Yes, it was corny and too caught up in the 60's generation love affair with itself but still, I was taking it all in stride, focused on the good message and was having a good enough time with it until the end. I'm really surprised no one else mentioned this but the scene with the Pope just depressed me. When the rich guy basically says, 'oh, the Pope doesn't mean any of this, he's just getting Francis to bring along the idiot poor so we can keep on ruling and exploiting them'. To me, that line just ruined the whole movie, it was like, after all that, the bad guys won. The Pope still has his palace, bishops still have their gold watches and golf vacations and the Franciscans are just another of a horde of religious orders. Depressing.
That's all I have to say, I was just really disappointed. The Pope was sort of converted, kissed his feet, everything was great, the message of St Francis had triumphed and then, with that one line, it's like it was all for nothing. I ended the movie sad.
"I AM Jerusalem"
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Bloodfordracula
12 years ago
That scene at the end where the Pope's cardinal says "Don't worry, his holiness knows what he's doing, this is the man who'll speak to the poor, and bring them back to us" works beautifully and infinitely strengthens the ending. 'Brother Sun, Sister Moon' is often called too 'syrupy', too 'hippy trippy', too 'naive'. The cardinal's dialogue gives this film and a small amount of much needed cynicism to offset it's 'flower-power-syrupiness'. Saint Francis' life was one of suffering and tragedy, yet the film ends on an optimistic note, without a 'happily ever after'.
I find the ending tremendously beautiful and ecstatically uplifting; the very opposite of depressing.
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Drewy
12 years ago
Sadly the message of Francis did not change the Church overnight (and may not have changed it at all - that is not for me to judge).
In BSSM Pope Obi Wan seemed to be (eventually) converted to the message of Francis and humbled himself by kissing the feet of the young man.
The cynical interpretation of the bishop was inaccurate I think. I think the Pope's change of heart appeared sincere.
He seemed genuinely unhappy that the politics of his role had led him away from some of the ideals he had once held dear. But he wasn't impressed enough to follow the example of Francis and dispose of his own wealth. As we see him putting on some of the very expensive trappings of office while the Franciscans leave, the contrast was intended and unmistakable.
But it is clear, I think, that the great majority (if not all) of the bishops present remained unimpressed and even outraged by the young man who had challenged the very way the Church operated in the 13th century where the role of bishop was often much more about the wealth and power than it was about the very simple message of Jesus.
But some got it. Paolo for example was finally won over. The process of changing the world is slow :-)
I have known a couple of senior Catholic clergy, including a bishop, and I hope I can reassure guelphever when I say that the wealth associated with the role in medieval times is not there today - at least not in those that I have met.
Don't let a few cynics depress you. Not every one will hear the word but thank God for the few who do. They can move mountains.
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CitizenCairParavel
12 years ago
I am not ashamed to say that this movie truthfully changed my life when I was 20 years old and it first came out.
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