Pier Paolo Pasolini

The Gospel According to Matthew

The Gospel According to Matthew

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.

Film Info

  • Italy, France
  • 1964
  • 137 minutes
  • Black & White
  • 1.85:1
  • Italian

Available In

Collector's Set

Pasolini 101

Pasolini 101

Blu-ray Box Set

9 Discs

$174.96

The Gospel According to Matthew
Cast
Enrique Irazoqui
Christ
Margherita Caruso
Younger Mary
Susanna Pasolini
Older Mary
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
Elio Spaziani
Thaddeus
Enzo Siciliano
Simon
Otello Sestili
Judas Iscariot
Marcello Galdini
James, son of Alphaeus
Juan Rodolfo Wilcock
Caiaphas
Alessandro Tasca
Pontius Pilate
Paola Tedesco
Salome
Ninetto Davoli
Shepherd
Credits
Director
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Written by
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Based on
The Gospel of Matthew
Produced by
Alfredo Bini
Cinematography
Tonino Delli Colli
Edited by
Nino Baragli
Music
Luis Bacalov
Production design
Luigi Scaccianoce
Production design
Dante Ferretti
Set decoration
Andrea Fantacci
Costume design
Danilo Donati

Current

The Elegiac Heart: Pier Paolo Pasolini, Filmmaker
The Elegiac Heart: Pier Paolo Pasolini, Filmmaker

With a divided self that reflected the fissures in his country in the wake of World War II, the most courageous and dangerous Italian artist of his generation transcended dogma and resisted affiliations.

By James Quandt