Cavani, who, in her own words, had not had a Catholic upbringing, was drawn to the character of Francis of Assisi because of Paul Sabatier's biography, regarding him a "protestor"[6] and his venture "existential and poetic" and "revolutionary".
[6] Francesco di Assisi was shot on 16 mm film and aired in two parts on RAI on 6 and 8 May 1966, reaching an audience of approx.
[1][2][5] It was shown out of competition at the 27th Venice International Film Festival the same year[1] and eventually saw a limited cinema release in 1972.
[2][5] Although successful,[1] Cavani's film, compared with the works of directors Roberto Rossellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini,[7] was also received controversially and divided viewers, critics and Catholic groups in particular.
[1] Labelled by a member of the Movimento Sociale Italiano as "heretical, blasphemous and offensive for the faith of the Italian people", it was praised by Italo Moscati for breaking the boundaries of "television conformism".