The Reluctant Saint

The incredible true story of St. Joseph of Cupertino. "The Flying Friar"
The Reluctant Saint
548 ratings
Price: $21.50
Available: Usually ships in 5-7 business days
Format:  DVD-R
item number:  FG9J
Made-on-Demand

DVD-R Details

  • Rated: Not Rated
  • Run Time: 1 hours, 45 minutes
  • Video: Black & White
  • Encoding: Region 0 (Worldwide)
  • Released: May 3, 2011
  • Originally Released: 1962
  • Label: Sony Pictures Home

Performers, Cast and Crew:

Starring , , &
Performer: &
Directed by

Entertainment Reviews:

Upright85%

AUDIENCE SCORE
User Ratings: 17
Rating: B+ -- Never boring. Full Review
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Mar 26, 2007
Rating: A -- Could almost be viewed as a spiritual sequel of sorts, or at least a follow-up, to Rossellini's The Flowers of Saint Francis. Full Review
Decent Films Guide
Jan 8, 2010
[The] only unexpected factor was Maximilian Schell's performance as the saint: such mugging, such "telegraphing" ... It was hard to believe that this was the actor whose performance I had admired in Judgment at Nuremberg. Full Review
Esquire Magazine
May 8, 2019

Description by OLDIES.com:

The story of the simple peasant boy who became known as Saint Joseph of Cupertino stars acclaimed Academy Award-winner Maximilian Schell (1961, Best Actor, Judgment at Nuremberg) as Giuseppe Desa, thought of by many as the village idiot. At a time when scholars filled the ranks of the monastery, Giuseppe longed to be a priest, and his devotion eventually won him a place among the Franciscans at Otranto, where he continued to struggle to meet the ideal. Only when Giuseppe is exiled to the stables does his true nature become recognized by another former peasant-turned-Bishop (played by Akim Tamiroff, Touch of Evil). The young priest's faith was so great that he began to have visions and levitated during prayer, feats which would "elevate" him to sainthood. Newly remastered.

Product Description:

This inspiring religious biography tells the story of Giuseppe Diesa (Maximillian Schell), a peasant boy in rural 17th-century Italy sent off to work in the stables of a monastery after his parents become convinced he's a simpleton. The boy's innocence leads to a profound simpatico relationship with the animals, which impresses a local bishop (Akim Tamiroff) into urging the lad toward religious education and eventual monkhood. Later Giuseppe's spiritual energy causes him to physically levitate while praying, to the concern of a humorless local authority (Ricardo Montalban) who believes him possessed by demons.

The story is based on the life of Saint Joseph of Cupertino, known as the patron saint of pilots because of his miraculous levitations. Director Edward Dmytryk infuses the film with earthy realism and a universal spirituality that transcends religious differences, making this an inspiring story for all viewers. Schell is superb as Joseph, and Montalban great in a pre-FANTASY ISLAND performance as the initially doubtful Don Raspi. Nino Rota (who would later score Franco Zeffirelli's ROMEO AND JULIET) supplies the nicely evocative music.

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This product is made-on-demand by the manufacturer using DVD-R recordable media. Almost all DVD players can play DVD-Rs (except for some older models made before 2000) - please consult your owner's manual for formats compatible with your player. These DVD-Rs may not play on all computers or DVD player/recorders. To address this, the manufacturer recommends viewing this product on a DVD player that does not have recording capability.
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Product Info

  • Sales Rank: 23,208
  • UPC: 043396380776
  • Shipping Weight: 0.25/lbs (approx)
  • International Shipping: 1 item

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