Magic Shadows

The art of "magic shadows" which just before the dawn of the twentieth century evolved into the modern motion picture, was born three centuries ago, in Rome. Just at the appointed hour for Kircher's show, a few distinguished Monsignori, in flowing purple were driven to the entrance in their carriages with a mounted escort. Nothing like Kircher's show had ever been presented before. He had chained light and shadow, but the suspicion was held by some of the spectators that there was a dark magic about it all and that Kircher had dabbled in the black arts.