As dry as dust, "Francis of Assisi" feels more like an academic exercise than a heartfelt exploration into the life of a man who was called by God. I watched this with my Catholic mother-in-law and she said it was like a film the nuns at her old Catholic school took her class to see, which even the nuns became bored with. Pedestrian, plodding, uninspired, paint-by-numbers, and going through the motions. To try to make up for this, the soundtrack is bombastic and vacuous. If you want to watch a film about this interesting and influential man, I suggest you watch "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" instead. That film is a little dated, but vastly superior to "Francis of Assisi." It conveys genuine emotion, and you get the feeling you're watching the life of a flesh-and-blood person. The four stars are for the authentic setting of Assisi and the surrounding territory.
Review of Francis of Assisi
