A free screening of Brother Sun, Sister Moon, the 1972 historical drama based on the lives of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi, is set for Thursday, February 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the Meagher Theatre.
The event is sponsored by the Neumann Inspires Film Festival, in collaboration with the university’s Civic Engagement Committee, to honor the founding Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia as Neumann celebrates its 60th birthday.
The film will be followed by a panel discussion on the tenets of Catholic Social Teaching. Panelists include Sr. Kathy Dougherty, vice president for mission and ministry, Dr. Etsuko Hoshino-Browne, psychology, Dr. John Kruse, theology, and Dr. Hasan Yonten, political science.
Brother Sun, Sister Moon tells the story of the conversion of Francis from the spoiled son of a wealthy merchant to a man of God who renounces his worldly possessions, leaves Assisi, and rebuilds a church at San Damiano. After the church burns down, Francis is despondent and decides to seek counsel from Pope Innocent III.
In Rome, he is stunned by the wealth and power of the papal court, questions the worldliness of the Church, and receives the blessing of the Pope to establish a holy order of Friars.
The film was directed by Franco Zeffirelli (1923-2019), noted for bringing opera (La Traviata, Otello) and Shakespeare (The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet) to the screen.
The title of the film is from “Canticle of the Creatures,” a song written by St. Francis, and the score for the movie was written by Donovan Leitch, a Scottish folk-pop star of the 1960s. Best known for “Sunshine Superman,” “Mellow Yellow” and “Hurdy Gurdy Man,” Leitch was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
Brother Sun, Sister Moon is the third bonus screening that the film festival committee has offered to the campus community this year, following The Arc of Oblivion in September and Hell