Rating: 
Summary: Touching and inspiring
Review: Most of how I feel about this film has already been expressed but I have to add a few words: I'm not a film aficionado yet I watch this film over and over because I'm so touched & lifted by the simple message which was St. Francis' life.
Rating:
Summary: A movie that changed my outlook on life
Review: This film with all its historical inaccuracies and its poor account of St. Clare and Bishop Guido has however the spirit of Franciscanism at its heart and its message is a relevant today as it was in the 13th century. Faulkner is brilliant, he captures the simple, pure humility of St.Francis. What ever happened to him after the movie? Donovan's music is outstanding and fits in perfectly with the simple and humble atmosphere permeating throughout the movie. To learn a more accurate account of the life of St. Francis I must recommend a book called 'St. Francis of Assisi, The Legend and the Life' by Michael Robson OFM Conv.Pax et Bonum, A young Irish Secular Franciscan.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy with a minstrel sound
Review: Even though the story lacks a truth in history, it does reflect a movement of spirit. The intimacy of this spiritual journey may not have been Francis' as he was known to throw himself into a thorn bush whenever sexual desires got the best of him. But, the idealic world of the director has us all hoodwinked into thinking that Communism is our only way of human salvationi. What if this movie were done in the 90's...Brad Pitt would star as a burned out soldier boy who is called upon to be a holy and politically correct individual who struggles against government and organized religion to bring God into our lowly human state of technology and spiritual wasteland. I suppose it would be akin to Seven Days in Tibet. By the way, does anyone know how to get the soundtrack to this movie?
Rating: 
Summary: NOT THE WAY IT WAS, BUT THE WAY IT COULD'VE BEEN
Review: I'll start with a trite phrase: I really liked this movie. I've seen it again and again and I always find something new in it. In fact, I find that I react to it differently every time I see it. Sometimes even my general mood has an effect on how the movie impacts me. But I always manage to come spiritually uplifted by it However, we must have something always in mind when we watch this movie and that is: this is not an historically accurate rendition of the life, the words, and the deeds of St. Francis of Assisi. This is a story, not history, this is the way it could've been (but wasn't), not the way it was(really). What Zeffirelli did in this movie was to recast the 60's upon the 13th century, but adding to it a measure of innocence and wonder absent from this axial decade of the 20th century. Zeffirelli redeemed the values of the young by expressing them within the traditional Church, therefore legitimizing their aspirations. Consider the argument against war. It permeates the whole movie. Yes, St. Francis was a former warrior, former merchant, a man of peace, a joyful kind of guy, etc. Yes, he preached non-violence, poverty, and peaceful coexistence. Nowhere in this century was this so relevant as in the '60s (the movie was produced in 1972). Zeffirelli was telling us in this movie that what the young generation was saying in his day was right on the mark, and that it was not as foreign to our societal values as we thought they were. Zeffirrelli is a stickler for historical detail, specially in costume design. He proved it in _Jesus of Nazareth_ and in _The Name of the Rose_. But I think he took some liberties in _Brother Sun, Sister Moon_. He did it to illustrate certain truths about society and the Church, then and now (Zeffirrelli's "now" and "our" now). Consider for example the humongous religious medals and crucifixes people wore. Some of them even wore gigantic letters incrusted with precious jewels that probably weighed a ton! Maybe I am not as cultured as I fancy myself to be but I've never seen in any history book or manuscript showing that people wore those things back then. They look phony and that's precisely the point. The rich, the ecclessiastics are but phony Christians and phony human beings, suffering from an exaggerated concept of self and of their self-righteous piety. This is what Francis realizes when he snaps in the cathedral. The image of Christ he gazes at is a Kingly one, showing no suffering, and with his eyes closed, blind to the suffering of the poor and to excesses of the rich. When Francis saw them open, he feared the coming judgment of the mighty King who was not blind at all to the injustices of the age in the first place. The Byzantine/Romanic crucifix hanging at St. Damiano, however, had his eyes wide open; it portrayed a poor Christ, but a welcoming, forgiving one. Not the Christ-king-angry-judge he had known until his conversion. Not all is gold in this movie for me. I think that the portrayal of Bishop Guido of Assisi stank. It is a grave injustice to his memory to say that he persecuted the brothers and ordered the chapel burned to the ground. Bishop Guido was St. Francis' first supporter. He had enough wisdom to recognize St. Francis' vocation and to let it flourish freely. It was per his recommendation that the Saint made it to Rome and to the Pope. Some of the expressions were, well, "deficient." Like when Bishop Guido tells St. Francis that "surely you know that Mother Church punishes those who challenge the established order." Perhaps this phrase captured the imaginations of young people in the late '60s and early '70s, but it contributes to the unfair portrayal of Bishop Guido throughout the movie. Nor did I like it when St. Francis said "I was in darkness but Father Sun illuminated my soul!" Making Francis look like a flower-child in this scene was a little too much for me. But even in this I see Zeffirelli's wisdom. If you want to target the movie to a young audience, you have to slowly introduce them to that "God-thing." Slowly, throughout the movie, the names "God, Mary, Jesus," infiltritate the script until the very end, when Francis quotes an entire chunk of the Gospel before Pope Innocent III and his court. Other Christian symbolisms occur but they are more subtle, like when Clare takes the little lamb and places it upon the altar of the rebuilt chapel. Oh, yeah, Clare. Played skillfully by Judi Bowker, Clare was portrayed as a pure, angelical soul. And she really was of