IL VANGELO SECONDO MATTEO

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW


Consider the implications of the development of the biblical film, in terms of its historical development. What serious change happens after the appearance of this Passolini film? In effect aside from The Bible and The Greatest Story Ever Told which were already in production what happens to the type of film that happens?


FILMS ARRANGED BY DATE

From the Manger to the Cross 1912
Salome 1923
The Green Pastures 1938
Samson and Delilah 1949
Ten Commandments 1956
David and Bathsheba 1960
King of Kings 1961
Sodom and Gomorrah 1962
Gospel According to St. Matthew 1964
The Greatest Story Ever Told 1965
The Bible 1966
Last Temptation of Christ 1988
The Seventh Sign 1988
The Passion of the Christ 2004
Each of the gospels is written by a different author at a different time and addresses a different audience. The Gospel of St. Matthew is written largely for Jews to convince them that Jesus is in fact the Messiah. As a result, there are many references to Old Testament prophesies to show that Jesus fulfills them. Jesus often says not to tell people he is the Messiah but to point out what he has done - i.e. fulfilled the prophecies.

Film directors' films often "talk" to one another. One director makes a film and another makes a similar film that "responds" to the first.


The "Art Film"

The studios controlled the theaters as well. As a result foreign films and independent films could not find venues where those films could be shown. A 1948 court decision against Paramount broke this arrangement. This led to the influx of a number of European films that lacked the "Hollywood" sensibilities of the "studio system". Among the films that appeared within the next few years were:

Last Year at Marienbad (original title: L'Année dernière à Marienbad) (1961)
La Dolce Vita (a.k.a. The Sweet Life) (1960)
Wild Strawberries (original title: Smultronstället) (1957)
Breathless (original title: À bout de souffle) (1960)
Alfie (1966)
Bicycle Thief (original title: Ladi di biciclette) (1948)
Rashomon (original title: Rashoomon)(1950)

In addition the James Bond films were appearing, as were the Beatles both on records and films.

IL VANGELO SECONDO MATTEO (THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW)

The film "resulted" in part from Passolini being detained at one point because of traffic jams caused by Pope John XXIII. As a result it is said that Passolini, stayed in his hotel and found a copy of The Bible and read Matthew. He was impressed and decided to make the film.

When the film was released in America Passolini objected to the inclusion of "St." in the title The Gospel According to St. Matthew.

Religion relies on people making contact with the supernatural, yet often in the West marks people who hear voices or see things as insane. Consider Joan of Arc. (see for comparison, Ordet (pronounced /ur-ey/ (ey as the name of the letter "A")

Entrances

One of the things that is important in almost any script is the way in which the main character puts in their first appearance. This is particularly true with "Christ" films where the audience has a certain "scopophila" about the appearance of Christ (in both senses - that is how he appears - what he looks like; and how is first entrance is accomplished). Think back to King of Kings and how and when does Jesus, as an adult, first appear? In some ways this reflects something about the casting of the character of Jesus as well - How will Jeffrey Hunter look as Christ?

Why would a Marxist atheist be attracted to this story?

Is this a film of the 1960's?
In some ways, but 1960's Italy. In a sense this raises some interesting problems about understanding "foreign films". Is a film going to be interpreted differently by people from the culture where the film was made than it will be by members of other cultures?
In biblical scholarship there was a growing feeling against redactor versions which harmonized the gospels and a feeling that one needed to see them in terms of their authors and the people for whom they were writing.
This is a very different film than those we have been watching which largely have been Hollywood epics. This is, like Last Temptation and Passion, an independent film very much the work of their directors.

This film falls into those thought of as "New Wave" or "realism" where there is no attempt to glamorize of deal with the "reality" of the Hollywood films.

The question of realism and structuralist approaches to film (should the film look "real" or should it call attention to itself to make a point?).


AFTER THE FILM

Characters:

What kind of Jesus is this?
DeMille, divine; Ray, Human, teacher; Stevens, human, faith; Passolini, Angry at organized religion?

Actors

Not professional actors
Older Mary is Passolini's mother

Music


"Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child".
What are these doing in here?

Missa Luba is a mass done in Latin, but to native African music.
"Sometimes I feel like a Motherless Child"
One is associated with a Third World economy, the other with African Americans.
Music here reflects the same "poor" with whom Passolini identifies mythic understanding.

Story:

What selected what omitted? Can you follow if you don't know the story?

Visuals

Opening sequence shows close ups of Mary and Joseph as he sees Mary is pregnant. He runs through town and sees children (reminded of pregnancy)
Joseph sleeps and has vision of angel who speaks and explains the situation.
Returns to Mary. She smiles as she realizes he understands. He returns smile.
With the exception of the angel's narration, all this is done with no dialog
Close-ups in general on interesting faces like those of "real" people.
No ambient sound at times
Beatitude (sermon on the Mount) believed by many scholars to be a collection of sayings not actually said at one specific time. How does the film indicate that?
Camera work - zooms, dolly shots, hand held camera work etc.

Hand held camera often looks for subject giving a documentary feel. See the "slaughter of the innocents" section especially

"Sermon on the mount" has jump cuts showing different backgrounds, head coverings, weather, indicating that these statements are not made at the same time

During sermon sequences show increasingly stormy weather matching Jesus' growing anger

In a kind of montage the film juxtaposes certain things, potentially to pose questions, rather than answer them. Consider:

"Honor thy father and mother" and Jesus virtual denial of his mother and his refusal to let one of the disciples go and bury his father.
The film juxtaposes Jesus saying the children are innocent and people need to be like that to get into heaven with the child of Herodias (Salome) asking for the head of John the Baptist. Here however the children appreciated are of the poor, Salome is of the noble (read wealthy) class.

 Salome dances with flowers just before John the Baptist is killed.

Mary holds similar bouquet going to Christ's tomb.

Costumes

Not accurate, but "feel" is correct.
Magi: mitered hats?

Setting

Southern Italy. Historically inaccurate but feel is correct.
What is its relation to a Passion play?

WHAT CAN BE SAID ABOUT THE FILM?

Importance of cause - more important than family but what family? Biological one not important, family of man is. Support for the poor and under classes Passolini is a mystic and held that poor, peasant etc. still understood myth. Other did not. How does this story use that to make a "myth"?

Story is told like a passion play performed by the people of the town.
Use of tableaus give similar feeling
Use on non-professional actors adds a kind of realism.

The film stress an anti-wealth position (easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven; can not serve God and mammon (Aramaic word for wealth) etc.) agreeable to Marxists

Condemns both organized religion and governments which restrict individualism.