3.5 out of 5
NO SPOILER REVIEW
The opulent setting of this movie is the 'magisterium of the Catholic Church,' as depicted in Robert Harriss’s novel of the same title. 'Conclave' is rich with intrigue, deception, and well-intentioned duty following the somewhat unforeseen death of an elderly reformist Pope.
Peter Straughan's screenplay brings Harriss'snovel to life with a plot full of intrigue, though it unfolds at the pace expected of a reluctant cleric, ably interpreted by the permanently furrowed and expressive brow on Ralph Fiennes (also a co-producer) as the central liberal character the British Dean Thomas, Cardinal Lawrence.
As Dean of the Conclave, ‘Lawrence’ is charged with ensuring it runs well and allows unhindered, the Holy Spirit only to exert any influence in the secret ballot choice of successor. However, where men gather, regardless in whose name, they conspire to validate or thwart personal ambitions.
The cast is a who’s who of established actors of a certain generation, all who play Princes of the modern Church. Strong performances by Stanley Tucci’s ‘Bellini’ an apparently humble and reluctant American candidate, John Lithgow’s ‘Tremblay’ is more ruthless and scheming as the Canadian candidate, Sergio Castellito’s stereotypical (almost mafioso) study of the Italian fundamentalist ‘Tedesco’ and Lucian Msamati’s’ Adeyemi’ popular and confident attempt to be a Black Pope.
The location in the Sistine Chapel is of course opulent, beautifully enhanced by Stéphane Fontaine’s artistic cinematography in an almost ‘Bernardo Betrolucci’ treatment of the murals and the colour of the regalia of the Princes of the Church. Fontaine contrasts this visually in the blue garb of the nuns and it culminates in an almost ‘Last Emperor’ tableaux of the umbrella holding Princes which is a visual spectacle.
Much of the burden of office is implied by the dilemmas faced by the struggling Dean, himself a unlikely ‘reluctant’ candidate for this coveted high office, which could see him become the first British Pope in centuries!
There are strokes, set-ups, and emerging truth as the plot unfolds. The sense of pressure to protect the integrity of the process, is well conveyed by a small trio of Fiennes’s unusually humble prelate, ably abetted by Isabella Rossellini’s courageous Sister Agnes, the mysterious Cardinal from Kabul a studied Carlos Diehz, and by Irish actor Brian F O’Byrne’s ‘Monsignor O’Malley’ whose sleuthing skills are admirable.
There is a good exposé of the struggle between the traditionalists or fundamentalists and the modernists, as much as modernisation can be allowed to express itself in the celibate confines of a group of ageing men…well, maybe not always celibate!
The glimpses of the side discussions, where it is unbecoming for any candidate to canvass directly, relying on their supporters to do so on their behalf sets up the uncertainty and price of dependency from the outset. Deals are made and broken, secrets are revealed and the very few struggle to ensure all ‘cards are laid on the table’.
Surprisingly, the cumbersome voting process zips along, as it fluctuates between the well-positioned and the recently exposed. As always, when writing about a secret gathering, some details are more open to creative licence than others. When windows in the sequestered quarters are sealed to prevent modern technology from eavesdropping on the deliberations, they are strangely not protected again when they are breached?
The twists and turns towards the finale are a bit implausible. Perhaps they were required to excite but they alter the steady pace of the film. Will the resolution just be the election of a reluctant Pope or are there some (unlikely) surprises still in store? Will the Holy Spirit prevail over all the intrigue? As the Conclave ensures, these matters are secret and can only be revealed to those who participate in the Conclave or by viewing it in a cinema! Enjoy.
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