Fratello sole, sorella luna (1972)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Writers:

Suso Cecchi d'Amico (writer)
Kenneth Ross (writer)

Release Date:

2 December 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Plot:

This is a dramatization of events in the life of St. Francis of Assisi from before his conversion experience through his audience with the pope...

Plot Keywords:

Pope | Church | Cross | Drinking | Merchant

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Graham Faulkner	...	St. Francis of Assisi
Judi Bowker	...	Clare
Leigh Lawson	...	Bernardo
Kenneth Cranham	...	Paolo
Lee Montague	...	Pietro Di Bernardone
Valentina Cortese	...	Pica Di Bernardone
Alec Guinness	...	Pope Innocent III
Michael Feast	...	Silvestro
Nicholas Willatt	...	Giacondo
John Sharp	...	Bishop Guido
Adolfo Celi	...	Consul
Francesco Guerrieri	...	Deodato
Peter Firth
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fortunato Arena
Aristide Caporale	...	Derelict
Carlo Hinterman
Guido Lollobrigida
Carlo Pisacane	...	San Damiano Priest

Also Known As:

Brother Sun, Sister Moon (UK) (USA)

Runtime:

Italy:135 min | UK:122 min | USA:121 min

Country:

Italy | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Abbey of Sant' Antimo, Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

Company:

Euro International Film (EIA)

Trivia:

According to Franco Zeffirelli's autobiography, The Beatles were asked to appear in the film in the main roles but were unable due to scheduling conflicts. Zeffirelli also screen-tested Al Pacino for the role of Francesco but rejected him due to his theatrical overacting style.

Goofs:

Continuity: Francis is shown part way down the roof line when he picks up the bird, but without walking any further, he is at the end of the roof when he lets it go.

Quotes:

Bishop Guido: They are restoring a consecrated ruin for love. Is that a crime?

Movie Connections:

Version of Francesco, giullare di Dio (1950)

Soundtrack:

Fratello sole sorella luna

Some comments about the DVD, the screenplay, the actor.

Just a few comments to add to the many fine comments already written by people who like this movie, as I do.

The DVD is very good overall for its quality of sound and color. The subtitles include neither any Latin, nor the lyrics for any of the songs performed by someone off-screen; but the captions are nearly perfect, including all the lyrics, and lacking only the Latin. The following numbers about the shape of the screen are my own best guesses. The original movie was presented in a 1.66:1 (about 5:3 = 15:9) aspect ratio, but the DVD version is made to fit a modern 16:9 wide screen (about 1.77:1, though a previous reviewer gives 1.75:1 as the ratio for the movie). In order to do this, 1/16th (about 7%) of the vertical had to be shaved-off the original movie; some was taken from the top, and some from the bottom. This definitely hurts a few of the scenes, but overall people who like this movie should be very happy to have the DVD.

In the scene just before the meeting with the pope, a former friend of Francis chases after him and tries to convince him not to go to Rome. The former friend begins to insult Francis and his way of life. This short speech is excellent writing, as is much of the rest of the screenplay. It ends with this: "You just saunter out of your house one fine morning and pluck God out of the air, as easily as catching a butterfly. It's all too simple!" This line may not have been nominated for the AFI top 100 list this year, but it is one of the finest I've ever heard in a movie. (I don't know whether it is original with this screenplay or was borrowed from tradition.)

Some lay-order (Third Order) Franciscans told me that they object to the role of Francis being done in this movie by a gay actor. Other people object to Francis being portrayed as a flower-child. My own understanding is that indeed there is no reason to think that the real Francis was gay; and that he was probably not so pretty or so much like a 1960s flower-child as presented in the movie. But I do not agree with those above-mentioned objections: the movie does a very good job of dramatizing in a lyrical way the spirit and times of Francis.