Liliana Cavani’s ‘Francesco’ Due Sept. 1
FRANCESCO BY LILIANA CAVANI AND STARRING MICKEY ROURKE, WILL BE RELEASED IN NEWLY-RESTORED HIGH DEFINITION BLU-RAY AND DVD ON SEPTEMBER 1ST
“It will not soon be forgotten.” – Vincent Canby, The New York Times
Film Movement, the distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films, has announced that FRANCESCO, the 1989 film of the life of St. Francis by acclaimed Italian auteur Liliana Cavani, will be released on Blu-ray and DVD under the Film Movement Classics banner on September 1st, coinciding with the celebration of His Holiness Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States.
The film features a new 2K digital restoration supervised by Cavani (The Night Porter), who was nominated for a Palme d’Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival for FRANCESCO. FRANCESCO was also included as one of 15 “Religion” movies in Pope John Paul II’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications list of “Some Important Films” – better known as the Vatican Film List – created in 1995 for the 100th Anniversary of Cinema.
Based on Herman Hesse’s Francis of Assisi, the award-winning FRANCESCO depicts the life of the iconic and influential Saint Francis, played by Academy Award-nominee Mickey Rourke, and the rise of the Franciscan order that he founded. Mourning his death, Francis’ devoted followers recall episodes from the saint’s life and charts his transformation from the pampered son of an aristocrat into a selfless man of faith devoted wholly to a life of apostolic poverty. Helena Bonham Carter, also an Academy Award-nominee, co-stars as Saint Clare, Francis’ spiritual inspiration and disciple. With a soundtrack by celebrated composer Vangelis (Chariots of Fire), FRANCESCO is a deeply human portrait of one of the most beloved and complex figures in the history of religion and civilization.
Available to own on Blu-ray and DVD at FilmMovement.com and other retailers, the bonus features include:
· Excerpts from the Cannes Film Festival press conference
· Collector’s Booklet with a forward by director Liliana Cavani
· An essay by film critic Aaron Hillis
FRANCESCO is also available on iTunes, Amazon Instant, and other digital platforms on September 1st.
FRANCESCO (1989, 135 mins) Directed by Liliana Cavani. Written by Liliana Cavani and Roberta Mazzoni. Starring Mickey Rourke, Helena Bonham Carter, Hanns Zeschler, and Paolo Bonacelli. Italy. Italian with English Subtitles. A Film Movement Classics Release.
