Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo
This third film in our Divine Images series stands as easily the most obscure. Made in Italy in 1965, this Black & White independent film is seen less frequently by American audiences than any other film in the series. Its influence, however may be seen in all three of the other Divine Images films. "Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo" was concieved and directed by noted Itialian filmmaker Pier Paolo Passolini using only the text of Matthew's Gospel as the script (much akin to July's other screening, "Matthew" . It is this staunch adherance to the text that gives the film both its directness and its peculiarity, for while virtually every word is taken directly from the Biblical text, the film is full of anachronisms and an obvious lack of historical research. Flowers in vases are set outside Jesus tomb (a much more modern Italian custom than an ancient Jewish one), the Wise Men ride in from the East on horses and the Pharisees are adorned with almost comically large headresses of no traceable origin. But these oddities are only a result of a lack of information, not of poor filmmaking. The film was shot using mostly non-actors in various locations in Italy on a very small budget. Its gritty, immediate tone is in wild contrast to the soft, glowing Biblical epics that were at that time experiencing their heyday in America. It shocked audiences and critics alike with its abrupt, pre-MTV montage editing, snappy dialogue delivery and total lack of pious distance. It stands as a singularly fresh look at the immediacy and human impact of the life of Jesus, taking a good look at Him in a more realistic and respectful light than most other Jesus films. It is interesting to note, then, that while Passolini made "Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo" because he was so deeply moved by the story of the Gospels upon a fresh reading of all four books, he was and remained both an atheist and a homosexual. Though he joked about the Bible's presence in his hotel room on the day of his reading as a clever attempt by Christians to convert him, he still chose to tell the story of Jesus. Perhaps, then, it is this "outsider's perspective" that gives this film such beautiful insight into how Jesus and His message must have appeared to those seeing and hearing for the very first time. I hope this film causes you to encounter Christ's immediacy in your own life and will stand to you as an example of all the information there is about Jesus' life being no substitute for a living example. Please make plans to join us for this brilliant and thought-provoking film.
|