The Flowers of St. Francis ( Francesco, giullare di Dio ) in 35mm

Inspired by the writings of Saint Francis of Assisi and the hagiographic texts about his loyal follower Brother Juniper, The Flowers of St. Francis is composed of simple vignettes that beautifully illustrate the humane life lessons of the People’s Saint. Using only one professional actor, with the rest of the cast comprised of friars from the Franciscan monastery, Rossellini’s film brings into focus, as he put it in 1950, “the merrier aspect of the Franciscan experience, the playfulness, the ‘perfect delight,’ the freedom that the spirit finds in poverty, and in absolute detachment from material things.”