"Conclave," a pulpy thriller about the selection of a new pope, was among this year's crop of Best Picture nominees at the Academy Awards. It also arrived amid the Pope Francis' health concerns.
Austrian-Swiss Director Edward Berger, who directed “All Quiet on the Western Front” (2022), adapted the film from the 2016 novel “Conclave” by Robert Harris. Berger puts an extraordinary Ralph Fiennes in the role of Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, dean of the College of Cardinals responsible for organizing the conclave.
In “Conclave,” Stanley Tucci plays Aldo Bellini, a progressive American cardinal fighting it out against the powerful conservative Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco played by Sergio Castellitto and Canadian Cardinal Joseph Tremblay played by John Lithgow. Nigerian Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi, played by Lucian Msamati, could be the first Black pope, but his homophobic views clash with the progressives.
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WATCH HEREWhile women remain excluded from the conclave and the highest circles of power at the Vatican, they provide assistance carrying out humble roles serving the cardinals during the conclave period. Isabella Rossellini plays a nun who surprises in her role of quiet observer who does not miss a trick.
Is “Conclave” streaming?
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SIGN UP Before going on to earn 8 Oscar nominations, the pulpy thriller debuted last fall at film festivals in Telluride and Toronto. Each festival serves as a potential launch pad for Oscar hopefuls.
Weeks later, "Conclave" was released on Oct. 25 in the United States and went on to earn nearly $100 million at the global box office.
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In the lead up to last month's Academy Awards, where the film move an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, the movie was streaming on certain subscription platforms but is now only available to rent on VOD.
What is a conclave?
The conclave is the centuries-old tradition in which, on the death of a pope, cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican to participate in rounds of voting until they elect a new pontiff. Conclave comes from the Latin “cum clave,” meaning “with a key,” to indicate the Cardinals are locked in until they have chosen the new leader for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics.
The whole process is conducted under the spectacular frescoed ceiling painted by Michelangelo, and his masterpiece “The Last Judgment” depicting the fate of men heading to heaven or hell covers the wall behind the altar. During the entire process, the prelates are cut off from communicating with the outside world and must live in seclusion inside the Vatican.
Conclaves have a reputation as a no-holds-barred competition as cardinals make backroom deals to elect their favorites in secret ballots.
At the end of each round of voting, the ballots are thrown in a specially constructed stove in the Sistine Chapel, with a chemical added that will color the smoke.
The tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square awaiting the result will know whether or not a new pope has been selected by the smoke that appears from the chimney. Black means the cardinals have not yet selected a pope, white means a new pope has been chosen.
