Brother Sun, Sister Moon () is a 1972 historical drama film based on the hagiography of Saint Francis of Assisi. It is directed by Franco Zeffirelli from a screenplay he co-wrote with Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Lina Wertmüller and Kenneth Ross. It stars Graham Faulkner as Francis and Judi Bowker as Clare of Assisi, along with Leigh Lawson, Kenneth Cranham, Lee Montague, Valentina Cortese and Alec Guinness. The title of the film is from Francis' "Canticle of the Sun."
A co-production of Italy and the United Kingdom,
Lynne Frederick auditioned for the role of Clare of Assisi, and was first runner up. Candace Glendenning also tested for the role but was considered to be "too exotic-looking".
Peter Firth made his film debut as one of Francis' disciples, but his role was all-but-deleted from the final cut, though he's still listed in the credits. After restoration, the cross now hangs in the sanctuary of the church.
Music
The film is noted for its score, which reflected the 'flower power' mood of Zeffirelli's film and the cinematography in particular. The score consists of songs by singer-songwriter Donovan, with incidental music composed by Riz Ortolani and arranged by Ken Thorne.
The original soundtrack album only featured Baglioni's versions and Ortolani and underscore. In 2004, Donovan re-recorded the songs from the long out-of-print soundtrack. Brother Sun, Sister Moon was released exclusively on iTunes Store.
Unused score
The composer Leonard Bernstein and lyricist Leonard Cohen were originally commissioned to provide a score, but after working on the project for about three months in Italy, they withdrew. However Bernstein used "A Simple Song", originally written for the film, in his Mass. Paul Simon was also approached for music and lyrics, but he too declined. However, a quatrain he wrote while considering the commission was later presented to Leonard Bernstein for use in his Mass.
Reception
Brother Sun, Sister Moon received mixed reviews on its release. Roger Ebert harshly criticized the film, writing that it had "an excess of sweetness and light", and that its dialogue consisted of "empty, pretty phrasing". The New York Times reviewer Vincent Canby similarly wrote that the film "confuses simplicity with simple-mindedness". Canby contrasted it negatively with The Flowers of St. Francis, a 1950 film on the same subject. Both reviewers especially criticized the scene where Francis appears before Pope Innocent III, calling it gaudy and excessive. Ebert wrote, "does the Pope always have 200 divines on hand just to hold an audience for a few barefoot monks?"
However, Christopher Hudson of The Spectator called Brother Sun, Sister Moon "a beautiful and simple film" and especially praised its cinematography, though he acknowledged "the limitations of the script".
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 42% based on 19 reviews from critics, and an average rating of 4.9/10, while holding a rating of 77% from audiences, with an average rating of 4/5.
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Art Direction (Lorenzo Mongiardino, Gianni Quaranta, Carmelo Patrono), but lost to The Sting (Henry Bumstead). It was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design (Danilo Donati). Franco Zeffirelli won the David di Donatello for Best Director, tying with Sergio Leone (for Duck, You Sucker!). Ennio Guarnieri won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Cinematography.
See also
- List of historical drama films
- Canticle of the Sun
- Francis of Assisi (1961 film)