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)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 landscape is stunning, the environment looks almost authentic, and actually, the black-and-white camera suits the film quite well. That doesn't change the fact that the film is very drawn-out, and I believe there are better works that delve into the fate of Jesus. Personally, I rate The Passion of the Christ much higher than this piece, which tries to delve deeper.
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