The Flowers of St. Francis

I could have filled that cup

A rather good film with some extremely heartwarming moments, and moments that bring a sort of faith back into your life. Early on I found the film to be quite preachy and boring, but eventually it began to grow on me. It is quite comical, and that is where I see the Fellini involvement. Worth a look, especially for the scene with the Leper, I was in complete awe.

A gentle and amusing recreation of a handful of stories about St. Francis and his followers. It doesn't beat you over the head with messages of faith, but rather presents a life of simplicity, kindness and innocence in a way that's strikingly appealing. Rossellini brings this world to life in a manner that may not be 100% authentic, but it is very immersive and feels genuine. Quite lovely.

So simple, so humble - yet so moving. And funny! The film's ascetic and whimsical, almost comical style is a perfect artistic interpretation of the monks themselves. It takes you off guard - or rather its provocatively morale gentleness disarms you, penetrates your non-believer cynicism, regardless of your best efforts to see these devote monks as mere faith-blinded fools, and finds real, life-affirming beauty in something as faith-transcending as just being kind. Sounds trite? Believe, it's not

It's hard for me to muster much interest in a series of vignettes about a monk and his followers. It does have some very nice scenes and an easygoing tone and nothing in it is bad in any way but it just didn't do much for me.

A beautiful portrait of the famous St. Francis, but one that places him firmly in the world--truly a man who lived for the well-being of people. Rossellini films the monks in a simple, realist style, almost entirely outdoors in a series of vignettes that follow the monk's preparations to go out into the world and preach their message. There's a light, comic touch to this film that portrays these men in a winsome, simple manner, creating a compelling vision of living out one's faith.

Grew on me as it went by, until the final three vignettes simply blew me away.

Where the metaphysics of faith meet with the physical. Funny and very pretty to look at.

I admire what this is trying to be, and it does a pretty good job of it, but this is a film where the neorealist convention of non-professional actors hurts the film considerably, as the acting is generally poor. It's just all a little dull, though those who are more religious than me might find more to like here.

Surprisingly quirky religious themed creation from Roberto Rossellini, to the point where I think I probable would have loved it even more had it been a sitcom.

The plot is centered in some events that happened to St. Francis in his life. The scene where Nicolai tries to confront Ginepro is amazin. The movie presents Francis saying some of the things he actually wrote (prayers and poems), it all compiled doesn't sound very natural in certain moments. Still, is a very interesting visual expression of that particular environment.

87.50

Maybe because I watched this right after watching "Amongst White Clouds" but I couldn't get into this. I actually found most of this to be somewhat humorous even though no one aside from me seems to think this is a comedy of sorts. Well directed but its not engaging and kind of dull.

Almost a (choppy) documentary, we see various points in the life of St. Francis and his followers. There was a pretty even mix of spiritual moments (although neglecting any stories about the stigmata) and humorous moments -- including the amazing Aldo Fabrizi acting mostly with his eyes.

A dull, but interesting film. Unlike most Christian films, it doesn't focus on the message of god or pushing any sort of Biblical passage. Instead, it focuses on the life and actions of St.Francis... which is pretty boring. Aside from some nice shots and cinematography, the film is just too boring and uninteresting for me to rate highly. Francis seems like a likable enough person and I have nothing against the messages this film conveys, but bad acting and boring writing won't make me care.

Nunca pensei que esse filme ia ser tão engraçado.

Star Rating: ★★★

p71

as an atheist, I can see St. Francis as an ethical role-model myself, but let's face it: the movie, while being perfect itself, is rather 'comical', not deep and moving in an inspirational, transcendental way (as asserted by some people); and that is good and humble

a bunch of idiots blindly follow a cult-of-personality control freak. i mean i know we're supposed to be in awe of this guy's love and humility, but he struck me as an attention-seeking dickwheel, barging into people's lives unwanted and never giving up an opportunity to have a good cry. also, the shitty acting by non-professional actors ruins any chance at simple beauty. and it's boring as shit. at least the photography was beautiful.

Rossellini, apparently a man of little or no faith, nevertheless was charmed by the qualities embodied by Francis: humility, generosity, reverence for elements of the natural world. Frankly there are few films with a perspective to which I could more readily relate than this. Great cinema is as close to a spiritual experience as I've come, and this film moves me deeply. All the better for its reflection of the saint's value of simplicity. It is brief, good-natured, and humorous.

Gorgeous photography.

A number of vignettes are plucked from The Little Flowers of St Francis and the Life of Brother Juniper and stitched together to create a wonderful film with a focus on morality and the whimsical, loving nature of St Francis. As Fra Ginepro learns, words are meaningless without actions to back them up. Funny, sweet, and moving.

Sorry to be the voice of dissension, but ZZZZZzzzzzz. I wanted to love this movie, but Francis comes off as so ethereal and preachy that I found it impossible to opt into this world. Add on top of that the fact that this film is essentially a collection of short stories, and you have an extremely disengaging film.

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"The theme is less the simplicity of religion than the religiosity of simplicity." - Fernando F. Croce

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