Brother Sun, Sister Moon

Rating:
Summary: Brother Zefferelli
Review: As Francis had to contend against the establishment of his day, so did this film against the critics in ours. Donovan studied medaeval and renaissance music in order to write the songs, and since the film's first screening people have been trying to get the soundtrack. But it was never released because the three companies involved with the film fought over it, none of them following the way of Francis. As critics have shown themselves completely out of step with audiences as regards The Passion, so they did also with this film, which ranks second only to Romeo and Juliet as Zefferelli's masterpiece. Everyone else who sees this film falls in love with it. Zefferelli portrays the legend of St. Francis and the aura of his life with such lavish wonder that he can still awaken us to see anew, with Francis and Claire, Brother Sun and Sister Moon.

Rating:
Summary: Gentle Souls, Rejoice!
Review: I thought I was the only person in the world who loved this movie (or for that matter, who had even heard of it!)

Yes, it is very clearly colored by the era when it was made - flower power and all that. But Franco Zefferelli delivers the kind of film we've come to expect from him. Every frame looks like a Renaissance painting. The faces are unique and wonderful; the Italian scenery is breathtaking.

Zefferelli is a little heavy-handed with visual imagery now and again - Francesco's death and rebirth symbolism, in particular. He also has Francesco move in slow motion when he wants to make sure that you get the point, and I find this mildly annoying. However, these shortcomings are more than eclipsed by the joyful innocence and power of the overall message.

Graham Faulkner and Judi Bowker are perfect for the roles they play, as are the members of the supporting cast.

Donovan's music, far from jarring when set into a medieval story, fits seamlessly. I wish it had been released on a CD; I'd buy it in a heartbeat. It's glorious and uplifting.

This is a gentle film, full of color and joy.

Rating:
Summary: OH, BROTHER!
Review: Psssst. I got a secret to tell you. Nobody else besides you knows I bought this movie, and I'd like to keep it that way, if you don't mind. The reason is I felt pretty stupid watching it, but thank God I was all alone that night, so no one else was there to make fun of me because of it. But I made a vow never to buy another movie again without renting it first (you'd think I would've learned my lesson after my big disappointment with GHOSTBUSTERS!). Anyways, BROTHER SUN, SISTER MOON has the honor of being the first video I've ever thrown away, and after this embarrassing experience it will definitely be the last. Peace, bro.

Rating:
Summary: How wrong can you be?
Review: Tom Keogh, the writer for the review for Amazon.com does not seem to understand what this movie is about. Is it that he is not a Christian or as a Christian he knows little or nothing about Saint Francis? I found the movie to represent the life of St. Francis. Yes! It was presented in a more contemporary way. However, had it not been it would have been difficult to get the message and would have been perhaps a boring documentary. Tree

Rating:
Summary: not for the very young
Review: i saw this when i was a teen so i ordered my DVD copy. the scenes were great, typical of a Zeffirelli. could be a good introductory catholic film for 8-10 year-olds but some scenes are not fit for their eyes (rated PG). all great films on dvd should have a G-rated version included. a photo at the dvd's back cover shows Tybalt duelling Mercutio from another Zeffirelli film, is this intentional? overall, a good film to watch especially during Holy Week

Rating:
Summary: inspiring but lacks some essential elements
Review: the movie is one of my favorites. it is inspiring, shows the passion by which st. francis did all for Christ and more importantly how he embraced this life.
however, the movie was too artistic in some instances, sacrificing most of the supernatural aspects in st. francis' life. also, his "object of love" was not fully developed to give the audience understanding of his passion. the probable problem with that is a misunderstanding of who st. francis really is.
despite that, the movie is still a worth watch. it carries inspiration and a reminder of st. francis' life. it is however a requirement that the reader read further on st. francis' life and not rely on the movie alone in understanding who he is.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely but inaccurate
Review: Brother Sun, Sister Moon tells the story of the conversion and early ministry of St. Francis in one of the most visually beautiful movies I've ever seen. The movie seems to radiate light, and scene after scene is full of striking compositions. The climactic scene of his audience with the Pope, wonderfully portrayed by Alec Guiness, is a great example. It also has a lot of unexpected humor and some wonderful characterizations; I especially adore his father and Bernardo. The music is soothing and uplifting.

But the story takes many liberties with the story of the man himself. His utter and complete commitment to the Gospel is replaced with a sort of pantheistic salvation that shows the Cross but never explains its centrality to his faith and ministry. Consequently, St. Francis is portrayed as a new-age nature mystic with no theology to speak of rather than the uncompromising servant of Christ that he was. His passion and enthusiasm are prortayed clearly, but not the Savior to Whom he had dedicated it. Further, while the scene of him praying before the Crucifix at San Damiano is effective, an earlier scene of a Crucifix in the church in Assissi opening its eyes and glaring at him is a dramatic fiction.

There are many other historical inaccuracies. A lot can be attributed to having to condense the story into an allowable length for a movie, but other errors - like depicting Bishop Guido as a corrupt glutton instead of one of his sympathizers and supporters and showing him pitching his father's merchandise out the window like a lunatic instead of selling it to raise money for his restoration of San Damiano - are wholly unnecessary.

All told, if you can look past the errors and revisions, this is a lovely, gentle movie full of healing and joy.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed Blessing DVD
Review: I love this movie and bought the DVD the day it came out. It wasn't a surprise that there were no extras, but dittos to reviewer "libretio" on what should have been included. Sat down as soon as I got home to watch it. The opening is grainy, but overall the colors and sharpness are fantastic. It was immediately apparent however, that the top and bottom had been removed to make this "widescreen". Since I also own the VHS version, I popped in the tape and compared the two and found that the DVD cut out a little on each side as well (especially noticable on the rooftop scene where Francis is cut off by a third on the right side of the screen)! Disappointing to say the least, as I had looked forward to seeing MORE and not LESS. This disc should satisfy anyone that chooses to watch 'standard' size shows on their 16:9 TV in zoom mode.

Rating:
Summary: Reawakening Simple Joy
Review: The poor reviewer from the Bronx has forgotten the optimism of youth. This movie does not. This movie perfectly captures the saying by a saint, "Oh let me feel the tears of a newly awakened saint..." This movie captures the very beginning of Francis' journey and does not show the hardships he faced as the years flew by. To be sure despite the hardships he did not regret his decision. According to legend he did go see the Sultan in Jerusalem to convert him. The story continues that the Sultan treated him well and said, "If all Christians were like you perhaps I would convert." Then he let him go freely. This movie awakens my heart each time I see it and brings joy. Dated or not it is something Zefferelli should be immensely proud of.
I suggest the reviewer from the Bronx should get out of the city for an afternoon and spend it in a field of poppies.

Rating:
Summary: GET THE MUSIC!!!
Review: I just read thru the reviews - I've never "met" anyone else who has even heard of this movie. It's wonderful to see how many people share my experience of connecting with it years ago and continue to enjoy it regularly. Also how many people wish they could find the soundtrack.

I'm pretty sure there never was a soundtrack but there is a singer named Buddy Comfort from San Francisco who has a CD with some of the songs. He has a very sweet voice that is evocative of & in the spirit of the movie. His email address is [e-mail]. Here is the address of a web page that has some audio samples - I just looked at it & the links weren't working properly but you might give it a try.
http://www.soft-light.com/buddy/index.html