The Reluctant Saint
1962·United States·105 min.
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The Reluctant Saint is based on the life of Saint Joseph of Cupertino. When young Giuseppe Diesa (Maximilian Schell) is sent to work at a monastery circa 17th century Italy -- his parents believed he was mentally challenged -- he surprises a local bishop by his incredible relationship with the monastery's animals. Believing this merits a traditional religious education, he is taken in and taught to pray, with miraculous results. His spiritual energy apparently allows him to levitate, which impressed many, and terrified others.
DirectorEdward Dmytryk
MusicNino Rota
CinematographyC.M. Pennington-Richards
CastMaximilian Schell·Ricardo Montalban·Lea Padovani·Akim Tamiroff·Harold Goldblatt·Arnoldo Foà·Giacomo Rossi-Stuart
Original titleThe Reluctant Saint