Francis of Assisi (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Francis of Assisi |
| Original title | Francis of Assisi |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1961 |
| length | 106 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Michael Curtiz |
| script |
Eugene Vale James Forsyth Jack W. Thomas |
| production | Plato A. Skouras |
| music | Mario Nascimbene |
| camera | Piero Portalupi |
| cut | Louis R. Loeffler |
| occupation | |
| |
Franz von Assisi is a US American film biography by director Michael Curtiz from 1961 , which is based on the 1958 novel The Merry Beggar by the German writer Louis de Wohl . The film tells the story of the founder of the order, Francis of Assisi , who lived from 1181 to 1226 and founded the Order of Friars Minor .
action
Francis Bernardone lived in the Italian city of Assisi in the 13th century . The son of the cloth merchant Pietro Bernardone was a bon vivant who, over time, felt the emptiness and meaninglessness of his life. To give his life meaning, he followed the call to join the army of Pope Innocent III. to enter to liberate Sicily and make Frederick II King of Sicily. His friend, the noble Paolo de Vandria, accompanied him.
During a fight, Franciscus heard a voice commanding him to return home. When he tried to leave, he was branded a coward and traitor and jailed. When he was later released, he heard the divine voice again. This time she asked him to rebuild a ruined church outside of Assisi. With the help of workers, he reconstructed the church. Francis founded an order that received the approval and blessing of the Pope.
In the meantime, Paolo had fallen in love with Francis' childhood sweetheart Clara. But the beautiful aristocratic daughter was so moved by Francis' sermons that she gave up her worldly life and became a nun. Paolo became bitter. Full of hatred for his former friend, he joined the Crusades. The Franciscan order had a steady influx. At the request of the Pope, Francis traveled to the Holy Land, where the Crusaders were involved in heavy fighting. Francis wanted to create peace and walked through fire as a sign of his willpower and strength. The sultan was impressed by the monk's courage. But the sultan loathed the pillaging of the crusaders, led by Paolo.
Back home, Francis felt discouraged when he realized that some of his friars had violated the vow of poverty. After an argument with his followers, he went into a cave. An eye disease led to progressive blindness. Clara looked after the founder of the order. During a sermon on a hill, Francis stigmata, the wounds of Christ, became visible. On his deathbed he was visited by the repentant Paolo. A large crowd of supporters lamented his death.
Reviews
The lexicon of international films wrote: “The plot mixes the historical, the legendary and the invented. The design is based on audience-effective means of American colossal films, whereby the concession occasionally goes unnecessarily far. Despite its shortcomings, the film is able to give an insight into the life of a man to whom the Church and society owe one of the most important renewal movements in history. "
For AH Weiler of the New York Times , the film was a chatty and pompous work that could barely capture the inspiration, passion and humility of St. Francis of Assisi.
background
The world premiere took place on July 12, 1961. In Germany, the film was shown for the first time on October 24 of the same year.
The film was shot in Italy, including at the original locations in Assisi, and at the Monte Gelato waterfalls north of Rome .
The costumes for the penultimate film by Michael Curtiz came from the Italian costume designer Vittorio Nino Novarese . The production designers were Ferdinando Ruffo and Walter M. Scott . The studio orchestra was conducted by Franco Ferrara .
Web links
- Francis of Assisi in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Francis of Assisi. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Review of the New York Times (English)