David Bowie as Pilate in Last Temptation of Christ

The sad news today of the death of David Bowie has of course been all over the media, Facebook and Twitter. For fans of Jesus Films, Bowie gave us one of the most memorable, iconic characterisations of Pontius Pilate in Scorsese's uneven but at times inspired Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Here's the key clip:



It is a wonderfully understated, chillingly cool performance, all the better for the intimacy of the private conversation between Pilate and Jesus. There have been many outstanding and fascinating portrayals of Pilate, Rod Steiger in Jesus of Nazareth, Telly Savalas in The Greatest Story Ever Told, James Nesbitt in The Passion (BBC), but Bowie's is one of the most compelling.

(Thanks to Daniel Gullotta and Bible Films on Facebook for posting the above clip).