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

Director:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writer:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Release Date:

2 October 1964 (Italy)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Disciple | Jesus Christ | Betrayal | Suffering | Miracle

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

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
Enzo Siciliano	...	Simon
Otello Sestili	...	Jude
Juan Rodolfo Wilcock	...	Caiphus (as Rodolfo Wilcock)
Alessandro Clerici	...	Pontius Pilate
Amerigo Bevilacqua	...	Herod I
Francesco Leonetti	...	Herod II
Franca Cupane	...	Herodiade
Paola Tedesco	...	Salome
Rossana Di Rocco	...	Angel of the Lord
Renato Terra	...	Posessed one
Eliseo Boschi	...	Joseph of Arimathea
Natalia Ginzburg	...	Mary of Bethania
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Umberto Bevilacqua	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Ninetto Davoli	...	Shepherd (uncredited)

Directed by
Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writing credits
Pier Paolo Pasolini

Produced by
Alfredo Bini	....	producer

Original Music by
Luis Bacalov

Cinematography by
Tonino Delli Colli

Film Editing by
Nino Baragli

Production Design by
Luigi Scaccianoce

Set Decoration by
Andrea Fantacci

Costume Design by
Danilo Donati

Makeup Department
Marcello Ceccarelli	....	makeup artist
Lamberto Marini	....	assistant makeup artist
Mimma Pomilia	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Manolo Bolognini	....	production manager
Eliseo Boschi	....	production supervisor
Enzo Ocone	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Maurizio Lucidi	....	assistant director
Paolo Schneider	....	assistant director
Elsa Morante	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Dante Ferretti	....	assistant production designer

Sound Department
Fausto Ancillai	....	sound mixer
Mario Del Pozzo	....	sound (as Mario Del Pezzo)

Visual Effects by
Ettore Catalucci	....	title & optical effects (SPES) (as E. Catalucci)

Camera and Electrical Department
Giovanni Canfarelli Modica	....	first assistant camera (as Gianni Canfarelli Modica)
Vittorugo Contino	....	assistant camera (as Victor Hugo Contino)
Angelo Novi	....	set photographer
Giuseppe Ruzzolini	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Piero Cicoletti	....	assistant costumer
Piero Farani	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Andreina Casini	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Luis Bacalov	....	music arranger (as Luis E. Bacalov)

Other crew
Lina D'Amico	....	script supervisor
Bruno Frascà	....	production secretary
Vincenzo Taito	....	administration inspector
Gianni Bonagura	....	voice dubbing: Marcello Morante (uncredited)
Pino Locchi	....	voice dubbing: Mario Socrate (uncredited)
Enrico Maria Salerno	....	voice dubbing: Enrique Irazoqui (uncredited)

Thanks
Pope John XXIII	....	dedicatee

Production Companies

• Arco Film
• Lux Compagnie Cinématographique de France

Distributors

• Titanus Distribuzione (1964) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Mediaset (2003) (Italy) (all media) (restoration remastered version)
• Continental Distributing (1966) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Suomi-Filmi (1967) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Another World Entertainment (2009) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (Czech Republic)
• Eureka Entertainment (2012) (UK) (video)
• Genius Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Legend Films (2006) (worldwide) (DVD)
• Legend Films (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Medusa Home Entertainment (2004) (Italy) (DVD)
• Titanio Home Entertainment (2010) (Mexico) (DVD)
• Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) (2005) (USA) (TV)
• Water Bearer Films

Special Effects

• Sviluppo Pellicole e Stampa (SPES) (optical effects)

Other Companies

• Cooperativa Doppiaggio Cinematografico (CDC) (I) (II)  dubbing
• Ditta Rancati  weapons
• Legend Films  colorization
• Legend Films  restoration
• Nevada  sound recording
• Rocchetti  wigs

Also Known As:

"Il vangelo secondo Matteo" - Italy (original title)

Runtime:

137 min | USA:136 min | USA:91 min (edited version)

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-11 (cinema release) (1967) | Spain:13 | Spain:18 (DVD) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Italy:T | Argentina:16 | Sweden:15 | Norway:11 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Apulia, Italy

Company:

Arco Film

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.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

[last lines]
Christ:All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy ghost teaching them to obey all the commandments I have given you. Behold, I am with you always, unto the end of the world.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Wie de Waarheid Zegt Moet Dood (1981)

Soundtrack:

Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground

A Few Thoughts About This Different Kind Of Presentation Of Christ

I think I've seen most, if not all, of the movies dealing with the life of Jesus. (There haven't been that many.) This is without a doubt the most different presentation I've ever seen. It's oddly captivating because of the stark visual contrasts and the direct and different approach used by the director concerning the teachings of Christ. Instead of hearing Jesus' small sermons in context of where and when he said them, much of it is just a head shot of him and many of his comments are all lumped together. It's actually too much to take in at one time - many of Jesus famous statements and no time to digest any of them.

There are a few shots of Jesus performing miracles, intermingling with all kinds of people, must mainly it's a lot of His rhetoric with nothing in the background. It's as if they tried to cram as much as Christ's profound statements into the two-hour movie as they could, so they come rapid-fire. And, since the dialog is in Italian, you have to read all the subtitles to know what he's saying and they are printed in the King James English! That is difficult for most people today to understand, so it really is a must that you've already read the Gospels in modern translations to know what Jesus much of the time. That's because some of the King James words are not ones we are familiar with today, or they have the opposite meaning than they do today. Yet, saying all that, I still found this oddly fascinating and I am not complaining about how they presented it. However, I don't think it would win any converts because most secular viewers would be bored to death with this film. That, and all the King James English, make the sermons way too difficult to comprehend.

The film is slow moving in many spots and today's movie viewer would be challenged to stick with this for the full two-and-a-quarter hours. To be honest, this isn't what most people - believers and non-believers - would call great entertainment. If cinematography means something special to you, you'll like this film better than someone just watching for the story

I could also nitpick and make fun of how all the men's hairstyles looked in here, which was mainly 1960 Italian, not First Century Middle Eastern, but that's incidental. I thought Mary looked realistic and Jesus certainly was portrayed with an intense and captivating face. John The Baptist, by the way, immersed people in the Jordan River. He did not kneel on a boulder and pour a handful of water on their head, as pictured in this film.

Being that Pier Paolo Pasolini, the director and writer of this film, was a Marxist rebel, it's obvious he liked Jesus for His anti-establishment words. Jesus was the most radical man ever to step on this planet. Just read his words. He said things that really shook up people back then, and still do today. He was very tough on the Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders of the day and you can tell the director loves that. I do wish, however, that Pasolini hadn't overemphasized that side of Jesus and neglected much of the Lord's warmth and compassion that is written about in all the gospels. In this film, Christ comes across as ultra-serious, a hard-nosed and often cold individual, and sometimes very judgmental...but read the gospels and you'll find him mostly the opposite.

The music in here was excellent. Playing the old Negro spiritual, "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" by Odetta, a few times was a very nice touch, and a profound statement at the same time.

Overall, I'm glad I finally was able to see this film. It was worth the time, and some of it is as interesting (and still Scripturally accurate) presentation of Christ I have seen on film, but I don't know if I watch it again......probably.