Episode 170 – The Flowers of St. Francis

Scott and David discuss faith, simplicity, nature, joy, and realism in Rossellini's don't-call-it-a-biopic.

This time on the podcast, Scott is joined by David Blakeslee to discuss Roberto Rossellini’s The Flowers of St. Francis.

About the film:

In a series of simple and joyous vignettes, director Roberto Rossellini and co-writer Federico Fellini lovingly convey the universal teachings of the People’s Saint: humility, compassion, faith, and sacrifice. Gorgeously photographed to evoke the medieval paintings of Saint Francis’s time, and cast with monks from the Nocera Inferiore Monastery, The Flowers of St. Francis is a timeless and moving portrait of the search for spiritual enlightenment.

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Watch a scene from the film:

Episode Links:

The Flowers of St. Francis (1950) – The Criterion Collection
The Flowers of St. Francis: God’s Jester – From the Current – The Criterion Collection
The Flowers of St. Francis (1950) – IMDb
The Flowers of St. Francis – Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
The Flowers of St. Francis (1950) – #293 | Criterion Reflections
Movie Review – Flowers of St. Francis – Movie of a Religious Group Made by Rossellini Opens Here – NYTimes.com
The Flowers of St. Francis | Film Review | Slant Magazine
A NEW REALITY: Tag Gallagher on Rossellini’s Francesco, Giullare di Dio / The Flowers of St. Francis on Vimeo
Lepers, pig feet, nudity – all in a day’s work for the Lord’s messengers – Watch This – The A.V. Club

Episode Credits:

Scott Nye (Twitter / Battleship Pretension)
David Blakeslee (Twitter / Criterion Reflections)

Music from this episode is by Jackie DeShannon.