Rather than a standard biography, the film is a series of nine vignettes drawn from the 14th-century Little Flowers of St. Francis .

: In the finale, Francis instructs his followers to spin like children until they fall; whichever direction they face upon landing is where they must go to preach. notes on film & restoration

The 1950 film Francesco, giullare di Dio (English title: The Flowers of St. Francis ), directed by Roberto Rossellini and co-written by Federico Fellini , is a profound exploration of "holy folly" and the radical simplicity of early Franciscan life. The Core Concept: "God's Jester"

: Rossellini portrays the brothers not as somber saints, but as "holy innocents" who romp through the mud, give away their clothes, and preach with a "Zen-like calm" that defies social norms. A Non-Narrative "Deep Story"