The Gospel According to St. Matthew (film)

The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Il Vangelo secondo Matteo; 1964), one of Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini's most popular films, depicts the life of Jesus Christ through the Marxist-Catholic perspective of the director. It is one of the first films to tell the story of Jesus directly from the text because, as Pasolini explained: "words and images could never reach the poetic heights of the text." He explained his decision to choose Matthew as the basis for his narrative because "John was too mystical, Mark too vulgar, and Luke too sentimental." Pasolini also had plans to film the life of Paul, but these were eventually abandoned.

The film was nominated for three Academy Awards in 1966: Art Direction, Costume Design, and Score.