Why an atheist Marxist directed the most acclaimed cinematic portrait of Jesus Christ
In short: Pier Paolo Pasolini, a self-described atheist and communist, created a masterpiece of religious cinema in 1964. By rejecting Hollywood artifice for Italian neorealism and casting non-professional actors, he produced a raw, powerful depiction of Christ that even the Vatican eventually hailed as the finest film ever made about his life.
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1964 epic, The Gospel According to St. Matthew, emerged from a chance encounter with the New Testament while the director was stranded in an Assisi hotel. Seeking to move beyond the 'vulgar' or 'sentimental' interpretations of other evangelists, Pasolini chose Matthew for its narrative focus. He deliberately avoided a historical reconstruction of the first century, aiming instead to capture the figure of Christ as he had been mythologized through two millennia of Christian storytelling.
The production utilized the rugged landscapes of southern Italy, specifically the cave dwellings of the Sassi di Matera, to stand in for ancient Palestine. Pasolini cast locals and intellectuals—including philosopher Giorgio Agamben and his own mother—to populate the screen, intentionally avoiding professional actors to maintain a sense of 'living humility.' The dialogue was pulled directly from the source text, though Pasolini rearranged scenes and omitted over half of the original verses to emphasize a revolutionary, socially conscious Jesus who prioritized the working class over the religious elite.
Stylistically, the film is a collision of eras. Pasolini blended neorealist camera techniques with visual references to Byzantine and Renaissance art, creating an anachronistic aesthetic that acknowledged the long history of religious imagery. The score was equally eclectic, featuring everything from Johann Sebastian Bach to Congolese choral music. Despite initial controversy—including a suspended prison sentence for Pasolini’s previous work and protests from both the political left and right—the film earned critical acclaim, winning the Grand Jury Prize at the 25th Venice International Film Festival and securing a lasting legacy as a classic of world cinema.
The film’s impact remains significant, with directors like Martin Scorsese and Andrei Tarkovsky citing it as a profound influence. While Pasolini remained an unbeliever, he described his approach as telling the story through the eyes of a believer, driven by a 'nostalgia for a belief.' By stripping away the pageantry typical of biblical epics, he forced audiences to confront the raw, political, and human dimensions of the narrative.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Gospel According to St. Matthew (film)
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