Vangelo secondo Matteo, Il (1964)

Director:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Guionista:

Pier Paolo Pasolini (writer)

Release Date:

2 octubre 1964 (Italy)

Genre:

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:

Healing Power | Preaching | Miracle | Heresy | Walk On Water

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

The most realistic and believable portrayal of Jesus I have ever seen

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

También conocida como:

Évangile selon saint Matthieu, L' (France)
The Gospel According to St. Matthew (USA)
Evangelio según San Mateo, El (Argentina) (Spain) [es]

Duración:

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

País:

Italy | France

Idioma:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sonido:

Mono

Clasificación:

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

Filming Locations:

Apulia, Italy

Company:

Arco Film

Trivialidades:

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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Wie de Waarheid Zegt Moet Dood (1981)

Soundtrack:

Gloria

The most realistic and believable portrayal of Jesus I have ever seen

After reading all of the reviews listed prior to my entry I find it hard to agree with how Pier Paolo Pasolini's sexuality or political views are even worth mentioning. What is worth mentioning is the wonderfully dramatic portrayal of the story of Jesus by amateur actors. The lack of so-called special effects is not something that even crossed my mind when viewing this movie. The artistic mixture of poetic verse from the New Testament combined with beautiful vistas and believable characters bring the story of Jesus to life on a personal level.

Pasolini's Biblical adaptation of the Gospel of Matthew far surpasses present day movies of this genre in its overall effect on the viewer. The real substance of the film, the story of Jesus, is not glossed over with big budget extras, professional actors, and special effects which only seem to overshadow the awe inspiring wisdom of the words spoken by Jesus in the New Testament.

The fact that the actors are of Mediterranean decent only serves to make the film more believable. The costumes and settings appear to be more realistic than the Hollywood versions that I have seen in other Biblical films. The Jewish Church leaders with their alien looking hats show how detached and imposing these figures must have appeared to the common people of the time of Jesus. When Jesus threatens their positions of power by bringing God directly to the people without need of a temple or an interpreter it sheds light on how these leaders felt threatened by a "poor son of a carpenter".

Most films of this genre focus more on the Romans oppression of Jesus without showing the betrayal by the Jewish leaders that led to the unjust crucifixion of Jesus.

I highly recommend this film to anyone who has become bored with seeing the story of Jesus on film. If you think that you have seen it all and do not want to sit through yet another trumped up version of the story of Jesus then I suggest that you view this movie, for it succeeds where all others have failed.