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Il Vangelo secondo Matteo
1964 Religion / Drama
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Credits
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Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
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Script: Pier Paolo Pasolini
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Photo: Tonino Delli Colli
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Music: Luis Enríquez Bacalov, Carlo Rustichelli, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sergei Prokofiev, Anton Webern
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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),
Enzo Siciliano (Simon),
Otello Sestili (Jude),
Rodolfo Wilcock (Caiphus),
Alessandro Clerici (Pontius Pilate),
Amerigo Bevilacqua (Herod I),
Francesco Leonetti (Herod II),
Franca Cupane (Herodiade),
Paola Tedesco (Salome),
Rossana Di Rocco (Angel of the Lord),
Renato Terra (Posessed one),
Eliseo Boschi (Joseph of Arimathea),
Natalia Ginzburg (Mary of Bethania),
Enrico Maria Salerno (Voice of Christ)
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Country: Italy
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Language: Italian
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Runtime: 137 min; B&W
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Aka: The Gospel According to St. Matthew
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Summary
Review
Often cited as Pasolini’s masterpiece, his film adaptation of St Matthew’s Gospel stands
as one of the most impressive, captivating and enduring religious films ever made.
Pasolini’s neo-realist approach gives the film a compelling documentary-style immediacy
and makes its subject appear not just fresh and alive, but also gives it a profound sense
of humanity.
The film could not be more different from the big budget Hollywood epic productions which
have been made since. Lacking false piety and excessive production values,
the film engages its audience with its simple low-key depiction of what is in any event
an intensely moving story. Ironically, Pasolini’s film stands out largely because
it is made with the humility which the Gospel itself teaches – ironic because Pasolini
was himself an atheist.
Pasolini shot the film in Calabria in southern Italy, having decided that Palestine appeared
too modern. He hired ordinary looking non-professional actors, including an unknown
Catalan student to play the part of Jesus and his own mother to play the older virgin
Mary. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and
was immediately hailed by many critics as the best film adaptation of the life of Christ.
© James Travers 2002
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See also:
Best Italian Films
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