Italian Studio Films 1st Movie on St. Anthony of Padua - "Anthony, God's Warrior"

Zenit News Agency ^ | June 24, 2005

[NYer]

ROME, JUNE 24, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Next week the Roman film studios Cinecittà will finish shooting the first movie on St. Anthony of Padua.

Antonello Belluco, director of the movie and a native of Padua, said that he wanted to make "a film in which all -- believers and nonbelievers --" recognize that it is "a gift" that the saint wanted to give them.

For Belluco, what is important is that "Anthony the man" be highlighted, even "before the saint." Anthony was a man of "strong, immense and free spirituality, full of joy in face of all of life's events."

Jordi Molla of Barcelona, who plays St. Anthony in the movie, told journalists Thursday in a press conference that he got inspiration from Pope John Paul II when playing the role of St. Anthony, because of his "intelligence in knowing how to transmit the faith."

Molla, who has acted in Hollywood films such as "The Alamo" and "Bad Boys II," said he was captivated by the saint because "he believed in what he did."

"He is a character that no one had offered me" before, he added.

Molla, who speaks Italian in the film with a Portuguese accent, explained that "I feel very comfortable with this tunic that I wear every day, and which makes me get inside the character."

The film takes up the saint's life and updates it by addressing topics such as usury, the plight of the foreigner, injustice and commitment to the poor.

St. Anthony was born in 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal, and died on June 13, 1231, in Padua. The city has a basilica named after him.

Anthony of Padua was canonized a year after his death. His fame for many miracles convinced Gregory IX to proclaim him a saint on May 30, 1232, just 11 months after his death.

[StarFan]

Ping

[NYer]

St. Anthony of Padua with the Christ Child

St. Anthony of Padua is one of the most famous disciples of St. Francis of Assisi. He was a famous preacher and worker of miracles in his own day, and throughout the eight centuries since his death he has so generously come to the assistance of the faithful who invoke him, that he is known throughout the world.

St. Anthony's Youth & Conversion

St. Anthony was born in the year 1195 A. D. at Lisbon (Portugal) where his father was a captain in the royal army. Already at the age of fifteen years, he had entered the Congregation of Canons Regular of St. Augustine and devoted himself with great earnestness both to study and to the practice of piety in the Monastery at Coimbra (Portugal).

About that time some of the first members of the Order of Friars Minor, which St. Francis has founded in 1206 A. D. came to Coimbra. They begged from the Canons Regular a small and very poor place, from which by their evangelical poverty and simplicity they edified everyone in the region. Then in 1219 A. D. some of these friars, moved by divine inspiration, went as missionaries to preach the Gospel of Christ to the inhabitants of Morocco. There they were brutally martyred for the Faith. Some Christian merchants succeeded in recovering their remains; and so brought their relics in triumph back to Coimbra.

The relics of St. Bernard and companions, the first martyrs of the Franciscan Order, seized St. Anthony with an intense desire to suffer martyrdom in a like manner. So moved by their heroic example he repeatedly begged and petitioned his superiors to be given leave to join the Franciscan Order. In the quiet little Franciscan convent at Coimbra he received a friendly reception, and in the same year his earnest wish to be sent to the missions in Africa was fulfilled.

St. Anthony's Arrival in Italy

But God had decreed otherwise. And so, St. Anthony scarcely set foot on African soil when he was seized with a grievous illness. Even after recovering from it, he was so weak that, resigning himself to the will of God, he boarded a boat back to Portugal. Unexpectedly a storm came upon them and drove the ship to the east where it found refuge on coast of Sicily. St. Anthony was greeted and given shelter by the Franciscans of that island, and thus came to be sent to Assisi, where the general chapter of the Order was held in May, 1221 A. D..

Since he still looked weak and sickly, and gave no evidence of his scholarship, no one paid any attention to the stranger until Father Gratian, the Provincial of friars living in the region of Romagna (Italy), had compassion on him and sent him to the quiet little convent near Forli (also in Italy). There St. Anthony remained nine months as chaplain to the hermits, occupied in the lowliest duties of the kitchen and convent, and to his heart's content he practiced interior as well as exterior mortification.

St. Anthony, Preacher and Teacher

But the hidden jewel was soon to appear in all its brilliance. For the occasion of a ceremony of ordination some of the hermits along with St. Anthony were sent to the town of Forli. Before the ceremony was to begin, however, it was announced that the priest who was to give the sermon had fallen sick. The local superior, to avert the embarrassment of the moment, quickly asked the friars in attendance to volunteer. Each excused himself, saying that he was not prepared, until finally, St. Anthony was asked to give it. When he too, excused himself in a most humble manner, his superior ordered him by virtue of the vow of obedience to give the sermon. St. Anthony began to speak in a very reserved manner; but soon holy animation seized him, and he spoke with such eloquence, learning and unction that everybody was fairly amazed.

