The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1965)

This is a breathtaking piece of cinema. I haven't read the text for over forty years, so I cannot swear to the accuracy with which Pasolini reflects the actual gospel, but what is immediately striking is just how aggressive his version of "Cristo" is. Enrique Irazoqui is undoubtedly a beautiful man to look at, but unlike in so many more commercial iterations of this story, his character is portrayed as a strong, demanding and forceful personality. His sermons are powerful instructions to, even condemnations of, the populace. Certainly there is love, but it is a tough love which only evolves as the story does. This characterisation is also surprisingly political. I wouldn't say he is simply to the left or to the right, as we might consider politics nowadays, but he definitely has strong views on corruption, of the venality of society and of the need to care for and to be cared for by each other. The delivery of this potent message hits the mark well. The dialogue is actually quite sparing, much of the audio comes from a mixture of classical music (Bach and Mozart feature prominently) along with themes than sound more African in origin. The photography is intense, no other word for it. The grand scale cinematography well complimented by the close, intimate imagery of the faces of the cast as the story unfolds in an unashamedly emotional (but not sentimental) fashion. I saw this recently again on a big screen and that only enhanced the vividness and vigour of the whole enterprise.