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The Gospel According To St. Matthew
1964
Christ's life is presented with respect for the traditional religious doctrine of the church, but Pasolini's trademark naturalism "humanizes" his subject and makes Him his own. The documentary-style camera captures Christ's meetings with the men who were to become his disciples, the Last Supper, and the betrayal by Judas. Note .. Read more
| Starring | Enrique Irazoqui, Susanna Pasolini, Mario Socrate, Margherita Caruso |
|---|---|
| Director | Pier Paolo Pasolini, Pier Paolo Pasolini |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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The Gospel According To St. Matthew
Christ's life is presented with respect for the traditional religious doctrine of the church, but Pasolini's trademark naturalism "humanizes" his subject and makes Him his own. The documentary-style camera captures Christ's meetings with the men who were to become his disciples, the Last Supper, and the betrayal by Judas. Note the rich music of Bach, Mozart, Prokofiev and Webern and Odetta's passionate singing. Academy Award Nominations: 3, including Best (Adapted) Score.
| Starring | Enrique Irazoqui, Susanna Pasolini, Mario Socrate, Margherita Caruso, Marcello Morante |
|---|---|
| Director | Pier Paolo Pasolini, Pier Paolo Pasolini |
| Studio | PALISADES TARTAN |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 7 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Italian |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 23 Sep 2002 Production year: 1964 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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Eschewing the crowd-pleasing grandeur of other biblical dramas, Pier Paolo Pasolini employed a neorealist approach to suggest the immediate social significance of Christ's teaching. This unique collaboration between a Marxist director and the Catholic Church (which contributed to the budget) is remarkable not only for the power of its message, but also for the gentle conviction of Enrique Irazoqui's Jesus, as he rails against injustice and works miracles with a compassion that is absent from the more reverential Hollywood testaments. With the sublime classical score underpinning the rugged beauty of Calabria, this is unquestionably the most relevant religious film ever made.
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The tone is realist but not notably iconoclastic. It is a calm, slow-paced film, a succession of carefully composed images.
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Most helpful member's review
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15 out of 16 people found this review helpful
Fascinating Gospel adaptation
Pasolini's 'The Gospel according to St.Matthew' is one of the most intriguing attempts to put the story of Christ on screen. Pasolini took a non-professional cast and simply shot the Gospel from start to finish without a screenplay.
As a result the film is probably the most faithful and contemplative film version of the story. Pasolini simply attempts to document Christ's story instead of glorifying or preaching as other versions have tended to do. The untried cast are excellent especially Enrique Irazoqui, who makes a charismatic Jesus.
Scenes are shot in a mixture of wide, static, shots which capture the beauty of the spectacular Italian lanscape and shaky, hand-held shots while the miracles are also presented with minimal dramatic flourish. This clarity of approach combined with the superb soundtrack(a mixture of Bach, Mozart and Billie Holiday)make this an engrossing drama.
It's one of cinema's ironies that it took a homosexual communist to make this the most faithful film about Jesus, and a devout catholic, Martin Scorsese, to make one of the most controversial(The Last Temptation of Christ). These two enduring films are the only two you need to get both sides of Christ's story. -
Most recent members' review
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15 out of 16 people found this review helpful
Fascinating Gospel adaptation
Pasolini's 'The Gospel according to St.Matthew' is one of the most intriguing attempts to put the story of Christ on screen. Pasolini took a non-professional cast and simply shot the Gospel from start to finish without a screenplay.
As a result the film is probably the most faithful and contemplative film version of the story. Pasolini simply attempts to document Christ's story instead of glorifying or preaching as other versions have tended to do. The untried cast are excellent especially Enrique Irazoqui, who makes a charismatic Jesus.
Scenes are shot in a mixture of wide, static, shots which capture the beauty of the spectacular Italian lanscape and shaky, hand-held shots while the miracles are also presented with minimal dramatic flourish. This clarity of approach combined with the superb soundtrack(a mixture of Bach, Mozart and Billie Holiday)make this an engrossing drama.
It's one of cinema's ironies that it took a homosexual communist to make this the most faithful film about Jesus, and a devout catholic, Martin Scorsese, to make one of the most controversial(The Last Temptation of Christ). These two enduring films are the only two you need to get both sides of Christ's story. -
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Christ's life is presented with respect for the traditional religious doctrine of the church, but Pasolini's trademark naturalism "humanizes" his subject and makes Him his own. The documentary-style ... -