Ghosts of the Prophets: Looking beyond the Portraits

Film has resurrected the ghosts of the prophets.

In a truly stunning video from 1948, the Clawson brothers depict prophets Joseph F. Smith and Heber J. Grant, bringing to life the valiant MEN we have read about and loved. Listed are several other faces we may not know as well, faces that are attached to legacies that have spawned generations and formed the Church into what it is today.

What is remarkable to me, however, are the smiles. Almost every picture I’ve seen of Joseph F. Smith and early leaders of the church picture them, of course, as unsmiling portrait paintings that depict the gravity of their calling. This video, however, looks beyond the portrait into the man. We see church leaders grinning as they talk with their colleagues, and even in black and white, the light shining from their eyes is palpable.

I’m grateful to have come across this video, because it’s given me the opportunity to get just a glimpse of the humanity behind some of the Church’s giants. Even if you watch only five minutes of this clipping, you’ll walk away with a lighter heart.