Movie of the Week

Yesterday in the year 1228, Pope Gregory IX canonized Francis of Assisi. To commomorate that event, this week’s movie is the 1950 film by Roberto Rosselini, The Flowers of St. Francis. It’s a cinematic rendition of The Little Flowers of St. Francis, a series of short stories about Francis and his followers written by contemporaries. The movie is basically a series of vignettes featuring Francis and the early Franciscans. It’s been described by film critics as one of the most beautiful films of all time. (The Italian title was Francesco, Giuliare di Dio.)