Episodes from the life of the people's saint, filmed in a neorealist manner, this film is rooted in history as it reflects the present moment. And it is full of grace and hope. "Time is abolished so that a distant past can be examined in the present. Here history (or, if you like, legend) becomes chronicle...the Franciscan message is entirely relevant to the present and the little brothers of St. Francis remain alive forever. Fellini collaborated on the scenario, which shows a little band of Franciscans as men who are always active-making small objects, planting corn, building huts-and who express their joy and piety physically....The Flowers of St. Francis is a movie about harmony, a vision of a perfect accord between Man and Nature, a statement that is at once materialistic and religious." (Jose Luis Guarner)