- "The Birth of the Pope" Film
Review "The Birth of the Pope" is a new work dedicated to the world by the director Nanny Moretti in 2011. After the death of the Pope, according to church practice, cardinals around the world will hold a secret meeting in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and jointly elect the next new pope. It was originally a bland religious transition process, but under the lens of Nanni Moretti, the "Pope" was used as a symbol of salvation, in order to ponder the many crises of human destiny. A good movie must have a story that captivates people's hearts. The new Pope Melville is portrayed in the film as an image of coexistence of fear and pressure, of conservatism and weakness. Knowing that he could not bear the future of Roman Catholicism, he eventually collapsed and voluntarily gave up the papacy. In this film, metaphors are used many times, and they often contain deep meanings, which are extremely exciting.
Fragment 1: The
death of the previous Pope, the world's cardinals and countless believers gathered in St. Pierre's Square witnessed the sad moment. According to tradition, the cardinals will then enter the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican to prepare for the election of a new pope. The moment the cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel, it was pitch black due to a power outage. One bishop asked in the dark: "Does the outside world know that we are blind?" Another bishop replied: "Of course they do."
The dialogue of Grand Director Nanni Moretti here is not designed to be religious slurs, but also A bit of irony indeed. Fundamental to the Roman Catholic faith is the identification with original sin and the desire for soul redemption. As the physical support of faith, the church should be brightly lit, but now it is dark. In such a situation, how can the bishops in the church lead the believers to the light? What is even worse is that the bishops are aware of the fact that the faithful have long known, but there is nothing they can do about it.
Fragment 2:
The birth ceremony of the new Pope, which takes place under Michelangelo's masterpiece "Genesis" in the Sistine Chapel. The cardinals fell to one knee, expressing their acceptance of the supreme authority of the new pope. At this time, the camera gradually zoomed out, using a wide angle to show the solemn moment when the Roman Catholic Church ushered in the "Genesis".
The film borrows the background of "Genesis" to express the expectation of the founding moment of Roman Catholicism. The Roman Catholic Church has been in existence for a long time since its establishment. Why does the director Nanny Moretti emphasize the theme of "creation" at this moment? Isn't the meaning of "creation" the denial of the past and the expectation of the future? The big guide is nothing more than to tell the audience a fact - the religious crisis.
Fragment 3: The
new Pope Melville decided to escape from the Sistine Chapel because he could not bear the pressure. He walked on different streets and shuttled through various shopping malls, confused, panicked and at a loss. The Pope remained silent in the face of the comments that appeared from time to time on television and in the press, as well as reports from around the world. "Everyone has an opportunity to think and try to understand, yet in recent times our teachings seem to have lost the ability to understand. The origins of Pierre's Missionary Society, the history of the salvation of souls, the stories of God's people...", "We have all had the fear, the fear of admitting our guilt." Finally, on the tram, the Pope said to himself the essence of the Roman Catholic predicament.
If the movie is expressed in a metaphorical way at the beginning, it is a direct expression here. The new Pope's flight and muttering make him deeply anxious. Roman Catholicism's commitment to soul redemption has always been the reliance of believers. It has supported the interpretation of all Catholic classics since its founding. Thousands of believers have devoted themselves to the church physically and mentally, and what they benefit from is the commitment to life. Now that the Pope has lost his ability to understand the faith, it is equivalent to the suicide of Roman Catholicism for the church, and it brings infinite depravity to the believers.
Fragment 4:
After learning that the Pope had fled, the cardinals searched for and persuaded nowhere. In order to ease the pressure of the Pope, it was decided to hold a sports meeting while expecting the Pope's return to entertain himself and take the opportunity to enhance the vitality of Roman Catholicism. Among them, the enthusiasm of the cardinals in Africa and Latin America is high, showing a dynamic trend. But the rest are mediocre.
The way the film is handled here is comedic. It is really funny to imagine that the religious teacher who is usually solemn and solemn actually runs and jumps. But the director hides the realistic content under the witty expression. According to the survey results of the French Public Opinion Association commissioned by the Roman Catholic "Cross", although 64% of French people call themselves Roman Catholics, less than 3% of the population do practise the Roman Catholic faith. By contrast, nearly four percent of the population practice Islam. Islam is the number one religion in the world. In order to solve the problem of the loss of believers, the Roman Catholic Church actively preached and tried to expand the number of believers in Africa and Latin America, but with little success.
"The Birth of the Pope" started with the death of the previous Pope, but what followed was the hardship and helplessness of the new Pope Melville, who had to choose to escape. The cardinals are all exhausted, taking sleeping pills, tranquilizers and other self-deception ways to relieve nightmares. At the same time, in contrast to this is the bitter expectation of countless believers. In the film, a young man expresses the complex heart of believers through the words on the phone with his lover. "Why?! Don't say that! Nothing has changed, I can't live without you."
The tone of the lead Nanny Moretti is gray, constantly colliding with the religious origin of Roman Catholicism and revealing the crisis of religion. fact. The nightmare of the Roman Catholic Church is played up in the anticipation of the cardinals and the faithful, and the flight of the new pope.
"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not die but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
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