Set in 17th century Italy, it tells how a clumsy young man, Joseph of Cupertino (Maximilian Schell) achieves holiness . He was born the son of Felice Desa (Arnoldo Foà) and Frencesca Panara (Lea Padovani) in the village of Cupertino, in the Region of Apulia, then in the Kingdom of Naples. His father having died before his birth, however, the family home was seized to settle the large debts he had left, and his mother was forced to give birth to him in a stable. Joseph is pressured to enter a monastery, thanks to a kind bishop (Akim Tamiroff) is picked up by monks (Ricardo Montalban, Harold Goldblatt, Carlo Croccolo...). The simple and honest young pursues full priesthood and he does so, and that's why he surprises everyone by passing the entrance exam to study for the priesthood, so he joins the Franciscan order. Later on, Joseph happening an ecstasy in some touching scenes, then he performs a miracle, but this is only the first of many surprises from the man who would become Saint Joseph Cupertino. The picture that's got everything ! ... plus the surprise of your life !
This a perceptible and feeling movie full of mirth, humor touches , and enjoyable message. At the same time the film gives us an agreeable panorama about monastery life, its religiosity , and goodness ; furthermore , the ordiary oration , sacrifice , work , companionship and various situations happen in monastic existence. There a simple young man thought by many in his village to be an idiot, carries out a series of holy acts that eventually ensures his sainthood. Its perfect developing resides on superb characters incarnated by the main role Maximilian Schell who gives a very sympathetic performance, though overacting at times and the good-natured priests, well played by Ricardo Montalban, Akim Tamiroff, Harold Goldblatt, Carlo Croccolo, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, among others . This unknown picture was well written/produced/directed by Edward Dmytryk. In my opinion this is one of the best religious films to come out of Europe in the decade of the 60s along with ¨Marcelino bread and wine¨. The picture will touch the hearts of numerous spectators . Rating : 7/10. Above average.
Adding more biographical details to those already explained in the film: Joseph of Cupertino (1603 -1663) was an Italian Conventual Franciscan friar who is honored as a Christian mystic and saint. According to traditional Franciscan accounts, he was "remarkably unclever", but experienced miraculous levitation and ecstatic visions throughout his life which made him the object of scorn. He applied to the Conventual Franciscan friars, but was rejected due to his lack of education. He then pleaded with them to serve in their stables. After several years of working there, he had impressed the friars so much with the devotion and simplicity of his life that he was admitted to their Order, destined to become a Catholic priest, in 1625. Joseph began to experience ecstatic visions as a child, which were to continue throughout his life, and made him the object of scorn. His life was not helped by his frequent outbursts of anger. He was soon apprenticed by his uncle to a shoemaker. Feeling drawn to religious life, in 1620 he applied to the Conventual Franciscan friars, but was rejected due to his lack of education. He then applied to the Capuchin friars in Martino, near Taranto, by whom he was accepted in 1620 as a lay brother, but he was dismissed as his continued ecstasies made him unfit for the duties required of him. After Joseph returned to the scorn of his family, he pleaded with the Conventual friars near Cupertino to be allowed to serve in their stables. After several years of working there, he had so impressed the friars with the devotion and simplicity of his life that he was admitted to their Order, destined to become a Catholic priest, in 1625. He was ordained a priest on 28 March 1628. He was then sent to the convent of Santa Maria della Grotella, just outside Cupertino, where he spent the next 15 year. After this point, the occasions of ecstasy in Joseph's life began to multiply. It was claimed that he began to levitate while participating at the Mass or joining the community for the Divine Office, thereby gaining a widespread reputation of holiness among the people of the region and beyond. He was deemed disruptive by his religious superiors and church authorities, however, and eventually was confined to a small cell, forbidden from joining in any public gathering of the community. As the phenomenon of flying or levitation was widely believed to be connected with witchcraft, Joseph was denounced to the Inquisition. At their command, he was transferred from one Franciscan friary in the region to another for observation, first to Assisi (1639-1653), and finally Fossombrone, where he lived with and under the supervision of the Capuchin friars (1653-1657). He practiced severe asceticism throughout his life, usually eating solid food only twice a week, and adding bitter powders to his meals. He passed 35 years of his life following this regimen. Finally, Joseph was allowed to return to a Conventual community.
