The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)

 Roberto Rossellini's "The Flowers of St. Francis"

If you look back at the filmography of Roberto Rossellini, there are certain films you would list before you ever mentioned his 1950 film "The Flowers of St. Francis." However, this film would actually be Rossellini's favorite of his own works. It can often get pushed to the side even for the film that Rossellini released that same year in "Stromboli." But, there are many filmmakers who would say that "The Flowers of St. Francis" stands above the rest.

"The Flowers of St. Francis" is adapted from two 14th century novels that focus on the life and work of the Italian friar named St. Francis. The two novels, "Little Flowers of St. Francis" and "The Life of Brother Juniper" contain 78 small chapters that aren't inherently biographic and instead focus on relating tales of the followers and life of the titular friar. Rossellini and her filmmaking friend Federico Fellini drafted a script that only focused on 9 of the 78 chapters for simplification. The 9 chapters are treated like parables, each focusing on a moral theme that is inherent to the teachings and perspective of St. Francis' gospel. 

In true neo-realist fashion, Rossellini used actual monks from the Nocere Inferiore Monastery to play the role and St. Francis and his friars. The thing that Rossellini wanted to highlight with their portrayal was their innocence and whimsy. When you watch the film, you notice how completely generous and compassionate the friars are. There is even a scene in which a smiling friar is brutally manhandled by Barbarians and beaten and takes this with pleasure as he feels that making the Barbarians happy brings joy to God. Through this unflinching selflessness and niave generosity, we see the shining example of God's virtue and the infectious generosity towards life provided by God's supposed worshipers. 

After the second World War, Europe was in a state of nihilism, as their cinema reflected the warped perception of morality that had swept the continent. Even Rossellini was depicting this nihilism and bleakness, like with his 1948 neo-realist "Germany Year Zero." However, "The Flowers of St. Francis" seems to address this trauma through these monks. They face the brutality and cold indifference of the world with gracious acceptance, believing they are serving God through these sacrificial blows. 

What's also very notable about the film is the melange of Rossellini and Fellini in this particular story. These two writing partners had worked together before, like with "Rome, Open City," "Paisan," and "Amore." However, with "The Flowers of St. Francis," you can see the dream-like quality that would be at the forefront of Fellini's work later in his career start to take shape. There is a certain level of absurdity to the lives of these friars and the uncanny situations they find themselves in. Rossellini is not one for absurdity or surrealism, so the film never feels outside the realm of reality. Rossellini adheres strictly to reality. However, with touches of Fellini's writing, the film becomes slightly elevated with a touch of absurdity and 'surreality.' This blend would not be seen again, as Fellini went off to make his own films, of which would grow increasingly surreal and 'dreamlike' as his career progressed. Meanwhile, Rossellini held tightly to his neo-realist roots that had made him the auteur that he is. 

I was very swept away by "The Flowers of St. Francis" and felt like it heralded the oncoming religious films that would sweep Europe in the 1950s, especially from Ingmar Bergman. It centers less on the actual religious construction of the belief system of these characters, and instead focuses on morality itself and the selflessness required to achieve an inner-peace within oneself. This inner peace and the acceptance of all the good with the bad that comes at you in life is the key to accessing God.