The Gospel According to St. Matthew

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

1964 / 137min / DCP

Shooting the story of Christ with non-actors against the rugged landscapes of southern Italy, in a style simultaneously suggesting Quattrocento painting and contemporary cinéma vérité, Pasolini stripped the Gospel down to its core, in the process rediscovering the radical thought at the heart of the Nazarene’s teachings. The result is a film that drew praise from both doctrinaire Marxists and the Vatican newspaper, its soundtrack a patchwork of songs of faith from traditions ranging from Bach to the Jewish “Kol Nidre” to American blues.