Conclave

Summary

“Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand-in-hand with doubt. If it was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery.”

Universal Pictures produced one of the most critically acclaimed (and divisive) pictures of the year with Conclave. Written by Peter Straughan from the novel by Robert Harris, the film is a political thriller that focuses on the inner machinations of a papal election. The film is only PG, and its thrills do not come from violence or salacious material, instead focusing on the intensity of the different ideas and failings within different sects of the Catholic Church. The film was made for roughly $20 million, and it was a modest success theatrically doing more $53 million in the global box office. Critically the film was praised for its excellent performances and strong direction, but the reviews online also indicate that the audience reaction was pretty divisive due to the finale of the picture. Universal has released the film on both Blu-ray and 4K. The 4K offers minor (but appreciated) improvements to the audio, but the visuals are even more impressive on the 4K release.

The pope is dead. British Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with leading the conclave to elect the new pope. Lawrence had struggled recently with doubts and feels the weight of the task. There are four main candidates for the position: Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci) of the United States who leans towards liberal policies similar to the deceased pope, Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) of Nigeria who is extremely conservative, the moderate Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) of Canada, and the Italian Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellito) who is a traditionalist. Just before the conclave is meant to seclude themselves, Janusz Wozniak meets with Thomas and claims that the pop had requested Tremblay’s resignation in the final meeting with him just before his heart attack. This is the first of a number of revelations regarding the four front runners as the conclave begins. As the conclave is about to meet, Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz) arrives to participate in the conclave. Benitez is unknown to any member of the conclave because the Pope had secretly named him as Archbishop of Kabul one year before. This last minute inclusion adds to the mystery and drama of the political machinations in the sequester. 

Conclave will stir the pot amongst reviewers, so I am going to first focus on the aspects that everyone will agree on before exploring the elements that will be controversial. First and foremost, the acting is exceptional. Ralph Fiennes is one of the best dramatic actors of our time. His performance as Cardinal Lawrence is yet another example of his great ability to bring emotional depth to the roles he tackles. Lawrence is a man suffering with doubts and the weight of his responsibilities, and Fiennes finds the core of the character and wears the stress on his face. He is completely magnetic. He is joined by a cast of wonderful character actors. Stanley Tucci is perfectly cast as the liberal-leaning Bellini. Tucci always brings something to the roles he chooses, and his association with Italian culture (his HBO series is a delight) makes him a natural choice. John Lithgow is another actor that has demonstrated his range in nearly fifty years since his early turn in De Palma’s Obsession. Tremblay is a good role for him because it allows Lithgow to show how well he can perform in something understated. This role does not demand loud histrionics, and he has no trouble being completely convincing. I was unfamiliar with actor Lucian Msamati, but he is captivating as the African bishop who has an indiscretion in his past. His scenes are some of the best in the film. Rounding out the cast are Isabella Rossellini, Carlos Diehz, and Sergio Castellito with a great role.

The direction by Edward Berger is beyond reproach. Working with cinematographer Stephane Fontaine, the Vatican is recreated convincingly and the imagery is striking. It is not an easy task to have a film that is completely dialogue based to feel like a propulsive thriller, but they manage to accomplish that task. Berger is obviously a talented filmmaker and I will definitely be looking forward to seeing what other projects he tackles. The score by Volker Bertlemann is austere and works very well with the images onscreen. I can’t imagine the actions onscreen having the same impact without the very well thought out score.

This brings me to the aspect of the picture that will lead to a number of different (and equally valid) opinions. I know where I land on this issue, but I am excited to see where others find themselves. I would start by saying that the film is essentially a masterpiece all the way to the finale, and no one can really claim otherwise. It is well thought out, well paced, and completely involving. So, the finale is the crucible upon which the picture is judged. In its final moments there is a reveal that will definitely divide audiences. I won’t spoil it here, but I have had numerous conversations with friends who watched the film, and they honestly were frustrated with the finale. I saw their point of view, but I also found the subject at hand that the film explored interesting. So, whether or not this film is a masterpiece or falls just slightly short lands in those final moments. Regardless, there is definitely plenty to talk about after watching this very well made film. I liked it quite a bit. Recommended!

Video

Conclave was released onto Blu-ray a couple months back, and now it has been released on 4K UHD in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The film was shot using digital film on Red V-Raptor cameras, Tribe7 Blackwing7 cameras, and Arri Signature Prime cameras using Optimo lenses. The mastering of the film was performed digitally in 4K from 8K RAW source files. While the Blu-ray release certainly looked sharp, it was obvious to me that the film would look exceptional on the 4K format. The cinematography by Stephane Fontaine is very well thought out, managing to completely convince the film viewer that the picture was actually filmed onsite at the Vatican (which it was not.) The movie is stylish and very attractively shot. It is amazing to think that the only way this picture quality could be improved would be to remaster the film again from its 8K source file for an 8K release in the future. The 4K is the way to go and until 8K becomes a reality, it will be the definitive presentation.

Audio

Interestingly, the Blu-ray features an extremely capable DTS-HD MA 7.1 track that sounded great, so the uptick for the Atmos presentation will only really be evident to the most devoted audiophiles. That said, the presentation sounds really damn good. The score by Volker Bertelsmann sets the stage for the political intrigue that unfolds in the picture, and it could not sound much better than it does here. Fantastic.

Supplements:

• Sequestered: Inside Conclave
• Feature Commentary with Director Edward Berger

Overall Scores:

Video: 5/5

Audio: 5/5

Supplements: 3/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Conclave is either a masterpiece or a film that falls apart in its final moments. That is debatable. It is not debatable that the film is very well crafted with excellent performances, cinematography, and a great score. It is a very clever political thriller that keeps the audience on the edge of its seat from the start. While I found the final twist of the picture may have edged into territory that wasn’t necessary to bring into such a well crafted film, it still left me with plenty to discuss and ponder. I liked the film a good amount, and I look forward to discussing it with people who view it in the years to come. If you like the finale, Conclave is a masterpiece. If you don’t, it is still almost a masterpiece. Regardless, it is not a film that viewers will forget any time soon. Fans of the picture will want to purchase the 4K UHD which offers modest audio improvements, but substantial video improvements due to the fact that the 4K visuals are taken from 8K elements originally. Highly recommended!