The Legend of the Holy Drinker (1988)

An alcoholic homeless man is given two hundred francs by a stranger, who requests that when he can he will return the money to Saint Therese in the cathedral.

Director:

Ermanno Olmi

Writers:

Ermanno Olmi, Tullio Kezich

Stars:

Rutger Hauer, Anthony Quayle, Sandrine Dumas

12 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rutger Hauer	...	Andreas Kartak
Anthony Quayle	...	Distinguished Gentleman
Sandrine Dumas	...	Gaby
Dominique Pinon	...	Wojtech
Sophie Segalen	...	Karoline
Jean-Maurice Chanet	...	Daniel Kaniak
Cécile Paoli	...	Fur store seller
Francesco Aldighieri	...	Policeman (as Franco Aldighieri)
Joseph De Medina	...	Fat man
Françoise Pinkwasser	...	Inn woman
Joséphine Lecaille	...	Fat man's wife
Maria Mazzocco	...	Tari-Bari owner
Dalila Belatreche	...	Thérèse
Claude Kolton
Jacques Pasternak

Storyline

An alcoholic homeless man is given two hundred francs by a stranger, who requests that when he can he will return the money to Saint Therese in the cathedral.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to saint teresa | seine river | homelessness | tramp | telephone box | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian French English

Release Date:

2 September 1988 (Italy)

Also Known As:

La leyenda del santo bebedor

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica, Aura Film, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally announced in 1985 for Marcello Mastroianni

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Connections

Referenced in L'albero delle parole (Ermanno Olmi a Barcelona) (2018)

User Reviews

Vintage stuff

Olmi is one of Europe's last Old Masters in the art of film making. He is usually regarded as a belated neo-realist, but after you've seen "The Legend of the Holy Drinker", you will realize the label simply does not stick. This is a film about spirituality, about communion, one of the most deeply religious movies ever, whose only rivals might be Dreyer's "Ordet" or Bergman's rather pretentious "faith trilogy" ("Through a Glass Darkly", "Winter Light" and "The Silence"). However, you will not find Scandinavian mists or angst in Catholic Olmi's adaptation of the beautiful novella written, oddly enough, by a great Jewish novelist, Joseph Roth. Wine is a metaphor for life, and Paris is a metaphor for our urban world. In this symbolic universe, it takes a great actor to give flesh and blood to the character of Andreas, the holy drinker, a beggar endowed with an amazing sense of dignity. Rutger Hauer was the man for the job: this was his best performance: he was never better, and, to judge from the course his career has taken, I fear he will never be better than in this film. It is not a thriller, but it is thrilling. It takes its own leisurely pace, but goes very far, very deep indeed into the human soul. After so many insipid or unpalatable cinematic concoctions, treat yourself to this film: it truly is vintage stuff.