The Story of The Pope

The Story of the Pope is a reverent look at the career of Pope Pius XII, from his election as Pope in 1939, to his involvement in World War II, when "he located and befriended thousands upon thousands of Jews who had become victims of totalitarian cruelty." This is a re-edited version of the 1942 Italian documentary Pastor Angelicus, the first time in cinema history that a film had been commissioned by a living Pope. Pius XII wanted to show his loyalty to the faithful during the uncertain times of World War II. American distributor Bernard B. Brandt (co-founder and president of the Brandt Theaters chain) removed fifteen minutes from the film and added narration from the Reverend Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen. At the time, Sheen was well-known for his nightly radio program The Catholic Hour on NBC (1930-1950). During the television era, he would become even more famous as the host of Life is Worth Living (1951-1957) and The Fulton Sheen Program (1961-1968). He would eventually win two Emmy Awards for Most Outstanding Television Personality, and even grace the cover of TIME magazine in 1952.

• documentary