Fratello sole, sorella luna (1972)

English title: Brother Sun, Sister Moon.
Synopsis: Francesco returns from war ill. He slowly recovers, but his subsequent acts scandalize the town of Assisi. He then retreats to a ruined church vowing to rebuild it; many other youths soon join him.
Appraisal: Justly panned for its glossy style, in which gorgeous visuals and pop songs replace authenticity and depth, this biography has nonetheless marginal merits that got more or less obscured by that massively negative critical response. While delivering the events in a manner as to ostensibly comply with the majority of viewers' expectations, it subtly, through clever scripting and cast direction, exhibits glimpses of an alternative view of the central character's motivations. For example, the 'official' version the movie conveys is that, whereas the whole town considers Francesco to be crazy, he is actually breaking with society's imprisoning rules, and seeking a deeper meaning to life. But, on the other hand, when Bernardo visits Francesco on the ruined church, the behavior and facial expressions of Francesco are typical of a deranged man. Later in the movie, Paolo, in a fit of rage, accuses Francesco of faking his 'lunacy' or 'religiousness' in order to conceal his cowardice in battle; this is a very interesting hypothesis that would make for a much more interesting approach. In another scene, after the papal audience, a cardinal commends the Pope for his cunning in using Francesco to attract the lower classes back to the Church. The simple fact that these bits of dialog exist lifts the film from mere corny propaganda. There are several other instances of good writing throughout the film. At a superficial, melodramatic level, it is mostly well directed and makes for a watchable spectacle.
Rating: 51