The Flowers of St. Francis
1950 · Movie · NR · 87 min · ★ 7.1 · 95% critics
A series of simple, joyful vignettes follows a community of monks as they practice humility, compassion, faith, and sacrifice in everyday moments. With a gentle tone and a look inspired by medieval art, the film offers a timeless portrait of the search for spiritual enlightenment.
Based on Little Flowers of St. Francis
Also known as Saint-François d'Assise, ménestrel de Dieu · Saint Francis, God's Jester
Where to watch
Streaming on HBO Max, Kanopy and The Criterion Channel.
1 hour to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- Francesco, giullare di Dio
- Years
- 1950
- Release date
- 1950-12-15
- Language
- Italian
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Critic score
- 95/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (101 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a calm, uplifting film built from simple episodes about faith and compassion, with a timeless feel; Not for you if you need a fast, plot-heavy story like Rome, Open City.
Pros: warm, uplifting vignettes; timeless spiritual themes; gentle, moving tone | Cons: loose, episodic structure; minimal plot drive; slow, contemplative pace
Themes
- neo realism
- italian neo realism
Cast & crew
Aldo Fabrizi
as Nicolaio, il Tiranno di Viterbo
Gianfranco Bellini
as Narrator (voice)
- PE
Peparuolo
as Giovanni il Sempliciotto
- SP
Severino Pisacane
as Fra' Ginapro
- RS
Roberto Sorrentino
- NG
Nazario Gerardi
as San Francesco (uncredited)
- AL
Arabella Lemaitre
as Santa Chiara (uncredited)
Renzo Rossellini
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Directed by Roberto Rossellini