course. But the hard fact is that Clare never joined the brothers. Francis received her in the middle of the night and tonsured her a nun at another rebuilt chapel, St. Mary of the Angels. She also tonsured her female attendant. Then, he sent them to the Benedictine Convent at Mt. Subasio because her family was surely going to give a fight. And they did. Zeffirelli chose to obviate all these unpleasantries concentrating instead on Clare's relationship with Francis as a friend and helpmate, as a "spiritual wife" if you allow me the term. I saw this movie after Star Wars so I already had a prejudiced view of Sir Alec Guinness. Although his acting in _Brother Sun, Sister Moon_ was as regal as always, I half-expected he telling Francis, "Go Francis, and use the Force! Trust your feelings!" I liked too the musical score, but that's because I'm a guitarist with a taste for simple melodies and straightforward lyrics deep with meaning. But that's just me. Finally, I want to say that there's something really strange about Zeffirelli's religious movies and the effect they have on the actors. In the chapel scene, where Francis, Clare, the Brotherhood and the poor were all gathered to celebrate, it was obvious that Clare's emotion were genuine. Just looking at her I felt what she felt. _Brother Sun, Sister Moon_ was Graham Faulkner's ("Francesco") last movie. There's nothing to his credit ever since. Same thing happened to another actor in another Zeffirelli movie, _Jesus of Nazareth_. Robert Powell played Jesus in that movie. He hadn't played anything since then. There's something about Z.'s portrayal of religious figures that convinces the actors that nothing else is worth playing any more. Hopefully, is Grace. If you want to see a more historically accurate portrayal of the life of St. Francis, I recommend that you watch _Francesco_. In this movie the Poor Man of Assisi was played by none other than Mickey Rourke! He did a good job but I was never able to divorce him from _9 1/2 Weeks_ when I watched him performing Francis. Somehow I found that sacrilegeous. The movie is good, however, and based on the first biography written about the Saint by his companion Br. Leoni. But if you want to suspend judgment and open your heart to original innocence, watch _Brother Sun, Sister Moon_ like I do. Again and again, for the first time.
Rating:
Summary: Good companion for life.
Review: I have seen this movie every few years for the past ten years. It helps remind me where I am and what I'm about. At some point I must have unconsciously memorized a few of the songs- which I find myself singing almost every day. I recommend that you see this film alone or with extremely close friends- the reason is that the sound track, because its Donovan, is "dated"- and therefore if you're with someone in a cyncial mood- laughable. So see it alone or with an open-hearted friend, who can see beyond the "datedness" of Donovan's name.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent message, moving drama, acting less than stellar
Review: Brother Sun, Sister Moon portrays the life of Francis of Assisi as a young man responding to his call to ministry. The acting is reasonably well done but certainly not worthy of an Academy nomination. However, if that is of concern, the viewer is missing the point of the movie. The film moves one into the consciousness of Francis as he struggles with what he sees as an unfulfilled career as a merchant. Searching for a more fulfilling purpose, he offers himself to the guidance of Spirit and sets out upon a path that most in his community consider to be foolhardy. This can be a marvelous movie for someone going through a transition in life. Lovely photography, wonderful soundtrack.
Rating:
Summary: Touching
Review: Whewre is Graham Faulkner and Judi Bowker now
Rating:
Summary: A truly inspiring and enlightening cinema masterpiece
Review: How refreshing it is to see Brother Sun, Sister Moon once again, twenty-six years since the film's original release! In our world of today, when it seems that the only fare available on the big screen contains an overabundance of violence, brashness and materialism; it is still a joy to behold this bright, outstanding and enlightening montage of Franco Zeffirelli's homage to St. Francis of Assisi, even though only on video. With beautiful, colorful cinematography of actual locations; augmented by fine performances and a skillful scenario which is enhanced by Donovan's music of the kinder and gentler times of the Flower Child/Hippie era, this production is a wondrous blend which totally works in celebrating the life of a mystical man who worshipped the Creator through nature. Graham Faulkner's portrayal of St. Francis is sensitive and moving; running the gamut from madness to spiritual ecstacy to the realization of the virtues of simplicity. The young actor's sterling performance from 1973 is one which will always be remembered through this film. My only regret about the production is the fact that Donovan's music was never released as an audial soundtrack recording. Certainly, the original music is reminiscent of the Flower Child era; with lyrics that are beautifully melded, in some instances, with actual words of the First Franciscan, but what better music would be so perfectly representative of the Peace and Love which St. Francis practiced? I would certainly like to have a recording of this score to play in my automobile, if only to create a sense of serenity while driving in the rude and mean-spirited traffic of Los Angeles
Rating:
Summary: I love this film
Review: I watched this film on 30th December, 1989 and I loved the performance of the actors, speacilly Graham Faulkner. Graham is a great actor, but I just watched this film with him. Where is he? Are there other films with him. If you spent your time reading my comment, please write me and give me this informations. I want to know all about this fim and this great actor. Contact me!
Rating:
Summary: It stuck in my heart too all these years
Review: Like my brother reviewers, I also have fond memories of this movie from 1973. What a beautiful, spiritual story that still puts me to shame as I muddle along through my self-centered life. A great companion book is St. Francis, by Nikos Kazantzakis, which I think Amazon.com lists as out of print. Please watch this simple yet incredibly powerful movie, and enjoy its inspiring story.
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