O Conclave

A treat for history buffs who like their movies to absorb rather just entertain. The combination of sophistry and brutality paints a picture of the age in which it is set. Cardinals with mistresses, and low scruples in arm-twisting confrontation over the election of the new pope pits the shrewd but earthy Piccolomin (played in character by Brian Blessed) against the ruthless and brilliant D'Estouteville (James Faulkner). The plot includes promises of royal patronage, rival families asserting threats, and anti-Spanish killing. Should be familiar to all politicians with promises to make and break.

It is a 15th Century "12 Angry Men", in this case 18.

I would recommend this film to any people interested in history of Europe/Italy during the Renaissance time. The events take place in the year 1458 and describe the political turmoil around the election of the new pontiff. Although young Rodrigo Borja plays a prominent role, this film is not solely about him but about the conclave of cardinals as a whole. The acting is excellent and it is impressive how a film shot in a few closed rooms without any visual effects or fast action sequences can grasp the attention of the viewer by pure strength of dialog and portrayal of character. I especially liked the acting of Brian Blessed (Piccolomini), James Faulkner (Cardinal Guillaume D'Estouteville), Brian Downey (Cardinal Juan De Mella), Rolf Kanies (Cardinal Bessarion) and others.

The film conveys the atmosphere of these times brilliantly and it is tempting to ask for a continuation. One caveat is that the film is not following the exact sequence of historical events, and I would advise reading a wiki article about the conclave of 1458. But only AFTER watching the film.

Any movie with Brian Blessed in it is worth watching. His performance alone is a great excuse to watch this mediocre movie. While the acting is the strongest reason to watch this movie, the special effects are not. Although the art direction and production value are solid, every exterior scene in this movie lacks realism along with any real substance of historical nature. Ideally, having most of this movie take place in the conclave room works to the advantage like a stage play and heavily relies on the performance of the cast to tell the story. This is where Conclave shines.

A surprise addition to the cast is the late and great John Dunsworth from Trailer Park Boys. As soon as you see him on the screen, you are routing for him to be named Pope. Overall, a nice story with wonderful moments worth watching.

Quite the mixed bag with this. I came across it whilst hunting out the brilliant but terribly flawed recent movie 'Conclave'.

The production is somewhat cheap. The CGI and the sets are poor, as are the lighting and direction.

As good as the script and most of the acting is, the big problem with the film is that it lacks gravitas. The ending, for example, is quite anti climatic. Where was the drama? The build up was there, kind of, but the payoff was sadly lacking.

And all this was shame because, other than that, it had me hooked. Why choose this conclave? I am sure some other must have had some murder, mayhem and intrigue.

The movie opens with a gratuitous (some might say obligatory) sex scene that seems out of step with the rest of the film. Once it gets going though the film is a good watch. This is not a movie for action enthusiasts, as the real action is in the politicking of high stakes, winner-take-all diplomatic drama. Acting was believable from almost all quarters with Brian Blessed as Piccolomini being my favorite. I was waiting for some major plot twist, but before I knew it the credits were rolling.

In the end, the movie was a straightforward account that I enjoyed for the history more than the storytelling.