50 Years of Pasolini's 'The Gospel According to St. Matthew' Celebrated Across Italy
In autumn 1962, atheist Marxist filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini experienced a spiritual revelation while reading the Gospel of Matthew in Assisi, leading to his 1964 film 'The Gospel According to St. Matthew,' which won the Silver Lion at Venice. Fifty years later, Italy hosts multiple events: a two-day program in Palermo curated by Franco Maresco (Sept 27-28, 2014) featuring a screening with actor Enrique Irazoqui and rare Pasolini materials; a jazz soundtrack performance by Stefano Battaglia at the Napoli Film Festival (Oct 1, 2014); and the exhibition 'Pasolini Matera. Il Vangelo secondo Matteo 50 anni dopo' at Palazzo Lanfranchi and Musma in Matera (through Nov 9, 2014). The film, dedicated to Pope John XXIII, remains a masterpiece of cinematic poetry.
Key facts
- Pasolini read the Gospel of Matthew in Assisi in autumn 1962 after refusing to meet Pope John XXIII.
- The film 'The Gospel According to St. Matthew' was released in 1964 and won the Silver Lion at Venice.
- Events include Palermo screenings (Sept 27-28, 2014) curated by Franco Maresco with Enrique Irazoqui.
- Stefano Battaglia performs a jazz soundtrack for the film at Napoli Film Festival on Oct 1, 2014.
- Exhibition 'Pasolini Matera. Il Vangelo secondo Matteo 50 anni dopo' runs until Nov 9, 2014 in Matera.
- The film features Pasolini's mother Susanna Pasolini as the elderly Virgin Mary.
- The film's score includes original music by Luis Bacalov, Bach, and Mozart.
- Pasolini was an atheist, Marxist, and anticlerical, yet dedicated the film to Pope John XXIII.
Entities
Artists
- Pier Paolo Pasolini
- Enrique Irazoqui
- Stefano Battaglia
- Franco Maresco
- Mario Bellone
- Susanna Pasolini
- Abel Ferrara
- Willem Dafoe
- Luis Bacalov
- Papia di Gerapoli
- Bernard Berenson
- Don Giovanni Rossi
Institutions
- Artribune
- Cittadella di Don Giovanni Rossi
- Pro Civitate Christiana
- Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia
- Napoli Film Festival
- Palazzo Lanfranchi
- Musma
- Cinema de Seta
- Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa
Locations
- Assisi
- Italy
- Palermo
- Sicily
- Matera
- Basilicata
- Naples
- Campania
- Venice
- Loreto
- Terra Santa
- Rome