The movie "Birth of the Pope", see the Sistine Chapel again, without telling the story, just the characters' dress, grand decoration, prestige and honor-like ancient times. The film begins with images of the funeral of Paul II, followed by bishops from all over the world, dressed in red robes, chanting scriptures. Forgive me for my ignorance, I know at this moment that there is still a pope in this world.
According to ritual traditions, the newly appointed pope must wave to the tens of thousands of believers waiting here on the balcony of St. Peter in the Sistine Chapel, give blessings to believers all over the world, and deliver a speech. Before this step, cardinals from all continents of the world must be isolated from the world and stay in the church, and the identity of the pope must be kept secret. In the film, when electing the pope, all the cardinals muttered silently and prayed: "Don't elect me." How much pressure is this? After repeated elections by a group of cardinals, a new pope was finally born.
When the new pope walked to the balcony, the newly elected pope collapsed under tremendous responsibility and pressure, and chose to escape. The Holy See found a psychologist for him, but because of various limitations, the psychologist had little effect. The psychologist was also placed under house arrest because he knew the Pope’s secrets. Soon, the new pope seized the opportunity to escape from the church and began his own journey of freedom. At the same time, countless long-awaited believers outside the church have yet to leave, and the chaotic Vatican authorities have to do everything possible to find the fleeing pope.
It can be seen that "The Birth of the Pope" is not dedicated to depicting the "divine power" of religion, but takes off the "ancient costume" of the Pope and honestly portrays an old man with a weak heart. The "Portrait of Pope Innocent X" painted by Velazquez has sharp eyes and a fierce look. The pope in "The Birth of the Pope" is rich and simple, with a smile on his face, and he can't see the slightest power. He honestly confessed his concerns to the psychiatrist, and honestly said that I can't be the pope. In one section of the film, he rushed out of the crowd, passed through doors, and hid in the empty election hall. He lay on the table and started crying. When I was a child, I was playing with a group of older children. Suddenly one day, they partnered to bully me, so I hid and cried. At the moment on the screen, the Pope is like me. I can feel his reluctance and grievance.
Honesty is close to humanity, in the end it moves people more than divine power. I think Michelangelo, who was 60 years old, painted in the Sistine Chapel alone for 6 years at the appointment of Pope Clement VII. Completed a huge mural at the age of 66. The human muscles in the picture are distorted. From the eyes of mortals, they are not beautiful. Some people even think that it is an insult to the gods. In fact, he is just being honest. In the picture, a group of people scrambled to squeeze and squeeze me around Christ, as if to argue with Christ, Christ seemed helpless, dodge left and hide. Here too, Christ has no divine power, only honesty. Michelangelo looked cynical throughout his life. Why did he become honest in his later years? "The Birth of the Pope" honestly describes the elderly. For thousands of years, the religious power of "God is greater than man" is now less than the psychological counseling related to the health of the elderly. The honest old man finally couldn't reach his heart. At the end of the film, when he stood on the window sill for the second time to face the world, he spoke, but the whole story is honest, I can't be the pope, I can't.
(Published in "100 Days of Holiday" in January 2012)
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