Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1973)

This movie is so visually beautiful, to me, it is the whole point. What a ravishing cinematic recreation of early to late medieval design,a perfect surface! Watching it is like being transported inside a Ravenna mosaic,or into a painting by Sassetta come to life. If you love all eras of Medieval art you will love this film. In the beginning when Francesco returns home ill, there are wonderfully evocative sick room scenes where a white delicate cloth is being draped and pressed into the young man's face and head, giving a Shroud of Turin like reference.In the later scenes in Rome the hairstyles of some of the Pope's clerical retinue appear to have been lifted directly from a late antique/Early Christian manuscript.This seemingly superficial detail is eerily authentic and reveals the mixture of the ancient and modern existing within the medieval Christian culture of Francesco's time. I am not surprised to see some of the negative reviews when this film first came out, since the hippie movement was so on the wane and had all but disappeared, save for a few burnt out flower children. Critics probably wanted to quickly bury any and all references to them, finally and for good. Nobody likes to be vulnerable and innocent it seems, for long.

... With Director Frano Zeferelli (sp.?) with music-by-Donovan, this movie-was-destined to-be-a-classic! - It stands the test-of-time, for I just saw it on cable again. The great cinematography enhanced the story-of-St. Francis of Asisi. And costumes, which also received awards for their authenticity-&-beauty.... When I 1st. saw-this-film, I was graduating with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from BYU & preparing for-a-2 yrs. Mormon mission to thee Pacific/Northwest. I'd known I was gay since 6-7, lasted 15-yrs. LDS & was excommunicated for being gay-in-'83.SO: Yes, as Ed in St. Louis in his '04 review, this may-or-may not have been made 5-yrs. before-or-after "Moon" was made without the "hint of homosexuality." BUT: to this gay man, it opened-thee-door for more self-acceptance with semi-overtures-of "homosexuality." (such-a-clinical, medical term made-up-by Str8's!)

Francis of Assissi depicted as the first hippie. That's not really a ridiculous comparison. After all, Godspell depicts Jesus and the Apostles as hippies, as well, far more annoyingly, I may say, than Zefferelli depicts these characters. I actually started off really enjoying this picture. I thought it was sweet, lovely, and beautiful. It helps a lot if you like Donovan. I know that he's kind of dopey, but I've always found his mellowing tunes quite pleasant. None of his songs here are among his best (in fact, not a one appears on the anthology I own, which contains other work on soundtracks), but they're pretty good. Unfortunately, the film never really goes anywhere. It plateaus early and only reaches a little further in its climax, when Francis and his followers ask the Pope (Alec Guiness, in what amounts to a cameo) to bless their order. The only really good Francis of Assissi movie I've seen is Roberto Rossellini's The Flowers of St. Francis.

This is a film focused on the early years of Francis of Assisi, where he breaks up with the traditions of the catholic church and decides to take the life of Jesus seriously and where he is willing to offer everything to live according to the Gospels. Francis of Assisi realized that real joy has it roots in the Gospels no matter what the circumstance is. We can in one way state that Francis of Assisi was one of Martin Luther's forerunners. All in all this is a beautiful film about finding the real Truth in a world that's messed up and occupied by catholic traditions and worldly riches in the name of Christianity. Maybe this film can help us on the way to find peace in our hearts and minds, and reveal more of who Jesus really was and is and who he really should be in our lives too. I give it 9 out of 10.