BROTHER SUN SISTER MOON (DVD/WS/ENG SUB/DOL DIG(ENG MONO/FRENCH MONO/ DVD

Brother Sun, Sister Moon
St. Francis of Assisi was an extraordinarily complex and difficult figure whose effect on his contemporary society was electrifying. Even today, many people are moved by his visionary message of universal toleration. Twelfth-century Italy had an exceptionally grim and regimented society, but the barefoot monk from Assisi undoubtedly had the courage that comes from deep faith and was able to transcend the oppressiveness of the time. In this Italian/British-produced film, director Franco Zeffirelli attempts to bring his vision of this great man to the screen. The contemporary (1970s) example of the hippie movement contributed a great deal to the style in which the story is told. The musical score, using ancient Italian melodies, was arranged by Donovan. The film is visually beautiful in a way which tends to minimize the squalor of the times. As the movie begins, Francis (Graham Faulkner) is the son of wealthy merchants, and enjoys his share of wine, women and song without serious thought. When war and disease devastate his neighborhood, Francis undergoes an anguished transformation which culminates in his appearing before the local bishop and removing his clothes to renounce his previous life and family before dedicating himself to God. The culminating dramatic moment is Francis' appearance before Pope Innocent III (Sir Alec Guinness), to make his case for an independent religious order under new rules. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Cast Graham Faulkner as Francesco Judi Bowker as Clare Alec Guinness as Pope Innocent III Leigh Lawson as Bernardo Kenneth Cranham as Paolo Michael Feast as Silvestro

Crew Gianni Quaranta - Art Director Carlo Cotti - First Assistant Director Franco Zeffirelli - Director John Rushton - Editor Reginald Hills - Editor Donovan - Composer (Music Score) Ken Thorne - Musical Direction/Supervision Lorenzo Mongiardino - Production Designer Ennio Guarnieri - Cinematographer Luciano Perugia - Producer Carmelo Patrono - Set Designer Kenneth Ross - Screenwriter Lina Wertmüller - Screenwriter Suso Cecchi D'Amico - Screenwriter Franco Zeffirelli - Screenwriter

Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Stunning visual metaphors irradiate this 1972 production about a man who gave up everything -- wealth, rank, and the pleasures of the flesh -- to wear rags, beg food, and seek God in a leper or a field of flowers. More a poem than a biography, the film exalts Francis of Assisi's spirit and message while ignoring the complexity of his personality. For this reason, critics who reviewed the film after its debut sometimes traduced it as pretty fluff, lacking substance. However, as a cinematographic poem, the film succeeds brilliantly, juxtaposing symbols of worldly riches -- silks, jewels, and scepters of power -- with symbols of spiritual riches -- shoeless friars chanting for joy, a meadow aflame with Umbrian colors, and a trusting sparrow perching on the hand of Francis. In one memorable scene, Francis strips bare before the steps of a cathedral while townspeople and splendidly robed churchmen look on in bemusement. It is director Franco Zeffirelli's way of demonstrating the depth of Francis' commitment to unadorned devotion to God. It is true that Zeffirelli trains his lens on Francis the Simple rather than Francis the Complex, the soldier, writer, mystic, reformer, traveler, and dynamic leader who engineered a revolution in religious thought. But probing psychoanalysis would be out of place in this film. It is like a song, not unlike the one Francis himself wrote in 1225: "Praise to thee, my Lord, for all thy creatures -- above all Brother Sun Who brings us the day and lends us his light." Graham Faulkner is convincing as the boyish, almost childlike, Francis. And Alec Guinness is superb as Pope Innocent III, a role he lobbied for before converting to Catholicism. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
 

Carmelo Patrono: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (nominated) Gianni Quaranta: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (nominated) Lorenzo Mongiardino: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc Widescreen version enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs English subtitles Dolby Digital English mono Dolby Digital French mono MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 121 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Francesco [:07] 2. Sons of Assisi [:43] 3. Awakening [4:41] 4. The Old Church [3:07] 5. Family Business [4:47] 6. Born Again [:31] 7. Cornerstones [6:40] 8. Simple Message [4:33] 9. Flesh Is Weak [2:58] 10. Worshippers Gather [5:08] 11. Journey to Rome [2:40] 12. Before the Pope [6:54] 13. Blessed [1:17]