Francis of Assisi (1961)

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

On occasion, Hollywood turns out a picture of simplicity, faith and hope that the cynical critics either look on as preachy or pretentious. Some lives of the saints seem almost too impossible to achieve, let alone believe. Certain lives become legendary, because of how the person seemed to be blessed with the ability to rise above earthly temptations and lead them in becoming some of the most beloved historical figures of all time.Such was the life of Francis of Assisi, the 13th Century monk who founded the Franciscan order. He wasn't always so saintly; In fact, this film shows his sudden transformation from a fun loving young man heading off to war, and returning as a deserter transformed by divine inspiration. This, of course, creates conflict both with the church and his social circle, but Francis utilizes his guidance from the Lord into fulfilling his destiny. A sweet and simple tale, this is elaborately filmed and well acted, with Bradford Dillman in the title role, Dolores Hart as a young girl who follows in his footsteps and becomes a nun (which Hart would do later in real life), and Stuart Whitman as Dillman's old friend who was in love with Hart and blames Francis for leading Hart to her vow of poverty and chastity.It should be noted that 20th Century Fox had been filming inspirational stories for decade, most notably "The Song of Bernadette" and "I'd Climb the Highest Mountain", as well as Biblical epics such as "The Robe" and "David and Bathsheba". This one is presented with such innocent and simple joy that it seems almost effortless, and to cynics, probably too sanctimonious. The tale of Francis of Assisi was filmed again only a decade later as "Brother Son, Sister Moon", where certain critics described Francis being presented as a flower child from a past era.

Over the years I have heard many people talk about Francis of Assisi and how he loved all animals which our Creator made for our enjoyment and pleasure. I was surprised to see that the producer of this film also produced the Classic Film, "Casablanca" and if you would like to know more about this Saint, this is the film for you. It was not very long ago when I ran into a few neighbors who were bringing their pets to the church to be blessed on Francis of Assisi Day.This film shows that Francis started out as any ordinary young man and even was in love with a pretty young gal, Clare, (Dolores Hart). Francis also used swords in a war battle, but he is always troubled by voices telling him what he is suppose to do with his life and when he leaves the military, he is called a coward, deserter and it upsets his entire family. This film is very well produced and the acting by Bradford Dilman and Dolores Hart was outstanding. Enjoy.

The road to movie dullness is paved with good intentions. The captivating story of a 12th century man who embraced Jesus' teachings of poverty and aid to the poor and the sick is given a reverent, but sometimes tiresome treatment here. It also manages to either skip or gloss over several of the more striking facts of the real story! Dillman is the wealthy son of a successful merchant who begins to hear a voice in his head, urging him to forsake his worldly possessions and rebuild the church. When he also forsakes his commission in the military, he is placed under arrest in a dungeon! Eventually, through the intervention of his female friend Hart, he is released by his former comrade in arms Whitman. He then begs in the street for stones and begins to build a church, eventually amassing 10 followers who help him with his work. They travel on foot to Rome where eventually they receive the Pope's blessing and before long, Dillman has hundreds and hundreds of devotees following his practices. Hart even becomes a nun as a result of his example. One of his travels takes him to the desert where he comes face-to-face with Sultan Armendariz who almost causes him to undergo a trial by fire. As he ages, he loses most of his vision and begins to deteriorate, but not before founding an order that lived on and lives on today. Dillman does pretty well as the title character, offering up the type of beatific arrogance that not everyone can master. It's a role not completely dissimilar from that of Tom Tryon's in "The Cardinal" and one could see the men switching roles with relative ease. Hart, who later became a devoted and successful nun in real life, gives a solid performance. She is to be credited, especially in 1961, for completely eliminating any beautifying makeup during her scenes in a habit. Whitman, who was dabbling in cloak and sword films during this era, is handsome, but out of place. His accent is so contemporary (along with his hair) and his character (fictional) is too coincidentally tied to Dillman's in several ways for him to be all that believable. He does, however, have one decent scene near the end. An impressive assortment of esteemed veterans round out the cast. Kellaway plays a cardinal interested in Dillman's work, Franz is Dillman's difficult-to-please father, Currie plays a downright ancient Pope (as can be the case!) and Armendariz has a decent cameo as the Sultan. The film is luxurious in many respects, with striking costumes, splendid scenery, detailed settings and so on, but too many things keep it from realizing epic status. For one thing, the story is trotted out in an almost comic book or Disney fashion. It's very episodic and some of the episodes are a tad too cutesy, such as when Dillman blesses all the neighborhood animals. Then there's the uproarious moment when Dillman enters a leper colony and listens to this howler of a piece of dialogue: "I don't want your peace. I wanna get rid of my stink!" Dillman should have gotten a nomination just for keeping a straight face through that one. Oh, and don't miss the unfortunately staged scene in which Johns, as a sweet, simple-minded follower of Dillman, comes to fetch him and as he's in profile, an extra in the background is flexing his arm right at John's crotch level, providing an hysterical, unintentional sight gag! The film opens with shots of frescoes while the impressive ooh and ahh music soars. Unfortunately, almost every single scene opens with a variation on the same nine-note melody until it becomes not only predictable, but almost laughable. All Hollywood films change the details to make a film more entertaining or to broaden it's appeal, but the introduction of a standard (and predictable) love triangle between Dillman, Hart and Whitman was a mistake (not to mention possibly in poor taste!) Fascinating tidbits from the Saint's real life don't make the cut, such as when he was shipwrecked on the Dalmatian coast or when the Crusaders in Damietta wanted to slay him as a heretic and the Sultan saved his life. The stigmata is barely suggested. Also, oddly, the man was known to avoid walking sticks and sandals, yet the film shows him with both and even has Hart gifting (!) him a new pair of sandals! It's not a bad film, it's just a bit hampered by too many concessions and conventions, possibly by a director who was too set in his ways.

I saw this movie when it first came out. I have since seen "Brother Sun, Sister Moon and Francesco. Certainly the latter two are more artistic. But I think that they were a bit obscure with some details and sequences. If you knew the story you could follow it. If you had no idea who Francis was you would wonder what brought about his transformation from "playboy" to mendicant friar. I have been looking for the video of "Francis of Assisi" with Bradford Dillman. Could anyone help me find it. I've tried most video stores, the internet but can't find it. Thank you.