Francis of Assisi
An inspirational story of one man's journey.
Born into a life of privilege, passion and extravagance, Francis of Assisi would become one of the most beloved and revered saints in history. Bradford Dillman delivers a gripping performance as the lusty adventurer who hears the voice of God and answers by abandoning his secular life. Trading in his sword for a cross, he rises to glory...only to see his life's work threatened by a corrupt and jealous church hierarchy. Helmed by famed Casablanca director, Michael Curtiz, this epic tale of courage and sacrifice will inspire the entire family.
Member Reviews
Some Interesting Reflections Weakened By Its Veneration Of Its Subject - revsdd
This recreates a lot of the legends about Francis of Assisi - one of the best known of the Catholic saints, also admired and much quoted by Protestants. The movie also recreates some of the historical facts about his life - his disagreement with his father over the course his life should take, his visit to the Holy Land and encounter with the sultan and his struggle to gain recognition of his new order from the Pope. This also takes both the legends and the reality to unnecessary extremes at times - such as Francis' encounter with the cheetahs in the Sahara. It portrays Francis in a too pious light; his humanity (his flesh and blood reality) seemed lost. This isn't really surprising, since the movie is based on a novel written by by the Catholic author Ludwig von Wohl, whose own commission from Pope Pius XII was to "write about the history and mission of the Church in the world." Clearly the Catholic Church wants its saints portrayed in the best light possible, so a sense of veneration for Francis in a movie based on von Wohl's work is inevitable.
What I most enjoyed here was the continual reflection on the state of the church and the Christian faith and Christians; the constant temptation (too often acted upon) to compromise the standards of Christ in favour of the standards of the world. The movie continually comes back to that theme; one could say it revolves around it, as the primary battle Francis fights is to keep his order true to his "rule" - which was essentially the teachings of Christ that His own followers should renounce worldly possessions. Considering the repeated inability of Christians and the church to truly live up to the standards of Christ, the most meaningful words were probably put on Francis' lips: "if men were more perfect, we would need less compassion." So true.
This is at times interesting - but significantly weakened in my view by its veneration of Francis rather than its objective portrayal of his life.
Member Reviews
Read All...
Some Interesting Reflections Weakened By Its Veneration Of Its Subject - revsdd
This recreates a lot of the legends about Francis of Assisi - one of the best known of the Catholic saints, also admired and much quoted by Protestants. The movie also recreates some of the historical facts about his life - his disagreement with his father ...