An Italian Marxist Looks at The Gospel of Matthew

Many critics believe Pier Paolo Pasolini’s film, "The Gospel According to Matthew" to be the greatest of all Jesus films. But like many other Jesus films, the project was surrounded by controversy. The controversy had more to do with the creator of the film than with the content of the film itself.

Pasolini, along with Bernardo Bertolucci were two of the most interesting and influential Italian auteurs to emerge in the 1960s. The controversy that surrounded Pasolini stemmed from his Marxism and sexual orientation. Pasolini had been a member of the Italian Communist Party, but was expelled in 1952 due to his homosexual lifestyle and other run-ins with the law. To some extent it is important to look at the life of Pasolini when attempting to interpret The Gospel According to Matthew, if for no other reason than that Pasolini once stated that this film is “dense with my own personal themes and motivations.” At the same time, it is equally important to not allow Pasolini’s personal life to get in the way of being able to view the film on its own merits and be able to critique it as a piece of film in itself.

In terms of filmmaking Pasolini is considered to be a neo-realist, and The Gospel According to Matthew is a good example of this film style. Italian Neo-realism is a movement in Italian cinema that occurred after World War II and the fall of Mussolini. Filmmakers could not afford high productions so they moved into the streets. The films gritty and raw. The actors were usually unprofessional and wore no make-up. Neo-realist films often look and feek like a documentary. The push for realism is the key ingredient, and The Gospel According to Matthew contains many elements of this that make it different than any other Jesus film made up to that point. The film is not necessarily real in its context, but rather, real in the manner in which it was shot. In this way the film is extremely powerful. The New York Times once stated, “The viewer…has the mystical sense of being there.”

The Gospel According to Matthew was filmed in Italy, released in 1964, and starred Enrique Irazoqui. Typical of neo-realism, Irazoqui was not a trained actor, but gives a surprisingly convincing performance as Jesus. The Gospel According to Matthew is not a synthesis of all the gospel texts, but rather a straight-forward retelling of Matthew’s gospel. In fact, the dialogue of the film is almost completely word for word out of the Matthew text with the exception of a few quotes from the book of Isaiah. The film is also highly reverential and sincere. It seems that Pasolini does not intend to retell the gospel story, but to rather display the text for what it is.

Pasolini’s Jesus is a revolutionary. One will notice right away that this is a straight-forward and many times angry Jesus. Pasolini’s interest in the revolutionary Jesus is what most likely led him to use Matthew’s gospel. Matthew’s gospel is written to Christian Jews and for this reason includes many of Jesus’ confrontations with the Jewish leaders of the time. Jesus is seen as an intellectual among the people. There is an atmosphere of oppression among the common Jews of first-century Palestine, and it seems that Pasolini intends for this to resonate with the oppressed in contemporary Europe. Jesus is the Savior that has come to liberate the common man from oppression. He is constantly on the move and relentless in his teaching. Jesus’ teachings are shot close up and with great intensity. The Sermon on the Mount is not one long exposition, but rather a series of teachings. When traveling, Jesus is always at the front, many times teaching with his back to the disciples. The camera is many times following Jesus as if struggling to keep up. There is both urgency and sincerity in Jesus’ voice.

The first technical decision one will notice is that this film is shot in black and white. The black and white paired with the reverent and respectful approach to the story and the musical score of both classical music and spiritual hymns arranged by Luis Enrique Bacalov effectively convey that this is a timeless story that has lasted for centuries and that millions have put their faith in. If there were ever such thing as a film that could serve as a religious icon it would surely be reminiscent of The Gospel According to Matthew.

The quasi-documentary style of the film is a unique approach to filming the story of Jesus. The scenes of miracles have an eeriness to them, because you feel as if you are truly there. The viewer is able to understand why the disciples were afraid when they saw Jesus walking on water because Pasolini gives us the view from the boat. We see a figure in the distance walking toward the viewer on water. It is a haunting image that remains mysterious until the figure becomes close enough for the disciples to realize that it is Jesus. Throughout the film there are images of common people, usually appearing to be extremely poor and poverty stricken. The viewer relates with these people and becomes one of them. When the camera takes the angle of the bystander listening to Jesus, the sound is even at a distance. This is a subjective point of view that is unique from the usual objective point of view in most Hollywood films. An excellent example of this is the scene of Jesus’ trial. Once again the viewer is in the midst of the crowd and at a distance. The dialog of the narrative is barely audible. The viewer is almost hoping the camera man will push his way to the front so they can get a better view.

Pasolini’s Gospel According to Matthew is also incredible in that it does not stray far from the biblical text, yet still leaves the viewer with much to think about and also much to marvel at artistically. It is an exemplary example of what a film about Jesus can do both theologically and artistically. Pasolini’s film has gone on to inspire numerous film makers who have desired to make a film on the life of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel According to Matthew

An Italian Marxist Looks at The Gospel of Matthew

Films

The Greatest Story Ever Told

The Gospel According To Matthew

Monty Python's Life of Brian

The Last Temptation of Christ

Jesus Filmography

Home