The Gospel According to St. Matthew

A film review by Christopher Null - Copyright © 2006 Filmcritic.com

It's Jesus Christ's greatest hits in this Pasolini classic, a scrappy and odd adaptation of, as the title suggests, the Book of Matthew. Pasolini stays close to the text (reportedly using about half of it) while casting Jesus as a Che Guevara-styled revolutionary, leading his followers to freedom, or at least enlightenment. Star Enrique Irazoqui, a non-professional actor, is the real discovery here, lending a searing and bootstrapped performance to this avant garde oddity. On DVD the film is badly dubbed, which only exacerbates its choppiness, yet it is still worth seeking out.

Aka Il Vangelo secondo Matteo.

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Rating

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Cast and Crew

  • Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
  • Producer: Alfredo Bini
  • Screenwriter: Pier Paolo Pasolini
  • Stars: Enrique Irazoqui, Margherita Caruso, Susanna Pasolini, Marcello Morante, Mario Socrate, Settimio Di Porto
  • MPAA Rating: NR