The Reluctant Saint (1962) :
Movie Review -
A magical story of Father Giuseppe, aka Joseph of Cupertino's priesthood, told beautifully by Edward Dmytryk. The Reluctant Saint is based on the life of Guiseppe, a half-witted man who was bad in studies and hardly had an IQ for his age. Worried about his future, his mother sends him to a church to learn holy things. There, her brother, Father Giovanni, takes Guiseppe under his wing but is unable to make a man out of him. However, he has kindness and powers that nobody can see. An upper-authority bishop visits the church and sees Guiseppe sleeping in a stable beside two lambs, followed by St. Luke's famous quote, "What man of you, having 100 sheep and losing one of them, does not leave 99 in the desert and goes after that one until he finds it". The bishop is delighted to have a conversation with Guiseppe and orders the rest of the fathers in church to tutor Guiseppe for the priesthood. Guiseppe, however, only remembers St. Luke's verse and even passes the exam to become a father. What follows is him showcasing his supernatural powers to fella priests, leading one of them to blame him for the devil's possession. The film has some magical moments that will fascinate you if you believe in miracles and God. It restores faith in the saying that God chooses righteous people to serve him. More than education and IQ, he sees faith and humanity in him. Like the bishop says, "Reading and writing-any fool can do that," you just feel like missing something out of this life. Maximilian Schell made me believe in his character with his unshakeable portrayal of Joseph of Cupertino, whom I have never seen or heard about. The rest of the cast has also done well. I never knew that Edward Dmytryk had this spiritual side of him to showcase on the big screen. What a pleasant and devotional surprise it was.
RATING - 7.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
A magical story of Father Giuseppe, aka Joseph of Cupertino's priesthood, told beautifully by Edward Dmytryk. The Reluctant Saint is based on the life of Guiseppe, a half-witted man who was bad in studies and hardly had an IQ for his age. Worried about his future, his mother sends him to a church to learn holy things. There, her brother, Father Giovanni, takes Guiseppe under his wing but is unable to make a man out of him. However, he has kindness and powers that nobody can see. An upper-authority bishop visits the church and sees Guiseppe sleeping in a stable beside two lambs, followed by St. Luke's famous quote, "What man of you, having 100 sheep and losing one of them, does not leave 99 in the desert and goes after that one until he finds it". The bishop is delighted to have a conversation with Guiseppe and orders the rest of the fathers in church to tutor Guiseppe for the priesthood. Guiseppe, however, only remembers St. Luke's verse and even passes the exam to become a father. What follows is him showcasing his supernatural powers to fella priests, leading one of them to blame him for the devil's possession. The film has some magical moments that will fascinate you if you believe in miracles and God. It restores faith in the saying that God chooses righteous people to serve him. More than education and IQ, he sees faith and humanity in him. Like the bishop says, "Reading and writing-any fool can do that," you just feel like missing something out of this life. Maximilian Schell made me believe in his character with his unshakeable portrayal of Joseph of Cupertino, whom I have never seen or heard about. The rest of the cast has also done well. I never knew that Edward Dmytryk had this spiritual side of him to showcase on the big screen. What a pleasant and devotional surprise it was.
RATING - 7.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.