Brother Sun, Sister Moon
by Franco Zeffirelli
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DVD details
Actor: Graham Faulkner, Judi Bowker, Kenneth Cranham, Lee Montague, Leigh LawsonDirector: Franco Zeffirelli
Brand: PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
Cinematographer: Ennio Guarnieri
Writer: Franco Zeffirelli
Producer: Dyson Lovell
Producer: Luciano Perugia
Writer: Kenneth Ross
Writer: Lina Wertm?ller
Writer: Suso Cecchi d'Amico
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language); English (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Digital Sound, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 121 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-03-09
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Brother Sun, Sister Moon
DVD Review: Perfection!
Summary: 5 Stars
Jangling along the agnostic hills of San Francisco as a very young teen, films about saints and churches took up precisely no mind space on daily bus trips. Then poof! Suddenly "the kid" yanked the "next stop" cable, exited, and dashed back up the street as if stricken by absolute necessity. I don't recall the marquee; had no notion of brothers of suns & moons; was expected home shortly -- the experience, the rush to hit the "movie theatre" alone (never), unheard of behaviour.
In the dim light, I claimed a formerly posh lounge seat, leant back, and inhaled strangely, deeply. As Donovan's voice wandered through a lace of lilac and velvet-cranberry flowered hills, the angsty kid felt a deep joy (only later to be labled). Words like "Crusades", "indulgences to His Majesty" had no formal space in "stuff learnt". But the joy! Some sort of visceral ecstacy claimed me as if I'd invited or understood it.
Years ago, this was, but what I write is true. Though still an agnostic, "Brother Sun" has lived in my library forever; I watch it, live it often. It is perfection, warmth for the cooling soul, peace for the raging mind, and love. Above all, this film is love and elicits love, invariably, from the stiff-as-stones of my many friendships. Stone hearts weep; grace fills the quiet.
"Brother Sun..." is simply a perfect film, melting anxious holiday "planners" as surely as it cools the burning beasts of politics. Five stars? Fifty stars? Rating? No. Just own it; lighten your own load. The easy life-lessons I accidentally tumbled into remain true, good and invaluable for me. For others, it likely morphs to meet one's needs, I suspect. It is beautiful.
DVD Review: A most enjoyable film
Summary: 4 Stars
It's been a long time since I saw "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" and I had forgotten how good it was. I'm no expert on the life of St Francis of Assisi so I don't know how historically accurate this movie is, and, given that it was made in 1972, I suspect that the story owes more to the hippie movement than history. Francesco certainly sounds like a medieval hippie because he is depicted as the dissolute son of a rich family who becomes disillusioned with war and the lavish lifestyle of the rich in his city and decides to start a commune in a nearby ruined church.
The outstanding aspect of "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" is that it is simply lovely to look at. The photography is simply outstanding as is typical for a Franco Zeffirelli film. Right from the opening scenes to the final audience with Pope Innocent III practically every frame delivers either a beautiful landscape or a colorful scene that looks like a medieval painting in motion. Absolutely full marks for this! I also enjoyed the soundtrack music, except the Donovan songs which I thought were over the top in sentimentality and didn't fit in well with the rest of the movie at all. In fact the lyrics made me cringe at times.
The acting is more than competent and I certainly didn't mind Graham Faulkner in the lead. A notable small part is Alec Guinness who plays the part of the Pope.
Overall I found this film a rewarding experience. I would have given it five stars if the Donovan songs hadn't been there.
DVD Review: I had hoped it was going to be a better film
Summary: 3 Stars
I missed seeing Brother Sun and Sister Moon back in 1973 when I was in college. I really wanted to go because I was greatly impressed by Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet and also I had read Nikos Kazantzakis' novel "Brother Sun and Siser Moon" which must have been a background resource for this film. Now, after 36 years I finally have seen the film. I found I had very mixed opinions about the film and thus had to give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
The film is very beautiful in its art direction and cinematography. The Tuscan landscapes are beautiful. Tuscany is one of the most beautiful regions of the world and the film captures the villages, the architecture, the farms and fields, and the strong and beautiful Italian people. In fact, Zeffirelli does a superb job of showing the aged and ill in contrast and in communtion with the young and beautiful. The actors are physically beautiful, even Francis' French mother is stunning. The men are portrayed as robust, energetic and full of enterprise. His father and the bishop perfectly portray this role of the robust, world-wise, enterprising player in the world. Graham Faulkner and Judi Bowker are young and attractive and portray St Francis and St Clare. Faulkner takes off his clothes and gives them back to his parents in the middle of the village and the nudity is in keeping with the message of the film and the concept that mankind and the entire earth is a part of God's beautiful creation. Leigh Lawson plays Francis' loyal friend Bernardo, a war hero who becomes a follower of Francis. Alec Guinness plays Pope Innocent III perfectly, for he plays the part so that we are not sure if he is really spiritually moved by the hermitic band with Francis or whether he recognized a rebellious off-shoot that required pulling back into the big tent, or both. This was the most subtle performance in the film.
