography by 4-time Oscar Nominee Rodrigo Prieto (the guy shot Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon - that’s talent!), the film itself can only get so far on pensive looks. When the film is moving it’s gripping stuff, but it also feels like you can take mini naps and not miss anything of the story. 4/5 

Collected together for this box set, watching these films in relatively swift succession wasn’t easy. Each film is its own brand of heavy thoughtful material that demands your fullest attention on top of some long periods of reflection. No film has ever swayed me spiritually towards faith or religion, but Scorsese’s works at least give me something to understand why others are so inclined. I hadn’t seen these films in years, so in many ways, I was rewatching each with fresh eyes and an open mind. And then there were the extensive bonus features to dive into afterward. Personally I wouldn’t call these the greatest of the filmmaker’s catalog, but they’re fascinating productions and give you a lot to chew on long after the credits roll. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
Australia’s Via Vision and their Imprint Films sublabel deliver the three film five disc Martin Scorsese Films of Faith collection to Blu-ray. Housed in a hardstock cardboard case with a removable top, each film rests in its own clear case and the set comes with an 80-page hardcover book featuring essays by Alissa Wilkinson, Bilge Ebiri, and Martyn Conterio. The Last Temptation of Christ is pressed on a Region Free BD-50 disc with a second BD-50 disc serving up bonus features. Likewise Kundon offers up a Region Free BD-50 with another BD-50 disc for extras. Silence clicks in with its own Region Free BD-50 disc.

Now, I have to say out front that it’d been something to score each of these films in 4K, but as that’s not an option, we have the three films presented with their current masters which is the best we can hope for at this time. Of the three Silence certainly is the better looking with The Last Temptation of Christ looking the oldest and most in need of a refresh while Kundun strikes a pleasing middle-ground appearance. 

The Last Temptation of Christ first hit Blu-ray some twelve years ago in the States from Criterion. Since I only ever rented that disc, I don’t have it available for comparison but this seems to me to be sourced from a different master. It’s pretty good, for close-ups it shines nicely, but it also displays some slight frame judder, and for some wide shots it looks like a dose of edge enhancement was also applied. It’s been a good five years (or more) since I last earnestly sat down and watched this one, but this looks to me like a classic early 2010s Universal master and not something that has seen any recent restoration TLC. 3.5/5 

Kundun comes home with what looks to be the same master that KLSC used for their Blu-ray - which was pretty good. Considering the film was essentially abandoned, I’m grateful that this wasn’t just a washed-up master and looked like it at least underwent some care and attention before coming to Blu-ray. Details are often impressive, especially the attention to costumes and set design. No one can accuse Scorsese and Deakins of shooting a cheap-looking biopic! Colors are vivid and healthy with beautiful primaries. Black levels are strong with a terrific sense of depth. 4/5 

Being the more recent film, Silence understandably looks the best of the pack. Given the time period and location, the film is a bit more on the gray-blue drab side of the visual spectrum, but it’s an immaculate image. Beautifully shot, deep shadows and dark spaces give the image an amazing sense of depth. Details are rich and clean - especially if you like looking at sickly gaunt men with beards! Facial features, textures, and the film’s amazing set design work to capture 16th-century Japan is to be celebrated. 4.5/5

On the audio side of things, each film comes with an LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio mix. Now depending on the film in question, your mileage between formats may vary a bit. For The Last Temptation of Christ, I favored the 2.0 track over the 5.1. In 5.1 the film sounded pretty good, especially for crowd sequences, but the 2.0 mix seemed to have more life to it with a tighter, closer feel for the dialog and score.  

With Kundon this is a case where both tracks work remarkably well. Truthfully you can’t go wrong with either option. I spent most of the time with the 5.1 mix and it didn’t disappoint. Dialog was clean without issue and the Philip Glass score was beautifully hypnotic s ever (Fun story: I used to listen to this score on its own quite a bit, but one day it triggered one hell of an auditory migraine, I could still hear the music after I turned it off and actually I passed out next to my desk!). For the 2.0 option, the soundscape does feel a bit tighter and more involved, the low bellowing tones of the score and chants hit a bit harder. 

Now we come to Silence and I have to say as good as the 2.0 option is, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 is absolutely the best way to go. Like the visuals, the soundscape is a rich and vivid presentation with some terrific immersion. Given the conversational nature, the mix largely favors the front/center channels but for the big scenes or waves crashing on the shore, this track really brings the film into your living room. 

There are a ton of amazing bonus features in this set. Not really all that surprising since Imprint really does go the extra mile. If you don’t get all of the previously available extras that couldn’t be licensed, they certainly did an impeccable job adding their own slate of newly produced materials to make it worth your while. 

The Last Temptation of Christ
Disc One:

• Audio Commentary featuring film historian Jim Hemphill
• Interview with Director Martin Scorsese (SD 13:14)
• Trailer 

Disc Two:

• As Above / So Below: The Last Temptation of Christ and The Devine Feminine (HD 15:18)
• It Is Accomplished: Scoring The Last Temptation of Christ (HD 18:24)
• The Gospel According to John and Andrew (HD 26:15)
• Film Scholar Ian Christie on the Last Temptation of Christ (HD 25:20)

Kundun
Disc One:

• Audio Commentary Featuring Michael Berry and Peter Markham
• Theatrical Trailer 

Disc Two:

• Kundun: The Soundscapes of Philip Glass (HD 11:55)
• Film Scholar Ian Christie on Kundun (HD 18:14)
• In Search of Kundun with Martin Scorsese (SD 1:24:46)
• Compassion in Exile: The Story of the 14th Dalai Lama (SD 57:29)
• Interview with Martin Scorsese (SD 33:46)
• Interview with Philip Glass (SD 44:51)
• Interview with Melissa Mathison (SD 38:11)
• Interview with Michael Henry Wilson (SD 54:44)
• Vintage Interviews with Cast & Crew (SD 40:18)

Silence

• Audio Commentary featuring Stuart Galbraith IV, Jay Cocks, and M. Antoni K. Ucerler, S.J. 
• Film Scholar Ian Christie on Silence (HD 21:15)
• Martin Scorsese’s Journey into Silence (HD 24:29)
• Archival Interview with Cast and Crew (HD 6:05)
• Trailer 

Films of faith or religion aren’t the first ones I naturally gravitate towards. As a skeptical agnostic, they’re just not made for me, but I am fascinated by them. I am particularly interested in films from directors with a unique undertone of their work. For example, Mel Gibson’s efforts are quite on the nose (even before Passion of The Christ), but Martin Scorsese has taken some interesting and fearless deep dives into faith, religion, and man’s relationship with the divine. Imprint Film’s three-film collection Martin Scorsese: Films of Faith gathers three of the director’s most interesting efforts The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun, and Silence. These aren’t the most accessible or mindlessly entertaining features ever made, but they are fascinating adventures of man’s relationship with faith. 

The three films are presented with varying video transfers, but they’re all quality presentations with excellent audio options. The big highlight of this is the incredible bonus features package. In addition to numerous archival pieces, this set features hours of new featurettes, documentaries, and audio commentaries worth exploring. This set may not be for everyone, but it’s one worth the journey. Recommended