When St. Francis was informed of the event, he gave St. Anthony the mission to preach throughout Italy. At the request of the brethren, St. Anthony was later commissioned also to teach theology, "but in such a manner," St. Francis distinctly wrote, " that the spirit of prayer be not extinguished either in yourself or in the other brethren." St. Anthony himself placed greater value in the salvation of souls than on learning. For that reason he never ceased to exercise his office as preacher despite his work of teaching.

The number of those who came to hear him was sometimes so great that no church was large enough to accommodate and so he had to preach in the open air. Frequently St. Anthony wrought veritable miracles of conversion. Deadly enemies were reconciled. Thieves and usurers made restitution. Calumniators and detractors recanted and apologized. He was so energetic in defending the truths of the Catholic Faith that many heretics returned to the Church. This occasioned the epitaph given him by Pope Gregory IX "the ark of the covenant."

In all his labors he never forgot the admonition of his spiritual father, St. Francis, that the spirit of prayer must not be extinguished. If he spent the day in teaching and heard the confession of sinners till late in the evening, then many hours of the night were spent in intimate union with God.

Once a man, at whose home St. Anthony was spending the night, came upon the saint and found him holding in his arms the Child Jesus, unspeakably beautiful and surrounded with heavenly light. For this reason St. Anthony is often depicted holding the Child Jesus.

St. Anthony's Death

In 1227 A. D., St. Anthony was elected Minister Provincial of the friars living in northern Italy. Thus he resumed the work of preaching. Due to his taxing labors and his austere penance, he soon felt his strength so spent that he prepared himself for death. After receiving the last sacraments he kept looking upward with a smile on his countenance. When he was asked what he saw there, he answered: "I see my Lord." He breathed forth his soul on June 13, 1231 A. D., being only thirty six year old. Soon the children in the streets of the city of Padua were crying: "The saint is dead, Anthony is dead."

Pope Gregory IX enrolled him among the saints in the very next year. At Padua, a magnificent basilica was built in his honor, his holy relics were entombed there in 1263 A. D. From the time of his death up to the present day, countless miracles have occurred through St. Anthony's intercession, so that he is known as the Wonder-Worker. In 1946 A. D. St. Anthony was declared a Doctor of the Church.

[HitmanLV]

My home parish when I grew up was St Anthony's. I always have special affection for him! Great Saint!!!

[jocon307]

St. Anthony, he's my guy!

[NYer]

My home parish when I grew up was St Anthony's. I always have special affection for him! Great Saint!!!

When I was a teen, we lived in Oceanside LI and our parish was St. Anthony's Shrine. As I recall, the church was designed to look like a cave and busloads of tourists would flock there on weekends. We were registered parishioners and on the envelope system. My mother used to hiss under her breath each week when we had to pass the donation boxes in order to enter the church. Recommended donations back then ... (we're talking antiquity) ... were .25 for adults and .10 for children. My mother would wave the contribution envelope at the usher and he would point to the sign on the outside of the donation box. Her resentment grew to the point where we switched parishes and began attending mass at St. Raymond's in East Rockaway.

Funny how little it takes to resurrect these memories of a bygone era. From what I understand, the Shrine is long gone. Too bad! It was a beautiful place of worship.

[anonymoussierra]

""Molla, who speaks Italian in the film with a Portuguese accent, explained that "I feel very comfortable with this tunic that I wear every day, and which makes me get inside the character."

The film takes up the saint's life and updates it by addressing topics such as usury, the plight of the foreigner, injustice and commitment to the poor.

St. Anthony was born in 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal, and died on June 13, 1231, in Padua. The city has a basilica named after him.

Anthony of Padua was canonized a year after his death. His fame for many miracles convinced Gregory IX to proclaim him a saint on May 30, 1232, just 11 months after his death.""thank you"NYer"

[Publius]

From the ancient German collection of folk poetry "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" (The Youth's Magic Horn) comes the poem "Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt" (St. Anthony of Padua's Sermon to the Fish). In the 1890's, composer Gustav Mahler set this poem to music for high voice (soprano or tenor) and orchestra. Then he used the same material for the third movement of his Second Symphony ("Resurrection"). It's a fine piece of music and fits the words well.

[NYer]

Thanks for that information. I never realized Mahler had composed a piece on this miracle of St. Anthony.

* * * * *

Men Won't Listen, Fishes Will!

EVEN though he was an eloquent preacher, St. Anthony wasn't always able to get an audience. Such was the case one day in Rimini. Undaunted by the refusal of the heretics of Rimini to listen to the word of God, the Saint was determined to preach to those who would listen. So he walked to the seashore and took his stand at the water's edge. As the saintly friar began to preach, the surface of the water was broken by the heads of countless fishes which rose to listen.

St. Anthony preached to the fishes of the glory of God and the goodness of their Creator. He bade them be grateful and thus confound the coldness of the people of Rimini who had no place for the word of God in their hearts. Not a fish moved as St. Anthony went on with his sermon to his quite unusual congregation. When he had finished, the Saint blessed the fish with the Sign of the Cross. Then they left.