The film is divided into 3 sections; the young Francis returns from war in a state of exhaustion and illness. He recovers but in his recovery reveals that he may be insane as he walks on roof tops trying to catch birds or crys out in church from visions he sees in the crucifix. His spiritual awakening puts him in conflict with his father and he eventually is disowned. The second part of the film focuses on the gradual building of his ministry, one disciple at a time, as he gradually rebuilds a ruined church in the countryside. The final part is the crisis when his church is burned and he goes to visit Pope Innocent III to find out what he must have done wrong. This is a very interesting part of the film for we see two forces merge. We see the poor hermit religious expressionists come into contact with the established machinery of organized religion. This could have been very messy. Francis sees how the machinery of religion had hidden the spiritual light and dares to quote the Gospels to the Pope and cardinals. But Pope Innocent III reacts openly to the visit and exhibits extreme humility as he kisses the dirty feet of Francis.
Thus Francis leaves with the understanding that his imitation of the life of Christ is acceptable under the Roman Catholic umbrella and the Pope avoids a popular grassroots religious revival becoming a competitive and divisive force within the church.
But why did the film miss the mark? Why does it not come up to expectations? Primarily this is due to the interpretation of Francis as an air-headed space cadet who is intoxicated with God's presence. We don't really grasp the high intelligence, moral strength, and spiritual courage of the Saint. Francis was not only a spiritual follower of Christ, he also casts away all his earthly supports and material possessions and lives the life that Christ lived, walking from village to village preaching and teaching to those that are most cast aside by society. To some degree the film equates this spiritual state with a 1960's influenced view that equates flower-power with the hard reality of spiritual suffering and sacrifice. There are odd scenes where Francis talks to a stone in Bernardo's home, or his follower bathe outcasts with leprosy in a very odd and silly scene. The scenes between St. Clare and St. Francis border on romance. Katantzakis keeps the concept of spiritual suffering alive in his novel, for there are real earthly sacrifices that must be made to live the life of Christ. A film with a more intelligent and less air-headed St. Francis should be madeand unfortunately this film, for all its good intentions, misses the final mark.
DVD Review: Just glorious
Summary: 5 Stars
This is some of the most beautiful cinematography I have ever seen, and Graham Faulkner is just transcendent as Saint Francis. He apparently did not have much of an acting career after this, which is a shame because I felt he brilliantly conveyed the spiritual transformation that turned Francesco from the spoiled son of a merchant to a spiritual visionary who took the vows of poverty and chastity to preach love, compassion, and reverence for nature. The soundtrack with its title song by Donovan is also charming.DVD Review: Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Summary: 5 Stars
Beautiful film. A little hippie at times but captures the spirit of St. Francis and the influence he had on the Church in his time.
Description of Brother Sun, Sister Moon
A MEDIEVAL ITALIAN WASTREL BECOMES FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FOUNDER OF AN ORDER UNDER POPE INNOCENT III.It seemed like a good idea in 1973: a musical scored by Donovan about the life and times of St. Francis of Assisi, the passionate ascetic who expressed love for God by loving nature. But the finished product was something else. Filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli (Endless Love) makes a decorous effort at communicating the ideals of Francis and even tweaking the character toward flower-power relevance. But the result is feel-good fluff, a boring movie that doesn't penetrate its subject as much as reinvent him toward a modern bias. Graham Faulkner is entirely forgettable in the lead, and Donovan's songs on this project aren't exactly first-rate, either. --Tom Keogh
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