Cheap Francesco (DVD) (Mickey Rourke, Helena Bonham Carter) (Liliana Cavani) Price

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Customer Reviews of Francesco

My question about the general tone of the production is the frontal male nudity. Was it really necessary? The first time it is used to show the stripped corpses of the losers in a battle. Wouldn't showing the bodies face down have been just as effective? The other major section shows Francis romping in the snow leaving NOTHING to the imagination. This scene could have been just as effective without showing the male private parts. The use of the nudity means that it would be impossible to show this film to younger people when it could be valuable in illustrating the humanity of a saint.

This film is much better than the Leonard Maltin review would have you believe. It avoids the Hollywood glamor and glitz to give a truer picture of the actual time of St. Francis. But the nudity is unfortunate.

A hip Francis
The last major movie on Francis was "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" of the early 70's. It was a very "sappy" movie featuring a spacey, wimpy Francis. Francesco uses the cool-style of Mickey Rourke (Francis wears earrings and has an attitude), and the elegance of Helena Bonhma Carter (who plays the beautiful, strong Clare perfectly), to impart an entirely new look to the Saint. Francesco also follows the actual biography of Francis closer than any of the other renditions. You might be surprised to see Francis taking off his clothes and making love with a pile of snow, but this story is part of the earliest collections of biographies of Francis. The film is a series of flashbacks as Clare (Carter) and the earliest Franciscans (some Italian-looking actors) remember their father in faith. Dramatic "new age" music is in the background of the entire movie, and the editing is horrible at parts, but it's not too distracting. Overall, if you are interested in St. Francis, this would be the best and most accurate film I know of. Even if you aren't, the acting and setting is so well done that most adults would find it an engaging story.

Inspiring, thoughtful, beautiful film
I picked up this film while researching the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Of the several films I've seen on his life, this is the best by far. I was not familiar with Mickey Rourke or his career, but it didn't take me long to realize that he is a very gifted actor. His portrayal of St. Francis was sensitive, contolled, subtle, but when the moment called for action, he was prepared and delivered. The film as a whole was magnificent -a true example of ensemble acting at its finest. One really got the nitty-gritty feeling of life in the 12th century, just as Europe was coming out of the Dark Ages and there was an explosion of change. G. K. Chesterton's book on the saint covers this in more detail.

St. Francis and his little band of followers never intended to begin a world-wide movement of a monastic order, and his confusion, disappointment, and frustration at the response to his "rule" was palpable and heartbreaking. Each of the young men in the original group were as diverse as could be, yet they were all brought together under the loving care and friendship of Francis. The humor and antics balanced their rather grim existence and made them all the more human. There were moments of intense sadness, but also joy. Chiara's enigmatic smile at the end I will leave to your own interpretation. It was a superb touch to the ending of a stunning film.