“He was, to the last agonies of asceticism, a Troubadour. He was a Lover. He was a lover of God and he was really and truly a lover of men; possibly a much rarer mystical vocation.”
- G. K. Chesterton on St. Francis
The film opens as we see Francis and his followers, returning from Rome where Francis has received the Pope's blessing for his order, trudging through the rain and mud to seek the shelter of their hut, which they are evicted from by a peasant who has occupied the hut in their absence. Francis feels guilty that his followers have been made to suffer because of him, but they assure him that that are filled with joy at this suffering and together they sing a hymn of praise to God. This sequence sets up many of the film's recurrent themes: the spirit of poverty among the friars, Francis' sense of responsibility as their leader, and the often hostile reaction toward their mission among lay people.
In the first two vignettes, we see Francis trying to deal with overzealous followers. In "How Brother Ginepro returned naked to St. Mary of the Angels..." we see the titular brother Ginepro show up at the brothers' new hut without his habit, having given it to a poor beggar. Francis rebukes Ginepro for his naivety and commands him to respect his authority and ask permission in the future. In the second vignette, "How Giovanni asked to follow Francis and began imitating him in word and gesture" we are introduced to an old man named Giovanni, who comes to Francis asking to become his follower. He then starts to follow Francis around and attempt imitate him exactly. Earlier in this episode we see Francis instructing his brothers to preach by example and Giovanni's actions are a testament to the saint's own power to inspire by example, even if the old man may do this a little too literally.
The third vignette portrays the relationship between Francis and St. Clare, as the holy nun and her followers come to visit Francis at his monastery of St. Mary of the Angels. We see the other brothers acting like excited young schoolboys as they straighten up the monastery and freshen themselves up in preparation for their arrival. It serves a sequel, of sorts, to the first vignette, as Ginepro returns, again without his cloak, with the excuse that he only told the beggar that he wouldn't resist if he took it from him. This leads into the fourth vignette, "How Brother Ginepro cut off a pig’s foot to give to a sick brother." Here, Ginepro and Giovanni are caring for Brother Amarsebello, who has made himself sick from too much fasting. Amarsebello expresses a desire for a pigs foot, so Ginepro finds a herd of pigs and cuts off one of their feet without a second thought. He is reprimanded for this when the pigs owner returns and complains to Francis about the damage to his herd. Francis commands Ginepro to beg forgiveness from the swineherd, which he does, earning his forgiveness. In both of these vignettes we see, again, the simplicity and childlike attitude of Francis' followers.
The fifth vignette "How Francis, praying one night in the woods, met the leper" portrays one of the most well known episodes from the saint's life. Francis, while meditating alone on the passion of Our Lord, is roused from his mediation by a passing leper. Overcoming his initial revulsion at seeing the leper, Francis is compelled to follow the outcast man and he embraces and kisses him, afterward giving praise to God for bringing this encounter to him. A singularly austere vignette, it is the one most focused on the saint himself, and beautifully reveals his character and the depths of his charity.
Then we have a pair of vignettes focusing on Ginepro. In the first he decides to cook all the Friar's store of food at once so that they can eat enough for the next two weeks and thus have more time to preach. Of course this turns out to be a massive waste of food. Nevertheless, a disgruntled Francis grants him permission to go preach, instructing him to begin each sermon with the words, "I talk and talk yet accomplish little," partly in the hope that Ginepro will learn something from the experience. In the second vignette, Ginepro goes out to preach and is taken prisoner by the soldiers of the warlord Nicolaio, who believes that the monk is an assassin sent to kill him. On questioning him, the warlord is completely befuddled by his own inability to intimidate him and, conquered by the monks childlike humility, is ultimately lead to call off his impending siege. Here we see, again, that it is the actions of Ginepro, and not his words, that bring about conversion.
There is an emphasis, in the last two vignettes, of placing absolute trust in God. In "How Brother Francis and Brother Leone experienced those things that are perfect happiness" the two friars discuss what might bring them perfect happiness. To instruct Leone, Francis suggests that they go begging for alms. When they are chased away by a peasant with a club, Francis tells Leone that this is perfect happiness: "to suffer and bear every evil deed out of love for Christ." Then, in "How St. Francis left St. Mary of the Angels with his friars..." Francis instructs his friars to spin around circles until they fall over from dizziness and then to go out preaching in the direction they fall. This act of trust in God serves as a fitting coda for the film.
The Flowers of St. Francis is made firmly in the Italian neorealist tradition by its preeminent auteur, Roberto Rossellini. As with most films in this movement, it does not feature professional actors (with the exception of Aldo Fabrizi, who practically chews the scenery in his role as the tyrant Nicolaio). Instead, Rossellini cast the Franciscan friars of the Nocere Inferiore monastery in Rome to play Francis and his followers, with the other roles being played by local Italians in the Roman countryside, where the film was shot. The cinematography by Otello Martelli is stark, emphasizing the bleakness of the friars surroundings, though he also captures much of the beauty in nature that Francis so loved.
The film eschews a traditional narrative structure and is instead united by its themes: simplicity, joy, humility, long-suffering, absolute trust in and obedience to God. A few key scenes illustrate the character of Francis himself: his abjectness at his brothers enduring the rainfall without shelter; his recitation of the canticle of creatures, before he is interrupted by Giovanni; his joyful reaction at the rejection of the the peasant to his and Leone's preaching; and the episode with the leper. The main focus, however, is on the other brothers, especially Ginepro and Giovanni, and their zealous devotion to Francis' humble way of life.
Though it is crude at times especially for those not accustomed to Italian neorealism, The Flowers of St. Francis is, nonetheless, edifying viewing for the faithful Catholic, particularly during this penitential season.
Score: 9/10
Next week we will look at Gregory Peck in The Keys of the Kingdom (1944).
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