Picture of the movie Francesco Giullare Di Dio (The Flowers of St. Francis) © DR
Cannes Classics honours Rossellini in celebration of the Cahiers du Cinéma’s 70th anniversary
Cannes Classics is celebrating 70 years of the Cahiers du Cinéma, the French magazine that tracks and showcases the history of film with passion and rigour. To mark the occasion, the Festival is screening a film that was covered in the magazine's very first issue in 1951: the masterpiece that is Francesco Giullare Di Dio (The Flowers of St. Francis) by Roberto Rossellini, one of magazine co-founder André Bazin's favourite directors.
Eleven vignettes retracing the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. A somewhat austere premise at first glance, perhaps, yet in 1950 Roberto Rossellini set about the task with devotion and playfulness. Francesco Giullare Di Dio (The Flowers of St. Francis) is a shining example of the Christianity-tinged post-war neorealism that influenced an entire movement of European film critics and filmmakers.
Upon its release, audiences were less than enthusiastic, while the critics waxed lyrical. François Truffaut, one of the Cahiers du Cinéma's star writers, described Francesco Giullare Di Dio (The Flowers of St. Francis) as "the world's most beautiful film". It has succeeded in transcending time and remains a key work in the history of film, serving as a reference for contemporary directors such as Arnaud Desplechin, who was struck by the "absolute starkness and expressive power" of one of Roberto Rossellini's most unique films.
Presented by Cineteca di Bologna and The Film Foundation. Restored in 2021 by Cineteca di Bologna and The Film Foundation in partnership with RTI-Mediaset and Infinity+ at the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory. Funded by Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
