Linda S. from CHICOPEE, MA Reviewed on 2/16/2010...
There was not enough substance to the personality of St. Francis. There were weak closures to some events, and the acting could have been better.
Movie Reviews
PAX ET BONUM
RUSTY | NEW YORK United States | 12/08/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This film on the life of one of the Church's greatest Saints was never given the proper credit it deserved. Bradford Dillman shines as the merchant turned Saint. You can feel his spiritual upheaval as he leaves all things to follow Christ.Dolores Hart as Clare,shortly after playing this role ,left Hollywood to become a cloistered nun.Watching her undergo Clare's conversion ,one can sense the actresses own struggle to follow in the footsteps of Francis. The story this film tells demands the widescreen process.Lots of spiritual awakening in this great film."
A Forgotten Classic
Philip Tan-Gatue | Manila, Metro Manila Philippines | 05/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This film changed my life. I will go on record to say that it is because of this movie that I am a Catholic Christian today. While not 100% historically accurate, it is still a much better film than Brother Sun, Sister Moon. You see all aspects of the saint here - his love for nature, his peacemaking, his desire for martyrdom, the betrayal of some of his Friars Minor, but most of all - we see the love for God and Jesus Christ that moved a man to change his world and continue to bring people to Christ today.
Dolores Hart, who played Saint Claire, eventually became a Franciscan Nun after making this film."
True to the peaceful spirit of Saint Francis.
N. Skaf | 03/28/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I really enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it for viewing and keeping. Though it is a simple movie by today's standards, it is very engaging and inspiring. Bradford Dillman (Francis) delivers a great performance, very believable. I liked that the movie leaves room for the imagination and for interpretation, ie. it does not take us into the saint's head and show us his deepest thoughts etc. which I find inappropriate in some other movies about saints whose thoughts were not reported/documented."
Not a well made or accurate movie
Thomas Zabiega | 07/29/2007
(2 out of 5 stars)
"If you are an orthodox Catholic or any Catholic for that matter, this is not the right movie for you. First of all, there are many better classical movies about saints out there, such as "The Reluctant Saint," "Quo Vadis," "Marcelino," and several others. This movie is not a good movie in general. The word that comes to mind is flaky. It is very inaccurate, it shows a Saint Francis who was willing to defy the Pope if his rule was not approved (which is completely false for a humble saint such as St. Francis). It shows Christian Crusaders butchering Muslims and Muslims that treat St. Francis with great kindness. It shows St. Francis as a priest, which he wasn't (because of his humility St. Francis refused ordination to the priesthood, remaining a deacon all his life). And this is just some of the blatant errors the movie makes. A poorly made movie not worth owning."