uppermontclair
First of all, it's hard to take this seriously with Mickey Rourke cast as St. Francis. The movie was way too long and extremely boring. I got the gist of it in about half an hour. There is no mention of how he became the saint of animals. I watched the whole movie because I kept hoping to learn something....but what I learned is minimal. I hope to watch other, more educational films about the life of St Francis. This was a waste of my time-boring, depressing and redundant. I have no idea how it got nominated or won any prizes. There is nothing positive that comes out of this film. When you watch this, be prepared to be bored out of your mind and depressed.
Stacy
...or one of them. This is - so far- the best portrayal of Saint Francis of Assisi I have ever seen. I was surprised. I actually cried. But Rourke knows how to move ya believe it or not. Fantastic acting and scenery. The feel is right and the story is based more on basic facts than the usual overly-dramatic, semi-fictional scripts that we see too often from Hollywood produced "bios". This film was shot in Italy and you get a real sense of our dear Saint here. Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal of Saint Clare of Assisi is wonderful. She truly brings Clare to life here - or gives you a sense of realism and passion and true friendship. Unlike the 60's "version" and others - this is the one to see if you want to understand the basics of Francis. I also suggest reading the "Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi" and "The Life of Saint Francis of Assisi" - the latter book written by Saint Bonaventure.
mm-39
I was surprised to see that Mickey Rourke did this movie. He does a lot of B movies. His performance was done very well. He can be a good actor when he applies himself. He just does not know how to pick good roles. The story was interesting. It tells the life of St. Francis of Assissi. It was very inspiritual. It is interesting to see how this sect of monks came to be. 7/10
Scoopy
Imagine the casting conferences they had for this movie."OK, who will be our Saint Francis of Assisi, humble servant of god, pacifist, mystic, lover of the poor and diseased, and symbol of the harmony between man and nature""Well, JB, we need an actor who is glowing with compassion, who is self-effacing and asexual, and whose eyes reflect a constant inner peace as well as a deep spirituality""I have it. I have our man. Let me just throw this out to the crowd. Mickey Rourke"No more review needed. Mickey Rourke as St Francis of Assisi.That says it all.To the movie's credit, it was about the 1200's, not about the 1960's like Zefferelli's version, and it was a reasonable (if boring) speculation of what this great legend might really have been like as a man. With Robin Williams or Edward Norton in the role, this might be a pretty good flick.I'll tell you one thing - Rourke has several nude or shirtless scenes, and I learned that St Francis had some pretty good pecs on 'im. I guess he was probably our most buff saint.Mickey Rourke? What were they thinking? Possibly the worst casting of all time. The only contender that springs to mind is John Wayne as Genghis Kahn in "The Conqueror"You have to rent this movie just to see a couple minutes of Mick full of beatific grace. Yup, he was full of it all right.
AD
