The Gospel According to St. Matthew
Diocesan Press Service. April 6, 1966 [42-13]
"THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW"
Pier Paolo Pasolini's movie "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" has apparently not yet answered the question of whether the Christian Gospel and the twentieth century cinema can be wedded. Most reviewers have, however, found the movie refreshing in its lack of Hollywood gimmickry and in its presentation of Christ as a human being.
As Malcolm Boyd states in his review of the film in the March Episcopalian, "Pasolini has simply told the story of Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew's Gospel. This is his genius; he has neither edited out an angel appearing to Joseph or at the tomb, nor has he made additions. " This quality of simplicity is also praised in a review of the film in the May edition of Findings. As the reviewer states in that publication: "its success is due primarily to one very simple thing: Pasolini shows us Christ, the Man.... Pasolini knows that he must connect with our experience. He etches the portrait of a man -- militant, galvanic, with a deep crust of joy and a compassion so wide it overleaps individual people -- and the reality illuminates the Godhead."
Reviewers have pointed out, though, that low budget filming, an amateur cast and a location in Calabria in Southern Italy may not solve all the problems inherent in bringing freshness to words that have been heard for almost two thousand years.
In a review in the February issue of the International Journal of Religious Education, Dave Pomeroy criticised the film for failing to portray the "active" quality of Christ and of the Gospel narrative. Although there are scenes, such as the calling of the disciples, where action is the keynote, there are also scenes where the audience hears and hears words with no action taking place, except the changing times of day behind a view of Christ's head. Mr. Pomeroy also saw the burden of too many words marring the performance of Enrique Irazoqui, a young Spanish economics student, as Christ.
"The burden of so many words pushes him (Irazoqui) into a harshness that becomes merely judgemental and is not cognizant enough of the love and forgiveness waiting on the other side of judgement and repentance." That review also describes the picture as being generally negative, from the wistfully sad Mary awaiting the birth of Jesus to the destruction of the buildings in Jerusalem at the time of the Crucifixion. This reviewer feels, however, that the final scene of the resurrection helps put this in perspective.
This picture has great value in its attempt to portray the Gospel simply, in portraying Christ as a human being and in sticking to the original text. It also has an ability to appeal to a great diversity of people, from Roman Catholic nuns to bearded beatniks. While Mr. Pasolini is an avowed non-Christian, he has shown the Gospel in a new perspective and forced many Christians to reread the Gospel. (MRG)