The Flowers of St. Francis
“A Movie for Today... And All Time”
In a series of simple and joyous vignettes, director Roberto Rossellini and co-writer Federico Fellini lovingly convey the universal teachings of the People’s Saint: humility, compassion, faith, and sacrifice. Gorgeously photographed to evoke the medieval paintings of Saint Francis’s time, and cast with monks from the Nocera Inferiore Monastery, The Flowers of St. Francis is a timeless and moving portrait of the search for spiritual enlightenment.
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Cast
8 people
Aldo Fabrizi
Nicolaio, il Tiranno di Viterbo
Known for
Rome, Open City
Cops and Robbers
Gianfranco Bellini
Narrator (voice)
Known for
West and Soda
Peparuolo
Giovanni il Sempliciotto
Severino Pisacane
Fra' Ginapro
No other roles listed
Roberto Sorrentino
Nazario Gerardi
San Francesco (uncredited)
Arabella Lemaitre
Santa Chiara (uncredited)
Renzo Rossellini
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Roberto Rossellini Director · Federico Fellini Screenplay Brunello Rondi Screenplay
United States release October 6, 1952 · Produced in Italy · Languages Italian, Latin
Production
Rizzoli Film
Production
Cineriz
Production
Italy
Produced in
Languages
Original title
Francesco, giullare di Dio
Original language
Italian
Spoken on screen
Italian · Latin
Release dates
Italy · August 26, 1950
Premiere · Venice Film Festival
Italy · December 15, 1950
Theatrical
United States · October 6, 1952
Theatrical
United States
April 29, 2006 · Premiere · Tribeca Film Festival
September 19, 2006 · Theatrical · Steubenville, Ohio
France
March 7, 1951 · Theatrical
June 29, 1951 · Premiere · Journées du Cinéma de Carcassone
May 23, 2005 · Physical · DVD
May 10, 2020 · Digital · VOD
July 8, 2021 · Premiere · Cannes Classics (Restored Version)
March 9, 2022 · Theatrical · Re-release
Italy
July 20, 2021 · Premiere · Il Cinema Ritrovato (Restored Version)
Portugal
October 11, 2025 · Theatrical · Re-release
South Korea
September 17, 2025 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.