The Gospel According to St. Matthew

This biblical drama focuses on the teachings of Jesus, including the parables that reflect their revolutionary nature. As Jesus travels along the coast of the Sea of Galilee, he gradually gathers more followers, leading him into direct conflict with the authorities.
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Credits: TheMovieDb.

Film Cast:

  • Cristo: Enrique Irazoqui
  • Maria (Giovane): Margherita Caruso
  • Maria (Vecchia): Susanna Pasolini
  • Giuseppe: Marcello Morante
  • Giovanni Battista: Mario Socrate
  • Pietro: Settimio Di Porto
  • Andrea: Alfonso Gatto
  • Giacomo: Luigi Barbini
  • Giovanni: Giacomo Morante
  • Filippo: Giorgio Agamben
  • Bartolomeo: Guido Cerretani
  • Tommaso: Rosario Migale
  • Matteo: Ferruccio Nuzzo
  • Giacomo Figlio di Alfeo: Marcello Galdini
  • Taddeo: Elio Spaziani
  • Simone: Enzo Siciliano
  • Giuda: Otello Sestili
  • Caifa: Juan Rodolfo Wilcock
  • Ponzio Pilato: Alessandro Tasca
  • Erode I: Amerigo Bevilacqua
  • Erode II: Francesco Leonetti
  • Erodiade: Franca Cupane
  • Salomè: Paola Tedesco
  • L’Angelo del Signore: Rossana Di Rocco
  • Un Indemoniato: Renato Terra
  • Giuseppe D’Arimatea: Eliseo Boschi
  • Maria di Betania: Natalia Ginzburg
  • Boia di Giovanni Battista (uncredited): Umberto Bevilacqua
  • Stefaton (uncredited): Silvio Citti
  • Pastore con Bambino (uncredited): Ninetto Davoli
  • Centurion (uncredited): Domenico Notarangelo

Film Crew:

  • Director of Photography: Tonino Delli Colli
  • Assistant Production Design: Dante Ferretti
  • Editor: Nino Baragli
  • Camera Operator: Giuseppe Ruzzolini
  • Still Photographer: Angelo Novi
  • Writer: Pier Paolo Pasolini
  • Assistant Director Trainee: Vincenzo Cerami
  • Costume Design: Danilo Donati
  • Production Manager: Manolo Bolognini
  • Production Manager: Enzo Ocone
  • Music Arranger: Luis Bacalov
  • Producer: Alfredo Bini
  • Production Design: Luigi Scaccianoce
  • Set Decoration: Andrea Fantacci
  • Assistant Director: Maurizio Lucidi
  • Assistant Director: Elsa Morante
  • Assistant Camera: Vittorugo Contino
  • Production Supervisor: Eliseo Boschi
  • First Assistant Camera: Giovanni Canfarelli Modica
  • Production Secretary: Bruno Frascà
  • Assistant Makeup Artist: Lamberto Marini
  • Sound Mixer: Fausto Ancillai
  • Assistant Costume Designer: Piero Cicoletti
  • Makeup Artist: Marcello Ceccarelli
  • Script Supervisor: Lina D’Amico
  • Assistant Editor: Andreina Casini
  • Title Designer: Ettore Catalucci
  • Sound: Mario Del Pezzo
  • Hairstylist: Mimma Pomilia
  • Assistant Director: Paolo Schneider

Movie Reviews:

  • CinemaSerf: This is a breathtaking piece of cinema. I haven’t read the text for over forty years, so I cannot swear to the accuracy with which Pasolini reflects the actual gospel, but what is immediately striking is just how aggressive his version of “Cristo” is. Enrique Irazoqui is undoubtedly a beautiful man to look at, but unlike in so many more commercial iterations of this story, his character is portrayed as a strong, demanding and forceful personality. His sermons are powerful instructions to, even condemnations of, the populace. Certainly there is love, but it is a tough love which only evolves as the story does. This characterisation is also surprisingly political. I wouldn’t say he is simply to the left or to the right, as we might consider politics nowadays, but he definitely has strong views on corruption, of the venality of society and of the need to care for and to be cared for by each other. The delivery of this potent message hits the mark well. The dialogue is actually quite sparing, much of the audio comes from a mixture of classical music (Bach and Mozart feature prominently) along with themes than sound more African in origin. The photography is intense, no other word for it. The grand scale cinematography well complimented by the close, intimate imagery of the faces of the cast as the story unfolds in an unashamedly emotional (but not sentimental) fashion. I saw this recently again on a big screen and that only enhanced the vividness and vigour of the whole enterprise.
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