I first saw this movie in the mid-1990s just before a trip to Assisi and decided to watch it again recently. What I did not catch the first time around was the cultural lens through which Zafrelli must have shot the film in the early 70s. It was all too apparent to me now. The movie has a heavy dose of flower power feel to it, with the fields of flowers, halcyonic nature images, and social justice messages sprinkled throughout. At one point when Clare runs through a field I had a flashback to "Little House on the Prairie". Be aware of this, and take it with a grain of salt.
Despite the dating of the film, the message it contains is so strong that it "turns the tables" on our modern values in life and impacts us in ways that movies don't usually do. In this regard, the movie is quite remarkable. You see Francis begin with his conversion from a Crusader-of-the-world to a person wholly dissatisfied with material belongings and the ways of contemporary life. The life Francis begins to lead, and the message he then lives out, is so radical to Assisi of the 11th century (not to mention to our own times) that he is thought of as "mad". Nevertheless, to us Francis makes too much sense. Some of the most remarkable scenes in the movie when his infectious message overcomes friend after friend, all of whom decide to join him in his simple way of life in love of God. It is indeed in Francis' transformation, and the transforming effect he has on others, that makes the film so moving.
I think it has been pointed out that the movie is a somewhat fictionalized version of the life of St. Francis of Assisi, and the movie only covers the important years of interior conversion he experienced rather than his later life. I should also point out that the overly-dramatized acting (check out the overly-slow gestures the characters tend to make at times) eliminates an aspect of realism from the story. But as a movie reflecting the basic message and youthful life of St. Francis, it is quite moving. The impressive medieval filming location, the ornate costumes, and the landscape scenery add to the Middle Ages feel of the time and help bring us closer to the authentic life of the Saint.
Despite the dating of the film, the message it contains is so strong that it "turns the tables" on our modern values in life and impacts us in ways that movies don't usually do. In this regard, the movie is quite remarkable. You see Francis begin with his conversion from a Crusader-of-the-world to a person wholly dissatisfied with material belongings and the ways of contemporary life. The life Francis begins to lead, and the message he then lives out, is so radical to Assisi of the 11th century (not to mention to our own times) that he is thought of as "mad". Nevertheless, to us Francis makes too much sense. Some of the most remarkable scenes in the movie when his infectious message overcomes friend after friend, all of whom decide to join him in his simple way of life in love of God. It is indeed in Francis' transformation, and the transforming effect he has on others, that makes the film so moving.
I think it has been pointed out that the movie is a somewhat fictionalized version of the life of St. Francis of Assisi, and the movie only covers the important years of interior conversion he experienced rather than his later life. I should also point out that the overly-dramatized acting (check out the overly-slow gestures the characters tend to make at times) eliminates an aspect of realism from the story. But as a movie reflecting the basic message and youthful life of St. Francis, it is quite moving. The impressive medieval filming location, the ornate costumes, and the landscape scenery add to the Middle Ages feel of the time and help bring us closer to the authentic life of the Saint.