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The Flowers of St. Francis

Original title: Francesco, giullare di Dio
  • 19501950
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
A series of vignettes depicting the lives of the original Franciscan monks, including their leader and the bumbling Ginepro.
Play trailer1:11
1 Video
31 Photos
BiographyComedyDrama
A series of vignettes depicting the lives of the original Franciscan monks, including their leader and the bumbling Ginepro.A series of vignettes depicting the lives of the original Franciscan monks, including their leader and the bumbling Ginepro.A series of vignettes depicting the lives of the original Franciscan monks, including their leader and the bumbling Ginepro.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
    • Roberto Rossellini
  • Writers
    • Roberto Rossellini(story)
    • Federico Fellini(screenplay collaborator)
    • Félix Morlión(screenplay collaborator)
  • Stars
    • Aldo Fabrizi
    • Gianfranco Bellini(voice)
    • Peparuolo
    • Roberto Rossellini
  • Writers
    • Roberto Rossellini(story)
    • Federico Fellini(screenplay collaborator)
    • Félix Morlión(screenplay collaborator)
  • Stars
    • Aldo Fabrizi
    • Gianfranco Bellini(voice)
    • Peparuolo
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 28User reviews
    • 38Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:11
    Watch Trailer

    Photos31

    Nazario Gerardi and Arabella Lemaitre in The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
    Nazario Gerardi in The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
    Nazario Gerardi in The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
    Nazario Gerardi in The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
    Nazario Gerardi in The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
    The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
    The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
    The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
    Nazario Gerardi in The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
    Nazario Gerardi in The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
    Nazario Gerardi in The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
    Nazario Gerardi in The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Aldo Fabrizi
    Aldo Fabrizi
    • Nicolaio, il tiranno di Viterbo
    Gianfranco Bellini
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    Peparuolo
    • Giovanni il Sempliciotto
    Severino Pisacane
    • Fra' Ginapro
    • (as Fra' Severino Pisacane)
    Roberto Sorrentino
    Nazario Gerardi
    Nazario Gerardi
    • San Francesco
    • (uncredited)
    Arabella Lemaitre
    • Santa Chiara
    • (uncredited)
    Renzo Rossellini
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
      • Roberto Rossellini
    • Writers
      • Roberto Rossellini(story)
      • Federico Fellini(screenplay collaborator)
      • Félix Morlión(screenplay collaborator)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The filmmakers wanted to donate something to the monks who acted in the film since they refused payment. According to Rossellini's daughter, he expected them to ask that the donation be something charitable, like setting up a soup kitchen. Instead, the monks surprised everyone by asking for fireworks. Rossellini saw to it that the town had an enormous, elaborate fireworks display that was the talk of the region for years.
    • Quotes

      San Francesco: O Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me bring love. Where there is discord, let me bring harmony. Where there is pain, let me bring joy, and where there is despair, hope. O Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be loved as to love, and my all on earth learn the secret of your peace, which is the fruit of justice and brotherly love.

    • Alternate versions
      The US version released in 1952 removes the Italian chapter titles and adds a prologue that had been cut from the initial Italian release.
    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: La monnaie de l'absolu (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Te deum laudamus

    User reviews28

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Priceless, Humbling Masterpiece
    This is one of the most beautiful and humbling pictures I have seen. I discovered it recently along with three other Rossellinis, "India Matre Bhumi", "Fear", and "L'Amore" - all masterworks. But so far based on the first viewing, "Francesco, giullare di Dio" ranks with my absolute favorite Rossellini pictures, "Europa '51" & "The Rise of Louis XIV". From the sublime opening long shot of Franciscans arriving in Assissi to the final unforgettable moment where they all spin and fall on the ground and Rossellini's circular camera connects the earth, sky, and water in perfect harmony, "Francesco" is an authentic, invigorating piece of art.

    The photography itself is a masterpiece; It has a harsh, genuine beauty and splendour: the scenes at the beginning where Franciscans are soaked in rain, or at daytime when they kiss one another and preach and start a fire, or scenes in which Brother G is brutally beaten or tortured by a tyrant, or at night time when Francesco encounters and kisses a leper are all magnificently shot.

    "Francesco" is told in a series of disconnected vignettes, each documenting different daily events and experiences of the Franciscans. The vignettes are preceded by an introductory title (e.g. "How Brother G Cut the Leg of a Pig for a Sick Brother", "How Francesco Met and Kissed a Leper", etc). Although it is explicitly a religious document of St. Francis and his followers set in a bygone era, the feelings and impressions that emanate from it are timeless and universal.

    It is the sort of picture that makes you feel alive or buoyant about life and humanity. "Francesco" is one of my absolute favorite films, a truly humbling masterpiece from one of cinema's great film artists.
    helpful•30
    7
    • Kalaman
    • Aug 1, 2003

    Details

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    • Release date
      • October 6, 1952 (United States)
      • Italy
      • Italian
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Sovana, Sorano, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Cineriz
      • Rizzoli Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 25 minutes
      • Black and White

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