BLU-RAY REVIEW / SDR SCREENSHOTS
(1) Ralph Fiennes plays English Thomas Cardinal Lawrence, who’s in charge of the election of a new Pope after the current pontiff’s death. (2) A group of the Cardinals size up possible votes for the next Pope.
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“CONCLAVE”
Blu-ray; 2024; PG for thematic material and smoking; Digital copy via Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango Home, Movie Anywhere, YouTube
Best extra: Commentary by director Edward Berger
FROM HIS first major movie role, in “Schindler’s List,” Ralph Fiennes established himself as a powerful onscreen presence. In his many subsequent roles, in such films as “The English Patient,” “The Constant Gardener,” and even as the evil Voldemort in the “Harry Potter” series, he cemented his reputation as one of the world’s finest actors.
So, in Edward Berger’s (“All Quiet on the Western Front”) “Conclave,” as the English Thomas Cardinal Lawrence, who’s in charge of the election of a new pope after the current pontiff’s death, Fiennes was an excellent choice. Adapted from a novel by Robert Harris, “Conclave” tells its story from Cardinal Lawrence’s perspective, so Berger put Fiennes in almost every scene. Not surprisingly, the Oscar buzz for his performance is already widespread. Fiennes is supported by an excellent cast that includes Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto and Isabella Rossellini. And while most of the action in this two-hour-long movie takes place within the locked doors of the Vatican, and covers five separate attempts at electing the next pope, not a minute is wasted.
The disparate personalities of the cardinals vying for the top job, added to political infighting and revelations of unflattering secrets in candidates’ pasts, make for a singular sort of thriller, capped with a truly surprising ending.
(1) “Conclave” premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in late August 2024. And, Edward Berger has been nominated for Best Director by the Directors Guild of America. (2&3) Cardinal Lawrence weeps as the Pope’s body is prepared to be moved from the Holy Father’s chambers. (4&5) Prayers are lifted up as the Cardinals arrive at The Vatican. (6) Center, Mexican newcomer Carlos Diehz plays Cardinal Benitez from Kabul. (7) Italian actor Sergio Castellitto plays the animated Cardinal Tedesco. (8) John Lithgow as the shifty Cardinal Tremblay.
VIDEO/AUDIO
Berger and cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine (“Jackie”) captured the drama on the 8K REDCODE RAW digital camera (2.39:1 aspect ratio) and everything was mastered in TRUE 4K. The clarity of the wide shots is superb, and color is natural throughout.
For 4K Ultra HD fans, the higher resolution disc is scheduled for release in February. We’re not sure of the delay other than it’s being manufactured on demand. Still, it will be a welcome addition.
The audio was mastered in 7.1 Dolby TrueHD which provides the dialogue-heavy film plenty of clarity. Volker Bertelmann’s (“All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Lion”) avant-garde score with excellent fidelity from the mostly orchestrated strings compliments on-screen action very well.
(1) Two hundred cardinals from around the world gather in Rome to select a new Pope. (2-4) Lawrence addresses the conclave. (5) Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) is at the Vatican with other nuns to assist during the sequestering period.
EXTRAS
Bonus features include an informative making-of documentary, as well as Berger’s commentary, which is especially thoughtful and interesting.
It took five years, he says, to develop, finance and cast “Conclave,” and bring it to the screen. The director notes that his intent was to have his audience “creep into” Cardinal Lawrence’s brain, hence the many close-ups and over-the-shoulder shots of Fiennes. Berger says the film is “a thriller on the surface – “a political chess game” – but also “a journey of doubt” that Fiennes’ character goes through. During the scene in which the Pope’s corpse is zipped up in a plastic body bag and put into an ambulance, Berger muses on the idea of death being the great equalizer: “We’re all the same.”
Most of “Conclave” was shot in Cinecittà, the legendary movie studio outside of Rome, and Berger acknowledges the great directors who worked there: “You can feel it in the walls!” He adds how lucky they were that a set for the Sistine Chapel, albeit in disrepair, was still available for his production design team. The set was only five meters high, so anything above that, iconic ceiling included, had to be created with CGI.
When discussing casting, Berger explains that the process always “starts with number one,” and that Fiennes read the screenplay and immediately agreed to take the part. As for Berger’s choice of Isabella Rossellini to play the nun Sister Agnes, he praises her charisma and her “aura.” Sergio Castellitto, who plays Cardinal Tedesco, is something of a superstar in Italy, but his English isn’t very good, so Berger liked the idea of letting him give his biggest speeches in (subtitled) Italian.
(1) Lawrence casts his vote in an early election. (2) Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) is a liberal thinker who hopes to be elected. (3) After a failed ballot, the paper votes are burned, and black smoke is released to let the public know.
For the late-arriving newcomer to the conclave, Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz), Berger “wanted an unknown actor … a surprise to everyone … I wanted him to disappear.” Diehz is Mexican, and had studied acting, but had never appeared in a film before. Berger had Diehz recite his climactic speech in Spanish. In both cases, Berger felt those scenes were “much more real” than if the actors had spoken in English. Fiennes, on the other hand, learned Italian and Latin for his role which Berger says, “He rehearsed relentlessly.” Stanley Tucci, who plays the liberal American Aldo Cardinal Bellini, was “the second most important actor in the movie,” and Berger points out the “dynamic between Tucci and Fiennes,” and how often they battled each other. Berger recalls thinking Tucci had been very “casual about his performances,” but when the director saw Tucci’s scenes “in the editing room, it’s all there!”
Berger says he made an effort to “go for every opportunity for laughter and lightness” in the film and, at the same time, to take viewers “to a different world.” For the terrorist attack scene, Berger explains that dust cannons and foam rubber bricks were used, but that they had to re-shoot the scene because “the first take was not real enough.” So, in order to do it again, they “had to clean up 200 cardinals,” which took over three hours.
Berger credits the films of the late Alan J. Pakula, especially his political conspiracy thrillers, such as “All the President’s Men,” as inspiration for his approach to “Conclave.”
Berger praises his costume designer, Lisy Christl, who fashioned the clerical garments based on 18th-century designs, rather than modern day ones because the older ones were much more lush and cinematic. Berger notes that Christl wanted each costume to have slight variations to suggest “each character’s inner life.” The idea for the final shot of the film, says Berger, came from a vintage black and white photo of nuns dressed in white, walking down a narrow street in Rome. The rationale he gives for the final long shot of white-clad nuns is quite powerful, but to repeat it here might spoil the twisty climax.
— Peggy Earle
(1&2) Lawrence hears some disturbing information about the American Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), a potential candidate. (3) Another vote takes place. (4) Lawrence struggles with his position and his doubts. (5) The cardinals recover from a nearby terrorist bombing.
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