The Flowers of St Francis - Criterion Collection
by Roberto Rossellini
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Aldo Fabrizi, Fra' Severino Pisacane, Gianfranco Bellini, Peparuolo, Pino LocchiDirector: Roberto Rossellini
Brand: Image Entertainment
Writer: Roberto Rossellini
Producer: Angelo Rizzoli
Producer: Antonio Monda
Producer: Fumiko Takagi
Producer: Giuseppe Amato
Producer: Jonathan Turell
Writer: Brunello Rondi
Writer: Father Antonio Lisandrini
Writer: Father F?lix Morli?n
Writer: Federico Fellini
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Italian (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 87 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-08-23
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
Movie Reviews of The Flowers of St Francis - Criterion Collection
Movie Review: A Fool for God
Summary: 4 Stars
"St. Francis is the mirror of Christ rather as the moon is the mirror of the sun. The moon is much smaller than the sun, but it is also much nearer to us; and being less vivid it is more visible."
-- G.K. Chesterton, "St. Francis of Assisi"
"The Flowers of St. Francis" is a lovely little film directed by the great Italian neo-realist, Roberto Rossellini, and co-written by Federico Fellini. A collaboration between Italian cinema's most famous neo-realist and its most famous surrealist should pique the curiosity of any cinephile, while devotees of St. Francis, arguably the Church's most enduringly popular saint, will find much to enjoy in this simple, touching film.
Told in a series of vignettes that echo Christ's parables, "The Flowers of St. Francis" captures something of the whimsy of Francis' ministry. He remains one of the most accessible and benevolent of the long litany saints in the Catholic tradition, at least in part because Francis felt the joy of faith, even in times of trial and hardship. Any movie about a saint's life risks over-piety, turning a human person into a sacrosanct object, as if the saint's blinding halo casts in shadow any individual features. That's certainly not how Francis saw himself, and it's not how he's portrayed in the film. Rossellini and Fellini approach their subject with love, which is not exactly the same as reverence. The brothers (who were all played by members of the Franciscan order) laugh, make fools of themselves, joke with each other -- but the effect is always familial, always in the spirit of love and charity.
There are moments of darkness and light in "The Flowers of St. Francis," a narrative chiaroscuro that reflects the constant struggle and tension of modeling one's life on Christ. There are sequences of physical comedy (poor Brother Ginepro being tossed around like a rag doll by a band of marauders) that wouldn't seem out-of-place in a Chaplin film. Then there are passages of powerful simplicity and pathos, such as Francis' encounter with a leper in a desolate field on a dark night, that remind the viewer that love must first conquer fear. Faith is alive in this film, and it's not always easy. Francis, with grace and love, praised God by praising His creation (he's the patron saint of the environment, after all!). This film, like the subject that inspired it, feels like the fruit of that love.
Martin Scorsese, no cinematic lightweight, wrote an insightful "personal appreciation" for the 2005 DVD release of "The Flowers of St. Francis." I'll let il maestro speak, as he is a more reliable authority than yours truly:
"What Rossellini did, with such grace and such apparent ease, was to make a movie about a group of men for whom existence is a neverending struggle -- a struggle to be good, a struggle to stay true to the word of God. At times, the struggle becomes comic, and I still marvel at Rossellini's daring in these scenes -- the way Francis and his brethren jump through the puddles, or the cooking of the soup, which wouldn't be out of place in a Laurel and Hardy short. Of course, it's all done in a very loving manner, and that's why it is at once so magical and so true. We're all ridiculous at times -- even those of us who are declared saints."
Summary of The Flowers of St Francis - Criterion Collection
In a series of simple and joyous vignettes, director Roberto Rossellini and co-writer Federico Fellini lovingly convey the universal teachings#of humility, compassion, faith, and sacrifice#of the People#s Saint. Shot in a neorealist manner, with monks from the Nocere Inferiore monastery playing the roles of St. Francis and his disciples, The Flowers of St. Francis is a timeless and moving portrait of the search for spiritual enlightenment.Art House & International DVD Video
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