The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964)

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 7 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Enrique Irazoqui	...	Cristo
Margherita Caruso	...	Maria (giovane)
Susanna Pasolini	...	Maria (vecchia)
Marcello Morante	...	Giuseppe
Mario Socrate	...	Giovanni Battista
Settimio Di Porto	...	Pietro
Alfonso Gatto	...	Andrea
Luigi Barbini	...	Giacomo
Giacomo Morante	...	Giovanni
Giorgio Agamben	...	Filippo
Guido Cerretani	...	Bartolomeo
Rosario Migale	...	Tommaso
Ferruccio Nuzzo	...	Matteo
Marcello Galdini	...	Giacomo figlio di Alfeo
Elio Spaziani	...	Taddeo

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

black and white | black and white film | jesus christ | palestine | judea | 

---

Taglines:

A Motion Picture which will be seen by the entire world - up to the end of the world!

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

3 March 1965 (France)

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

Selected by the Vatican in the "religion" category of its list of 45 "great films."

---

Goofs

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

---

Quotes

Christ: Many are called, but few are chosen.

---

Alternate Versions

The 2007 DVD release features a colorized, English-dubbed version with a run time of 91 minutes and an Italian-language black and white version running 136 minutes.

---

Connections

Featured in The Passion: Films, Faith & Fury (2006)

---

Soundtracks

Maurerische Trauermusik in c minor (KV 477)
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Quartet for two violins, altviolin & cello nr 19 in C major

User Reviews

Possibly the best movie ever made about Jesus

"Il Vangelo secondo Matteo" is probably the best film ever made about Jesus. The very sparseness of visual effects is evocative and highly suggestive: the supernatural is attained by showing very natural, even lowly people. Such an effect is emphasized by the use of non-professional actors: Pasolini probably owes something to the medieval Italian tradition of "rappresentazione sacra" (a representation of important moments of Jesus's life offered by everyday people), which is still practised nowadays. The powerful effect of Jesus's preaching is very well rendered by Pasolini, and this helps to forgive some poetical licenses on his part. In the end, anyway, this is not a movie you remain indifferent to: either you love it or you hate it. And this, maybe, is what contributes to making it a faithful representation of Jesus's life.