Vangelo secondo Matteo, Il (1964)

While not nearly as good as "King Of Kings" or "Jesus Of Nazareth", this film still takes it's place among the top 5 films ever made on the life of Christ. While you will not come away with that "uplifting" feeling you would get from the aforementioned movies, it will still stay with you for a long time after seeing it. This is one of the most bizarre and unusual films of the genre simply because of the way it was photographed and because of it's obvious shoe string budget. Dialogue is at a minimum as are the special effects but that only adds to the "uneasiness" one feels while watching this movie. You get the feeling that a documentary camera crew armed with a 16 millimeter camera actually followed Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the Apostles around to film them during their day! Weird camera angles, abrupt cuts, odd fade outs and fade ins all add to the unique look and feel of the movie, as does the grainy black and white film. No large scale, big budget scenes with 1000's of extra's here, just a simple technique of storytelling though certain scenes appear rushed and hastily done like Christ's journey to Mount Cavalry, the Crucifiction and his ressurection. Certain differences in presentation also will tell you that this is no "ordinary" film on the life of Christ. When Jesus goes to the desert, he is not tempted by satan's voice or a snake but by an unassuming man like you or I. And don't expect to see a white, long haired, bearded, blue eyed man as Christ. Here he is presented as a man who is caucasian but darker, with shorter hair and only remnants of a beard but it works to the overall effect of the movie. Here also, Jesus is presented more as a revaloutionary then as a prophet. Overall a unique presentation on the life of Christ that will leave a lasting impression on you for better or worse. See it!