The Gospel According to St. Matthew (film)
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Il Vangelo secondo Matteo is a 1964 Italian film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. It proved to be one of his most popular with both critics and the public.
The story depicts the life of Jesus through the Marxist-Catholic perspective of the director, though he himself was an atheist. It is one of the first films to tell the story of Jesus directly from the text because, as Pasolini explained: "words and images could never reach the poetic heights of the text." He explained his decision to choose Matthew as the basis for his narrative because "John was too mystical, Mark too vulgar, and Luke too sentimental." Pasolini also had plans to film the life of Paul, but these were eventually abandoned.
The film was widely touted in Italy, which was especially ironic since Pasolini had previously been sentenced to jail for the allegedly blasphemous and obscene content of his contribution to the anthology film RoGoPaG. It was released in the United States in 1966 and was nominated for three Academy Awards: Art Direction, Costume Design, and Score.
It was filmed in Matera, Italy.
| Movies by Pier Paolo Pasolini |
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Accatone! | Mamma Roma | La ricotta (RoGoPaG) | The Gospel According to St. Matthew | Love Meetings | The Hawks and the Sparrows | The Witches | Oedipus Rex | Theorem | Love and Anger | Pigpen | Medea | The Decameron | The Canterbury Tales | Arabian Nights | Salò |