Filmowe legendy o Świętym Franciszku

Abstrakt

Film legends about Saint Francis

The article is devoted to four Italian movies about Saint Francis: Roberto Rossellini’s The Flowers of St. Francis 1950, Lilliana Cavani’s two movies 1966, 1989 and Franco Zeffirelli’s Brother Sun, Sister Moon 1972. The first of the four works is an author’s adaptation of some fragments of the medieval Flowers of St. Francis, and the three others are original concepts of the authors concerning the figure of St. Francis. The text shows in what way the three directors present the famous saint man, and — also — in what way they take use his biography and the legend of the Saint for creating — sometimes quite controversial — picture of Francis, making of him a contester Cavani or some precursor of “the flower children” Zeffirelli.