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The Gospel According to St. Matthew

Play trailer Poster for The Gospel According to St. Matthew Released Sep 4, 1964 2h 16m History Drama Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 36 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Pier Paolo Pasolini's Biblical drama follows the life of Jesus Christ (Enrique Irazoqui) as depicted in the Gospel of Matthew from the New Testament. Much of the dialogue in the Italian film hews closely to the text, which focuses on the teachings of Jesus, including his parables, and on 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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The Gospel According to St. Matthew

The Gospel According to St. Matthew

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Critics Consensus

The Gospel According to St. Matthew forgoes the pageantry of biblical epics in favor of a naturalistic retelling of the Christ story, achieving a respectful if not reverent interpretation with political verve.

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Critics Reviews

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Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard Superb in every way, and possibly the film-maker's best. Rated: 5/5 Mar 1, 2013 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian A fierce magnesium flame of a movie. Rated: 5/5 Feb 28, 2013 Full Review David Jenkins Little White Lies Definitely one for multiple viewings, and arguably up there with Pasolini's best. Rated: 5/5 Mar 8, 2012 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia With a refined aesthetic, Pasolini frames an ascetic portrait of Christ's journey in a neorealist style, but unfortunately, his approach to the biblical text is didactic. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 6/10 Apr 13, 2025 Full Review Scott Nye Battleship Pretension Pasolini frequently uses those who push themselves to the margins of society to expose our collective and individual weaknesses, and our determination to maintain the image of order. Jun 29, 2023 Full Review Robin Holabird Robin Holabird Pasolini pay[s] attention to contrasts of light, and also focuses on faces and reactions to cruel deeds. Aug 11, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C Based on a true story in 2 hours and 16 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Italian and American English audio options with American English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/24/25 Full Review Teddy B Pasolini humbles the Passion without the grandiose frivolities, overblown budgets and misplaced cruelty of other interpretations. The simplicity of the film, very much a 'what you see is what you get' type situation, feels interesting but isolating at the same time. The documentary style and over-reliance of pure silence does make this film slightly uncomfortable to get through, though. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/30/25 Full Review Alec B It's interesting to compare this to the biblical epics getting cranked out by Hollywood at the same time. Those movies were massive in scope, incredibly long, overwrought, and excessively sentimental while Pasolini's vision is intimate, comparatively short, and more emotionally subdued. Can you guess which was the more successful? Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/13/25 Full Review Vitor O Arguably the best religious epic from the 60's, this picture (made by an atheist and marxist Pasolini) is beautiful, elegant, and stripped from all the nonsense and hokum characteristic from the Holywoodian versions from that era. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/15/25 Full Review Hilary L Terrible movie. The acting is bad, the depiction of Jesus Christ is by far the worst I've seen in my life. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/03/24 Full Review Nawt W How ironic that one of the most faithful depictions of Jesus' life is put on film by a gay, Marxist atheist. Showing Matthew 1–28 in the most unostentatious, raw way possible. Everything is under the rule of realism, starting with the unkempt unibrow of first-time actor Enrique Irazoqui, who plays the most intimidating Jesus yet. His deadpan expression of determination and his sudden splashes of temper really paint a vivid picture of a preacher. As is customary with neorealism, non-professional actors are used, and this Bible story is no exception. The muddy outskirts of Judea clash with anachronistic Roman armor that is clearly not from this age or maybe the Roman era at all. The movie has one Odetta song play on repeat, and since this is an Italian movie, the mandatory dub is mostly out of sync. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Gospel According to St. Matthew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Pier Paolo Pasolini's Biblical drama follows the life of Jesus Christ (Enrique Irazoqui) as depicted in the Gospel of Matthew from the New Testament. Much of the dialogue in the Italian film hews closely to the text, which focuses on the teachings of Jesus, including his parables, and on 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.
Director
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Producer
Alfredo Bini
Screenwriter
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Distributor
Continental Distributing Inc., Water Bearer Films
Production Co
Arco Films
Genre
History, Drama, Biography
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 4, 1964, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2012
Runtime
2h 16m
Sound Mix
Mono
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