Leo XIII was the Pope when the motion picture camera was invented, and it wasn't too long before he consented to being filmed. Within a few years, not only would he appear in this movie, but in a series for Biograph. This remains, interestingly, the first time a Pope was filmed. Despite claims that people feared cameras would steal their souls or that the images of trains on screen would send people rushing for the exits, movies were accepted and adopted very quickly, seen as a way of bringing images and messages to people in a way that even the printed word could not; many could not read, but few could not see.
Yet, was this such a wise idea? Part of the power of the rulers was the fact that you could not touch them, could not even envisage them. They were vague, beautiful, perfect entities, clothed in pure, bright colors, far distant from you. This pope is a nice old man who needs a helping hand, just like your sweet (but dotty) great-uncle who talks nonsense. You don't want anything bad to happen to him, of course, but you have better things to do than listen to him go on all day.
Yet, was this such a wise idea? Part of the power of the rulers was the fact that you could not touch them, could not even envisage them. They were vague, beautiful, perfect entities, clothed in pure, bright colors, far distant from you. This pope is a nice old man who needs a helping hand, just like your sweet (but dotty) great-uncle who talks nonsense. You don't want anything bad to happen to him, of course, but you have better things to do than listen to him go on all day.
