VATICAN: POPE'S NEW CINEMA INAUGURATED WITH ANTONIONI

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(AGI) - Vatican City - Jan 21 - Big screen, burgundy seats, technical equipment respecting conventional standards and capability of digital projection make up the new movie theatre of the Vatican, inaugurated yesterday in the presence of an exceptional guest, Michelangelo Antonioni who presented his short on Michelangelo's Moses. For the occasion some pieces were projected: the first one has Leone XIII in the Vatican gardens that, as the director of the Vatican film library Monsignor Enrique Planas explained, "is the oldest that the Vatican film library possesses and shows the interest of the camera in the activity of the Holy See". The second is called "Inferno" and is about Dante's hell: according to Monsignor Planas, "this film has exceptional value because for the first time modern special effects are used and therefore it has been widely talked about and requested for its cultural interest". Antonioni's movie, he added, "emphasizes how by image and by the image that depicts a sculpture by Michelangelo, a very strong spirituality can be transmitted".

Monsignor John P. Foley, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications reminded that "50 years ago within the Vatican the Pontifical Commission for Didactic and Religious Cinema was established. A not particularly palatable title, it still marked the entry of the Vatican into cinema, transforming this hall-chapel into a cinema". The refurbished hall was dedicated to Cardinal Andrea Deskur, President Emeritus of the Council for Social Communications, who "served this office as officer, undersecretary, secretary and finally president. We can consider him the founder of the Vatican film library. We therefore wanted to celebrate his role and at the same time wanted to update our halls and equipment", said Monsignor Foley. The Cardinal Deskur hall, specified Monsignor Foley, "was the same in which the Holy Father saw 'Gandhi' before his trip to India and also Roberto Benigni's movie 'La vita e' bella' (Life is Beautiful) and will be used this year for the plenary meeting of the ministry". (AGI) -

http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200501211555-1132-RT1-CRO-0-NF11&page=0&id=agionline-eng.oggitalia

IS MEL GIBSON's movie showing next?

[noel711]

1. I think this is cool....

CAn't you just see the pontiff kicking back for an espresso with Marcello Mastroanni, both wearing sunglasses, smoking good italian cigarettes, and discussing the complex issues of the latest Antoninoni film? Throw Ingmar Bergman into the picture, film it and BAM! Cinema verite! Love it!