The Gospel According to St. Matthew
The Gospel According to St. Matthew
Along a rocky, barren coastline, Jesus begins teaching, primarily using parables. He attracts disciples; he's stern, brusque, and demanding. His parables often take on the powers that be, so he and his teachings come to the attention of the Pharisees, the chief priests, and elders. They conspire to have him arrested, beaten, tried, and crucified, just as he prophesied to his followers.
Charles London reviewedApril 28, 2025
Biblical films are tricky. The finished product is subject to heavy scrutiny by auduences with passionate and diverse beliefs. Well, this movie is as neutral and inoffensive as it gets.
No scriptwriter, no professional actors, and a director who is not even a believer. Pasolini's film does what the epic productions of DeMille, Stevens, and Zefferelli don't: it tells the story of Christ with great simplicity and realism, exactly as it is written in Matthew with no prejudice, no embellishments, no special affects, and no hammy actors, only the addition of a simple but beautiful score.
Pasolini's style may not be everyone's cup of tea, but on the other hand, it could be the perfect brew, especially if you want the experience of a ground-level witness to events as they may have actually looked and sounded. As a neutral observer, I don't find this version distinctly better or worse than the epics, but I do find it distinctly different.