The Flowers of St. Francis: God’s Jester
By August 22, 2005
One of the biggest celebrity scandals of the early postwar period erupted when Italian director Roberto Rossellini, who had become world famous with his Read more »
- Italy
- 1950
- 87 minutes
- Black and White
- 1.33:1
- Italian
SYNOPSIS: In a series of simple and joyous vignettes, director Roberto Rossellini and co-writer Federico Fellini lovingly convey the universal teachings of the People’s Saint: humility, compassion, faith, and sacrifice. Gorgeously photographed to evoke the medieval paintings of Saint Francis’s time, and cast with monks from the Nocera Inferiore Monastery, The Flowers of St. Francis is a timeless and moving portrait of the search for spiritual enlightenment.
Cast & CreditsOpen
Cast
| Saint Francis | Brother Nazario Gerardi |
| Brother Ginepro | Brother Severino Pisacane |
| Giovanni | Esposito Bonaventura |
| Nicolaio the Tyrant | Aldo Fabrizi |
| Saint Clare | Arabella Lemaître |
| Franciscan brothers | Brother Nazareno |
| Brother Raffaele | |
| Brother Robert Sorrentino |
Credits
| Director | Roberto Rossellini |
| Screenplay | Roberto Rossellini, Federico Fellini, Father Antonio Lisandrini and Father Felix Morlion |
| Producer | Angelo Rizzoli |
| Associate producer | Giuseppe Amato |
| Cinematography | Otello Martelli |
| Camera | Luciano Trasatti |
| Music | Renzo Rossellini |
| Music (liturgical chants) | Father Enrico Buondonno |
| Sound | Eraldo Giordani and Raffaele Del Monte |
| Editing | Jolanda Benvenuti |
| Production design | Virgilio Marchi |
| Costume design | Marina Arcangeli and Ditta Peruzzi |
Disc Features
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- Exclusive new video interviews, conducted in 2004, with actress Isabella Rossellini, film historian Adriano Aprà, and film critic Father Virgilio Fantuzzi
- The American-release prologue, situating the film in its historical context through paintings and frescoes
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Plus: a 36-page booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Peter Brunette and reprinted writings by Roberto Rossellini and critic André Bazin
