Even non-religious people must have wondered how the conclave works. It is one of the most decisive events in the Vatican and the entire Catholic Church.
A conclave is nothing more than a process to choose a new supreme head of the Roman Catholic Church, and the country’s administrator, held after the death or resignation of the previous pontiff.
With that, Edward Berger, director of the plot Conclave, was inspired by Robert Harris‘ book Conclave, released in 2016, to give rise to the cinematographic work that has already won 12 awards and is nominated for eight Oscar categories, including Best Picture.
Vatican in 10 weeks
The film stands out for several aspects, from the profound narratives to the faithful construction of the setting, and the rituals that make up the most private event in the Vatican.
And despite the great similarity, the film was not filmed in the Vatican, where the use of cameras inside the Sistine Chapel is prohibited. Therefore, Suzie Davies, the film’s production designer, created a replica of the location at the Cinecittà studio in Rome.
But for the entire production, the filmmaker worked with local artisans to build the set, which was completed in 10 weeks. However, the designer emphasizes that the ceiling of the chapel, painted by Michelangelo, was produced for the film using computer technology, due to its historical value.
15th century cassocks
Likewise, costume designer Lisy Christl, also had to travel to the “eternal city” for research. However, when studying the current attire of cardinals, Christl concluded that the colors were too intense and would not be visually comfortable for the public.
With that in mind, the professional delved deeper into the search for fabrics used in the past by religious people, recording materials from the 15th century, and thus, chose a striking but darker tone, which fits perfectly at the final result.
Tour of the Pope’s house
As it is a film full of details, much of the production required intense research, and it could not be different with screenwriter Peter Straugh, who claims to have taken a private tour of the Vatican to create a realistic construction of the historical customs of the Catholic Church.
The screenwriter was careful to describe details that at first seem irrelevant, but later we understand their important meaning in the plot. The film portrays how the rounds of voting are carried out, how the country knows that the new pope has been elected, the oaths taken by the cardinals before the vote, each cardinal’s rooms, meals, isolation, the inspection of the Sistine Chapel in search of listening devices and much more.
And it wasn’t different during the construction of Richard Harris´s book, which was accompanied by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, during its writing process. The cardinal participated in two conclaves (2005 and 2013) during his vocational state at the Vatican.
“No sensible man would desire the Papacy”
The quote, “Never judge the book by its cover” is the perfect way to describe this cinematographic work. Just reading the synopsis makes us think, “this is going to be just another movie about the Vatican”, but like me, many people were wrong.
The film portrays in detail how this decisive and secluded choice is made. However, it also presents the pressure of this period and possible controversies and secrets that may exist in the Vatican among the cardinals.
Classified as a thriller, the work has a deep and layered narrative about beliefs, the influence of politics on religion and, incredibly, it presents what it can mean to be the supreme head of the Catholic Church for those who compete for this position.
The movie undoubtedly highlights that this is not just a conclave, but rather a ritual, tradiction, internal and external conflicts, opposition against conservatism and liberalism, sexism and responsibility that exists on the cardinals to choose a new head of state that fits into the current reality, both for the church and for the world.
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The article above was edited by Isabelle Bignardi.
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