Directed by:
Liliana CavaniCinematography:
Giuseppe RuzzoliniComposer:
Peppino De LucaCast:
Lou Castel, Marco Bellocchio, Riccardo Cucciolla, John Karlsen, Cyrus Elias, Gérard Herter, Giancarlo SbragiaPlots(1)
Liliana Cavani’s 1966 film for Italian television is surprising in the way it differs from more common biopics of Catholic saints. It opens with a highly evocative portrayal of life in the shop of Francis’ father, the rich textile merchant Pietro di Bernardone, showing the son performing activities typical of the era’s privileged youth. Around the age of 20 (he was born in 1181 or 1182), Francis had yet to show any signs of wanting to devote his life to religion; instead, he was preparing for a career as a knight. The young director, who received help on the script from Tullio Pinelli, gave the role of Francis to Lou Castel, who a year earlier had played a rebel in Bellocchio’s Fists in the Pocket. Cavani sees Francis’ spiritual conversion and radical aid for the poor and outcast primarily as a form of rebellion against the state of society. From here sprang Francis’ interpretation of the Bible and his founding of a monastic order dedicated to living in absolute poverty. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
(more)Cast
Lou Castel
Colombia
Best movies:
Fist in His Pocket (1965)
The Leopard (1963)
What Time Is It? (1989)
Marco Bellocchio
Italy
Best movies:
Slap the Monster on Page One (1972)
Francis of Assisi (1966)
Love and Anger (1969)
Riccardo Cucciolla
Italy
Best movies:
Sophia Loren: Her Own Story (1980) (TV movie)
Marco Polo (1982) (series)
The Case Is Closed, Forget It (1971)
John Karlsen
New Zealand
Best movies:
Amarcord (1973)
Cleopatra (1963)
Marco Polo (1982) (series)
Cyrus Elias
USA
Best movies:
Dem Mörder verfallen - Eine Frau in Gefahr (1999) (TV movie)
Sophia Loren: Her Own Story (1980) (TV movie)
The Octopus (1984) (series) - actor, a.f.
Gérard Herter
German Empire
Best movies:
The Great War (1959)
The Big Gundown (1967)
Fräulein Doktor (1969)
Giancarlo Sbragia
Italy
Best movies:
Big Guns (1973)
Highway Racer (1977)
Francis of Assisi (1966)