I grew up in the Church of Christ. That’s about as polar opposite of the Catholic Church as you can get and still call yourself a Christian. The Catholic Church is all about ritual. They celebrate endless holidays and feast days. They build huge cathedrals and decorate them with sacred art. They created and modified their doctrine over centuries. They have a large hierarchical leadership structure. Their Pope wears a funny hat. The Churches of Christ look at all that and shake their heads. They pride themselves on how each congregation is autonomous. Their churches are simple things, without adornment (I’ve heard more than one sermon on the evils of idolatry including icons and crucifixes hanging in a church). There are no feast days, no rituals, and the craziest thing you’ll ever see a preacher wear is a funny tie.
Buy Conclave 4K UHDAs such, I’ve always been fascinated with the Catholic Church’s rituals. I find all that pomp and circumstance utterly interesting. There is no more important ritual, I suppose, than picking a new Pope. Deciding who will lead the largest Christian denomination in the world is hugely important, and naturally, it is surrounded by a lot of history and rituals. Conclave takes all those rituals, that pomp and circumstance, and turns it into a political thriller full of castle (or is that cathedral?) intrigue.
After the Pope unexpectedly dies, it falls to Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), Dean of the College of Cardinals, to call a conclave and elect the next Pope. Lawrence is a progressive and hopes to elect fellow progressive Cardinal Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci) to the papacy. They both fear the election of Cardinal Goffredo (Sergio Castellitto), a staunch traditionalist. Also in the mix are Cardinal Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) and Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), both moderates. Lawrence is also a great administrator, and he will not allow his personal views to prevent a true and fair election.
The film makes a big deal out of the secrecy of the conclave. The Cardinals are gathered together and literally sequestered behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel where they vote. They will be escorted to meals and at the end of the day to their rooms. They can have no outside contact or read any type of news. At one point, we see construction workers securing the windows because high-tech snoopers can read the vibrations of the windows.
I had expected there to be a lot of debate. In my mind, I was picturing a Senate hearing with each Cardinal espousing why their candidate should be Pope. But there was none of that. They cast their vote by secret ballot (and a lot of ritual), the results are read out loud and then they vote again. Votes change as Cardinals who voted for those who clearly aren’t going to win switch to someone who just might. There are some gatherings of the progressive debating on how to best get the result they want, but no spirited debate.
All of that stuff is fascinating to me. I have no idea what a real conclave is like, but it is interesting to ponder how this type of secret gathering works. What is clearly not realistic at all is the rest of the movie.
Just before the conclave begins a Cardinal (Carlos Diehz) no one has ever heard of shows up. He has the right papers and was apparently made a Cardinal by the Pope in secrecy, probably because he works in Afghanistan where his life would be in danger if the news got out. During dinner, one of the nuns creates a scene. Lawrence’s investigation uproots an old controversy with one of the Cardinals. Another Cardinal was possibly dismissed by the Pope just before he died.
On and on it goes, with one controversy after another creating all sorts of havoc on the conclave. It is all a bit ridiculous and soapy, which spoils any realism the film may have been hoping for, but it is also a whole lot of fun to watch. It might not be realistic, but it is good cinema. It is the type of film we don’t see all that much anymore – a well-made adult drama with lots of pulpy twists and turns.
The entire cast is terrific but this is Ralph Finnes’s movie. The film follows him through every challenge, every decision, and he completely owns it. This may be his best work to date.
Universal Pictures and Allied Vaughn present Conclave with a beautiful 4K UHD presentation. Extras include:
- Sequestered: Inside Conclave (16.47) – A short but interesting feature whereupon most of the key players discuss their roles in the movie.
- Feature Commentary with Director Edward Berger
There were times when the film’s many twists and turns felt like a bit too much, and its conclusion felt a little too far afield, but mostly Conclave is a rollicking good time at the movies.
