Product Description

"Don’t make a saint of me," Francis of Assisi told a friend - even as his charisma and holiness were dazzling his contemporaries and generating a legend that has lasted almost a millennium. "Reluctant Saint" shows us a Saint Francis who transcends the image familiar to even the least religious among us: wealthy playboy, soldier, businessman, preacher, defender of the poor, mystic and - later - an inspiration to lovers of nature and the earth.

Filmed on location in Umbria, Italy where St. Francis lived and worked, "Reluctant Saint" captures all the violence, color, and mystery of Francis’ time - a time like our own, full of crisis, craving for reform and for a deeper, simpler, more personal faith. "Reluctant Saint" offers new insights into a life that has engaged the hearts and minds of millions over the centuries.

"Reluctant Saint: Francis of Assisi" is produced by Emmy-winner Pamela Mason Wagner and based on the biography of St. Francis by Donald Spoto, Robert Sean Leonard provides the voice of St. Francis, with additional narration by Liev Schreiber.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108303 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-01-01
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Letterboxed, NTSC
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 60 minutes

Customer Reviews

Funniest Adaptation of a Saint's Life
I got this video together with a bunch of other saint videos, and was preparing myself for something rather pious and poorly produced. Boy, was I wrong! To begin with, this black and white film on the life of the medieval saint Joseph of Cupertino is brilliantly cast. Maximillian Scnell plays the rather stupid Joseph, a perennial klutz who can't keep anything straight in his head without much effort. But he loves God profoundly and desires to become a monk. The second thing that surprised me was how funny this movie was. It's quite episodical, and the humor is of the old more theatrical style - but given those limitations, it set me off laughing more than a few times. Richardo Montebalm also gives a great performance as the uptight monk who can't stand Joseph's stupidity or his extrordinary gifts. God blesses Joseph's love with unusual graces, onces that literally knock him off his feet, to the bewilderment of his priestly brothers.
A real treat. Don't miss it. Hope it goes to DVD!

Reluctant Saint 1962
this is a great heart warming and funny movie entertaining
great for all the family

St. Joseph of Cuppertino's Life, NOT St. Francis of Assisi
Great, humorous movie of the life of a poor peasant (Joseph Cuppertino, NOT Francis of Assisi!) with seemingly below average intelligence who understands the Holy Trinity better than his learned brother monks and abbot. Highly recommend this movie for first time viewers of Catholic movies.