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 (1)
Plots(1)
Legendary director (and avowed atheist) Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to Matthew (Il vangelo secondo Matteo) is one of the great retellings of the story of Christ - a cinematic rendering (filmed by invitation from the Pope, no less) at once both passionate and poetic. With stunning black-and-white photography, an eclectic soundtrack (Odetta, Bach, a Congolese mass, etc), and using a cast of non-professionals who voice dialogue drawn directly from scripture, The Gospel According to Matthew depicts the key events in the life of Christ, from immaculate conception to death on the cross. Vaunted by the Vatican as one of its select few recommended films, acclaimed by the Archbishop of Canterbury as a “great film”, and revered by critics and audiences alike, Pasolini’s Oscar-, Golden Lion-, and BAFTA-nominated film remains a magnificent, awe-inspiring experience. (Eureka Entertainment)
(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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