A new pope is needed in “Conclave” by Oscar director Berger
Published: Thursday, Nov 21st 2024, 12:20
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Swiss-Austrian director Edward Berger won four Oscars for his adaptation of "Nothing New in the West". Now Berger is bringing a bestseller by British author Robert Harris to the big screen. "Conclave" is about intrigue and lies - and takes us to the limits of the Catholic faith.
Edward Berger won four Oscars in 2023 with the war drama "Nothing New in the West". The film is based on the 1928 novel of the same name by German author Erich Maria Remaque. Berger's film is the most successful German entry ever for the Oscars. Now comes his next adaptation of the novel. The 54-year-old Berger shot the Vatican thriller "Conclave" with British actor Ralph Fiennes ("Grand Budapest Hotel", "The English Patient").
The eponymous conclave stands for the closed room at the papal election. The film was not shot at the original locations, but mainly in the Cinecittà studios in Rome. But the result is a visually stunning ensemble film.
This is based on the 2016 novel by British author Robert Harris, who sets his election of the Pope in the present day. Despite its setting in the Papal States, "Conclave" has little in common with works such as the conspiracy thriller "Illuminati" with Tom Hanks, a Dan Brown film adaptation by Ron Howard.
A cardinal in a crisis of faith
"In every movie, you want to show respect for the characters you portray," Berger told the German Press Agency in London. The director is Swiss through his mother and Austrian through his father. "And in this case, we didn't want to make a cynical movie about the institution of the church." The characters are shown as human beings. In the end, the religious thriller based on Harris' novel takes us to the limits of the Catholic faith.
The drama takes its course with the death of a rather progressive pope. The College of Cardinals has to gather in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope. Gentlemen from different parts of the world and with different world views arrive in Rome. At one point during the voting process, the phrase "He who wants it the most is the most dangerous" is uttered. Outside, the faithful wait for the white smoke as a sign of a successful election.
The election is led by the reform-minded Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, played by Ralph Fiennes. His relationship with the late Pope was fraught with conflict. What's more, he is going through a crisis of faith. However, Lawrence is friends with the late Pope's close confidant, Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci). This sharp-tongued liberal with high principles and concealed ambitions could become the new pope.
But there is competition: from the reactionary Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), for example, who would like to reintroduce the Latin mass; or from the bureaucrat and somehow suspicious Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow). And then there is the Nigerian Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) in the running, who could score points with his charisma, but whose homophobia is off-putting. Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), who was secretly appointed Bishop of Kabul by the late Pope - to protect him from persecution by Islamists - also makes a surprise appearance.
Hardly any female roles
As the subject matter suggests, the film set in the Vatican has to make do without any significant female roles. At least the Italian-American actress Isabella Rossellini as a nun confirms accusations against a cardinal at one point: although they were supposed to be invisible as sisters, "God gave us eyes and ears", she says mischievously. Her humble curtsey comes across as a slap in the face to the group of men.
"Conclave" is about sex, lies, identity and faith. And about how certainty is the worst enemy of faith, because it leaves no room for doubt and no mystery, as Lawrence preaches in the film. But without mystery, there would be no faith. It is all magnificently and excitingly staged - with fantastic music by German Oscar-winner Volker Bertelmann ("Nothing New in the West"). At the end, however, some viewers may feel left alone with a bang.
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