The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964)
"Il vangelo secondo Matteo" (original title)

The life of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew. Pasolini shows Christ as a marxist avant-la-lettre and therefore uses half of the text of Matthew.

Director:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writer:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Stars:

Enrique Irazoqui, Margherita Caruso, Susanna Pasolini

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Enrique Irazoqui	...	Christ
Margherita Caruso	...	Mary (younger)
Susanna Pasolini	...	Mary (older)
Marcello Morante	...	Joseph
Mario Socrate	...	John the Baptist
Settimio Di Porto	...	Peter
Alfonso Gatto	...	Andrew
Luigi Barbini	...	James
Giacomo Morante	...	John
Giorgio Agamben	...	Philip
Guido Cerretani	...	Bartholomew
Rosario Migale	...	Thomas
Ferruccio Nuzzo	...	Matthew
Marcello Galdini	...	James son of Alphus
Elio Spaziani	...	Thaddeus

Storyline

Along a rocky, barren coastline, Jesus begins teaching, primarily using parables. He attracts disciples; he's stern, brusque, and demanding. He comes to bring a sword, not peace, he says. He's in a hurry, moving from place to place near the Sea of Galilee, sometimes attracting a multitude, sometimes being driven away. His parables often take on the powers that be, so he and his teachings come to the attention of the Pharisees, the chief priests, and elders. They conspire to have him arrested, beaten, tried, and crucified, just as he prophesied to his followers. After he dies, he appears to his disciples and gives them final instructions.

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Plot Keywords:

disciple | marxism | miracle | countryside | child murder | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

2 October 1964 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Gospel According to St. Matthew

Filming Locations:

Apulia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arco Film, Lux Compagnie Cinématographique de France

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min 91 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In keeping with his idea of Jesus Christ as the greatest revolutionary of all time, Pier Paolo Pasolini considered casting Jack Kerouac or Allen Ginsberg in the role. He changed his mind when he met Enrique Irazoqui, a Spanish student of literature, who has written a thesis about Pasolini's novel "Ragazzi di vita" and was very curious to meet him.

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Goofs

When they are taking Christ down from the cross, in the distance you can see a car driving around a corner.

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Quotes

Christ: Capharnaum, do you hope to be lifted to heaven? You shall fall low as hell.

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Connections

Featured in Wie de Waarheid Zegt Moet Dood (1981)

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Soundtracks

"Cantate 'Alexander Newski' nr 1"
Sergej Prokofiev

User Reviews

Bizarre, Unusual and......I Liked it!

While not nearly as good as "King Of Kings" or "Jesus Of Nazareth", this film still takes it's place among the top 5 films ever made on the life of Christ. While you will not come away with that "uplifting" feeling you would get from the aforementioned movies, it will still stay with you for a long time after seeing it. This is one of the most bizarre and unusual films of the genre simply because of the way it was photographed and because of it's obvious shoe string budget. Dialogue is at a minimum as are the special effects but that only adds to the "uneasiness" one feels while watching this movie. You get the feeling that a documentary camera crew armed with a 16 millimeter camera actually followed Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the Apostles around to film them during their day! Weird camera angles, abrupt cuts, odd fade outs and fade ins all add to the unique look and feel of the movie, as does the grainy black and white film. No large scale, big budget scenes with 1000's of extra's here, just a simple technique of storytelling though certain scenes appear rushed and hastily done like Christ's journey to Mount Cavalry, the Crucifiction and his ressurection. Certain differences in presentation also will tell you that this is no "ordinary" film on the life of Christ. When Jesus goes to the desert, he is not tempted by satan's voice or a snake but by an unassuming man like you or I. And don't expect to see a white, long haired, bearded, blue eyed man as Christ. Here he is presented as a man who is caucasian but darker, with shorter hair and only remnants of a beard but it works to the overall effect of the movie. Here also, Jesus is presented more as a revaloutionary then as a prophet. Overall a unique presentation on the life of Christ that will leave a lasting impression on you for better or worse. See it!