Stubborn Saint from director Edward Dmitrick Edward Dmitrick did not make a typical film for himself. Biography of the famous Italian saint - Joseph Cupertino is very much in contrast with "Raintree County", "Young Lions" or "Broken Spear".
The film was not American at all. Filmed in Italian plein air, the film is more the legacy of the Italian master than the famous American director of Ukrainian origin.
I think that this is the main achievement of Dmitrik – he perfectly recreated the atmosphere and life. Magnificent in its stylization visual solutions. Sometimes it seems that we are not watching Dmitry, but Rossellini.
By the way, Sidney Lumet also tried to shoot in Italy, and he also turned out very Italian films.
Another advantage of the film is the main role. The role of the saint fell to Maximilian Schell, who, despite his temperament, was not Italian. I must say that the actor copes with it 100%.
Shell wonderfully creates the image of a simple but spiritual person who, thanks to his faith, became known to the whole world for the miracle of levitation.
In the end: I would compare this picture with "Francis" by Liliana Cavani. Like Cavani, Dmitrik does a very academic and even slightly boring job, focusing on several key scenes. Maximilian Schell plays a very unusual role for himself, proving that in the 60s he was among the “most talented”.
7 out of 10