Taken from the Miracles of Saint Anthony of Padua

[ValenB4]

Thanks for the ping. Sounds fantastic.

[AnAmericanMother]

Now THIS is funny!

I had recourse to St. Anthony today -- and he very kindly listened as he always does. I was at a hunting retriever seminar held by a Big Wig in the retrieving world. A friend of mine was working her dog before the Master, and I promised her that I would take notes on the problem setup and any comments that he made while she was working. So I'm all set up behind the line in my little camp chair, notebook at the ready -- and my pen is gone from my pocket! I jumped up and retraced my steps, muttering under my breath "St. Anthony, it's ME again . . . help!" This is in the middle of a big open field with deep grass all over it, maybe 8 inches long.

Lo and behold, there the pen was, lying right in a little open space. So I thanked St. Anthony publicly . . . much to the amazement of the local Southern Baptist dog handlers < g >

Thank you St. Anthony! You are my "go to man"!

[Publius]

Get Deutsche Grammophon 427302 for the song. Lucia Popp is the soprano, and Leonard Bernstein conducts the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam. It was recorded in 1986.

Of Bernstein's 3 recordings of Mahler's Second Symphony the first (1962) is the best, but it's not available any more. The second recording (1977) is perverse, and the third (1988) comes close to the first, but does not surpass it.

[Rosary]

Sounds interesting,I wish Mel Gibson would make a film on:
1. St. Christopher(he could play Christopher too)
2. Dante's Inferno
3. Our Lady of LaSalette
more saints,and Bible movies..like The Passion..

[Rosary]

LOVE THAT PICTURE OF ST. ANTHONY PREACHING TO THE FISH, and the true story that goes with it ,he is a wonderful, wonderful saint!!!!!

[AnAmericanMother]

Lucia Popp does a dynamite Queen of the Night too. . .

[AnAmericanMother]

Funny, it's sung by a baritone here . . .

Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt

[Publius]

The piece is routinely transposed.

[SaltyJoe]

St Anthony helps me find my car keys when they go missing. Sometimes I ask for his help to find my sanity. In fact, I made a little prayer for school teachers in the spirit of the Philidelphia to Long Island accent that the nuns had back in my childhood:

"St Ant-nee St Ant-nee, help me find my sanni-ee."

[AnAmericanMother]

Good, then I can sing it. I'm no soprano.

Love the bassoon. The words are a little bit cynical though.

Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt.

Antonius zur Predig
Die Kirche findt ledig,
Er geht zu den Flüssen,
Und predigt den Fischen;

Sie schlagn mit den Schwänzen,
Im Sonnenschein glänzen.

Die Karpfen mit Rogen
Sind all hieher zogen,
Haben d' Mäuler aufrissen,
Sich Zuhörens beflissen:

Kein Predig niemalen
Den Karpfen so gfallen.

Spitzgoschete Hechte,
Die immerzu fechten,
Sind eilend herschwommen
Zu hören den Frommen:

Kein Predig niemalen
Den Hechten so gfallen.

Auch jene Phantasten
So immer beym Fasten,
Die Stockfisch ich meine
Zur Predig erscheinen.

Kein Predig niemalen
Den Stockfisch so gfallen.

Gut Aalen und Hausen
Die Vornehme schmausen,
Die selber sich bequemen,
Die Predig vernehmen:

Kein Predig niemalen
Den Aalen so gfallen.

Auch Krebsen, Schildkroten,
Sonst langsame Boten,
Steigen eilend vom Grund,
Zu hören diesen Mund:

Kein Predig niemalen
Den Krebsen so gfallen.

Fisch große, Fisch kleine,
Vornehm' und gemeine
Erheben die Köpfe
Wie verständige Geschöpfe:

Auf Gottes Begehren
Antonium anhören.

Die Predigt geendet,
Ein jedes sich wendet,
Die Hechte bleiben Diebe,
Die Aale viel lieben.

Die Predig hat gfallen,
Sie bleiben wie alle.

Die Krebs gehn zurücke,
Die Stockfisch bleiben dicke,
Die Karpfen viel fressen,
Die Predig vergessen.

Die Predig hat gfallen,
Sie bleiben wie alle.

[Publius]

There is a fascinating inclination in German folk poetry toward the fatalistic and morbid. If you check out other songs from this collection that Mahler set to music you'll find other examples, such as "Revelge", where a soldier reflects on the fact that he is to be executed at dawn.

The last two verses of the St. Anthony poem reflect that the fish react the way people would have reacted had they been willing to listen to the sermon. Is it cynical? Absolutely!

The pikes remain thieves,
The eels great amorists;
The crabs go backwards,
The codfish stay fat,
The carp gorge a lot,
The sermon's forgotten.

The sermon was a success,
They all remain the same.

Fatalism was understandable to those who were at Ground Zero for the religious wars that followed Luther's Reformation for over a century. Not until the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) did the German-speaking world know peace and enough tolerance that Catholic and Protestant could live in each other's presence without a desire to murder the other.

The poem remains a work of its particular time.