Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
The life of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
Using the Gospel of Matthew's text, Pasolini follows Jesus from birth and baptism through teaching, miracles, confrontation, crucifixion, and resurrection. Nonprofessional performers and southern Italian landscapes place the sacred narrative among materially poor faces and places.
Why it belongs
Through nonprofessional faces, handheld movement, stark landscapes, and music crossing sacred traditions, The Gospel According to St. Matthew gives scripture austere immediacy.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
Matera stone, wind, crowds, frontal speech, rough clothing, Bach, spirituals, and Congolese music strip biblical cinema of decorative luxury—Enrique Irazoqui's severe young Jesus makes teaching urgent and political.
Major award wins
No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.
Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.
Institutional reference ranks
Sight & Sound157IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness9.1
Engagement7.1
Ease6.9
Italian · Not Rated Narrative Feature Mood: Serious & Intense
