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Reverence for the American Jesus

Martin Scorsese's new movie, The Last Temptation of Christ -- adapted from a novel by Nikos Kazantzakis -- takes its cues from old western movies. Film critic Stephen Schiff says the director evangelizes through the back door, convincing us that we really are watching the greatest story ever told.

03:50
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Other segments from the episode on August 11, 1988

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, August 11, 1988: Interview with Kay Mills; Review of Pere Ubu's album "The Tenement Year"; Interview with Hubert Selby, Jr.; Review of the film "The Last Temptation of…
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27:01

A History of Women Journalists

Kay Mills, herself a journalist, found several magazine articles about the progress of women in the news business -- but no book-length study. She has since filled that gap with her book A Place in the News.

Interview
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07:00

Pioneers of the "Avant-Garage"

Cleveland-based rock band Pere Ubu captured the raucous sound of punk years before the rise of the Sex Pistols. Rock critic Ken Tucker says singer and songwriter David Thomas's warbling vocals capture emotions not often featured in the genre: distraction, confusion and pure bliss. Pere Ubu's newest album is called The Tenement Years.

Review
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09:59

Novelist Hubert Selby, Jr.

The author says his life -- and writing -- has been defined by struggle. He didn't read a novel until he was in his twenties. His first, controversial work, Last Exit to Brooklyn, documented its protagonist's violent, working class life. It's now being made into a film.

Interview

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

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16:59

Actor Willem Dafoe on Branching Out Beyond the Bad Guy

Dafoe was once pigeonholed as a villain, but he's since earned a wide variety of film roles. He's starred in "Platoon," "The Last Temptation of Christ," "Mississippi Burning," and "Wild at Heart." He's currently starring in the new Paul Schrader film, "Light Sleeper," along with Susan Sarandon.

Interview
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22:42

Actress Barbara Hershey.

Actress Barbara Hershey. Hershey's had a long career in Hollywood, from films such as "Boxcar Bertha" in the 60s to "Hannah and Her Sisters," and "The Last Temptation of Christ." Next week, she stars in a made for T-V movie called "A Killing in a Small Town." It's based on the true-list story of a Texas woman who brutally murders her friend.

Interview
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27:41

New Yorker Film Critic Says, "Good Movies Never Make You Feel Virtuous"

Every three years or so, a collection of Pauline Kael's movie reviews are collected into a book. Her forthcoming anthology is called Hooked. Kael believes film once served as a kind of common culture, and bemoans the fragmentation of movie audiences. She joins Fresh Air to talk about the state of the film industry and the changing tastes and expectations of audiences.

Interview

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52:30

Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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43:04

This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

In the series Jury Duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden has agreed to participate in what he believes is a documentary about the experience of being a juror--but what Ronald doesn't know is that the whole thing is fake.

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