Conclave (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Conclave (film) |
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The official movie poster for Conclave
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| Directed by | Edward Berger |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Peter Straughan |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Volker Bertelmann |
| Cinematography | Stéphane Fontaine |
| Editing by | Nick Emerson |
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| Distributed by |
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| Release date(s) | August 30, 2024 (Telluride) October 25, 2024 (United States) November 29, 2024 (United Kingdom) |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Money made | $101.4 million |
Conclave is an exciting 2024 political thriller film. It was directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan. The movie is based on a book called Conclave by Robert Harris.
The film features famous actors like Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. In the story, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (played by Ralph Fiennes) has a big job. He must organize a special meeting called a papal conclave. This meeting is held to choose the next pope, who is the leader of the Catholic Church. During this process, Cardinal Lawrence starts to uncover secrets and challenges about the main candidates who want to become pope.
Conclave first showed at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024. It then came out in movie theaters in the United States on October 25. Later, it was released in the United Kingdom on November 29. Critics gave the film very good reviews. They especially liked the acting, directing, story, and how it was filmed. The movie made over $101 million around the world. This was a great success, as it only cost $20 million to make.
Conclave was chosen as one of the top ten films of 2024 by important groups. These include the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. It also won many awards. At the 78th British Academy Film Awards, it won four awards. These were for Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing. The movie also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay. The cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. At the 97th Academy Awards, Conclave was nominated for eight awards. It won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
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Who's Who in Conclave?
Here are some of the main actors and the characters they play in Conclave:
- Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence. He is a British cardinal and a main organizer of the conclave.
- Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Aldo Bellini. He is an American cardinal.
- John Lithgow as Cardinal Joseph Tremblay. He is a Canadian cardinal.
- Lucian Msamati as Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi. He is a popular candidate from Nigeria.
- Brían F. O'Byrne as Monsignor Raymond O'Malley. He is Cardinal Lawrence's assistant.
- Carlos Diehz as Cardinal Vincent Benitez. He is a Mexican archbishop.
- Merab Ninidze as Cardinal Sabbadin.
- Thomas Loibl as Archbishop Mandorff.
- Sergio Castellitto as Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco. He is an Italian cardinal.
- Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes. She is the head caterer and housekeeper for the cardinals.
- Jacek Koman as Archbishop Janusz Woźniak. He was a close friend of the late pope.
- Loris Loddi as Cardinal Villanueva.
- Roberto Citran as Cardinal Lombardi.
- Balkissa Maiga as Sister Shanumi.
Making the Movie: Conclave Behind the Scenes
The making of Conclave was announced in May 2022. It was shared that Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini would star. Edward Berger was set to direct the film. More actors joined in January 2023 when filming began in Rome, Italy. Parts of the movie were also filmed at Cinecittà, a famous film studio. Filming finished in March.
Designing the Sets
The people who designed the sets for the movie worked hard to make them look real. They carefully copied the famous Sistine Chapel. However, they made some creative changes to the Domus Sanctae Marthae. This is where the cardinals stay during the conclave. The designers made this set look more like a prison. They did this to add more drama to the movie. They felt the real place was a bit plain.
Creating the Costumes
The costume designers visited special places in Rome for their research. They went to Gammarelli and Tirelli Costumi, which are known for making religious clothing. They also visited several museums. For the cardinals' red robes, costume designer Lisy Christl chose a specific shade of red. This color was used for cardinal clothes in the 17th century. She thought it looked "far more beautiful" than the bright red used today.
Writing the Story
While writing the movie's story, Peter Straughan met with a real cardinal. They talked about how a conclave actually works. Straughan also took a private tour of the Vatican. He said that he felt welcome there and that the Vatican was open to his questions.
The Music of Conclave
German composer Volker Bertelmann created the film score for Conclave. This was his fifth time working with director Edward Berger. Bertelmann explained that he wanted the music to sound special. He didn't want it to be too much like traditional church music or classical music. So, he experimented with unusual instruments.
Crafting the Score
A lot of the music in Conclave uses an instrument called the Cristal Baschet. This is a unique instrument played by rubbing wet hands on glass rods. Bertelmann used a similar creative approach for his music in Berger's film All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), where he used a harmonium.
Because many characters share scenes in Conclave, Bertelmann decided to create musical themes for different situations. He didn't make separate themes for each character. Also, he had string players use a special bowing technique called ricochet. To show the disagreements among the cardinals in the film, Bertelmann sometimes used polyrhythms. This means playing different rhythms at the same time, like triplets against sixteenth notes.
When and Where Was Conclave Released?
In August 2022, a company called Black Bear Pictures bought the rights to distribute the film in the United Kingdom. This was one of their first movies to release there. Another company, Elevation Pictures, handles the distribution in Canada. Steven Rales also helped fund the movie through his company, Indian Paintbrush.
In November 2023, Focus Features bought the rights to release the film in the United States. In July 2024, Conclave was announced to be shown at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. It also had its first showing at the Telluride Film Festival. The director of the Venice Film Festival explained why the movie didn't play there. He said they couldn't find dates that worked for everyone, as the filmmakers also wanted it at Telluride.
The film was released in the United States on October 25, 2024. It was first planned for a smaller release on November 1, then a wider release the next week. It came out in the United Kingdom on November 29.
Awards and Recognition for Conclave
Conclave has received many important awards and nominations:
- It was named one of the Top 10 Films of 2024 by the National Board of Review.
- It also won Best Ensemble (for the whole cast) from the National Board of Review.
- At the 78th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), it won four awards:
- It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay.
- The cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
- At the 97th Academy Awards (Oscars), it was nominated for eight awards. It won Best Adapted Screenplay.
- The film also won the Audience Overall Favorite award at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
- It won Best Gala Film at the San Diego International Film Festival.
- The casting directors won an Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting.
- The costume designer won a Costume Designers Guild Award for Excellence in Contemporary Film.
- The set decorators won a Set Decorators Society of America Award for Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Contemporary Feature Film.
See also
In Spanish: Cónclave (película de 2024) para niños
- List of current cardinals
- Papabile
- The Shoes of the Fisherman (film)
