Il vangelo secondo Matteo
Directed by:
Pier Paolo PasoliniScreenplay:
Pier Paolo PasoliniCinematography:
Tonino Delli ColliComposer:
Luis BacalovCast:
Enrique Irazoqui, Margherita Caruso, Susanna Pasolini, Marcello Morante, Mario Socrate, Alfonso Gatto, Luigi Barbini, Paola Tedesco, Rossana Di Rocco (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
A biblical epic that only the Marxist dissident Pier Paolo Pasolini could make, this intensely faithful adaptation of Saint Matthew’s Gospel depicts the life and teachings of Jesus Christ (Enrique Irazoqui, a Spanish economics student and Communist activist), whose unwavering compassion for the poor and defiant condemnation of moral hypocrisy make him a perhaps unexpected embodiment of the director’s own worldview. Stunningly shot amid the timeless landscapes of southern Italy and set to a soundtrack that encompasses everything from Bach to Black spirituals, The Gospel According to Matthew cuts past dogma and straight to the core of Jesus’s radical humanism. (Criterion)
(more)Reviews (2)
For a radical leftist and member of the Communist Party, this is a somewhat unconventional subject, which Pasolini, however, dealt with honorably. In my opinion, he approached his biblical narrative a little too intimately, and I also disliked the excessive duration of the film, about 110 minutes would have been more appropriate. On the other hand, it is good to compare this 45-year-old film with the undeniable filmmaking qualities to the much more famous and media-hyped The Passion of the Christ - it is evident immediately how desperately superficial and empty Mel Gibson's film is. Overall impression: 65%.
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The country is beautiful, the surroundings look almost authentic, and actually, the black and white camera suits it quite well. However, it doesn't change the fact that the film is very lengthy and I think there are better works that explore the fate of Jesus. Personally, I hold "The Passion of Christ" much higher than this piece, which tries to delve deeper.
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