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‘CONCLAVE’ IS GRIPPING

The election of a new pope is one of the world’s most recognizable rituals. Conclave spins its tale with confidence because director Edward Berger and screenwriter Peter Straughan (adapting Robert Harris’s novel) know that we in the world outside the Vatican don’t have a clue as to what conversations go on before we see white smoke rise into the air. Can it be that the men in the college of cardinals are just human beings, subject to fits of jealousy and spite like the rest of us mere mortals?

Conclave responds with a resounding “yes” and weaves its serpentine story with vivid character portraits enacted by the likes of Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and (in a minor but welcome supporting role) Isabella Rossellini. The narrative, with elements of conspiracy and whodunit, is told from the point of view of a veteran cardinal who is reluctantly monitoring the voting process, having removed himself as a candidate. Ralph Fiennes makes the most of this juicy role without overplaying. Director Berger allows us to see the anguish on his face as he confronts one dastardly scheme after another, feeling helpless at several junctures during the days and nights that the process swallows up.

A number of critics have labeled this as glossy pulp fiction or high-class soap opera. No one disputes the professionalism on display in all facets of filmmaking. All I can say is that the movie held me in its grip from start to finish. My wife doesn’t buy the resolution and feels that it negates the story but I disagree. I had a great time watching The Conclave and predict that it will be a crowd-pleaser.

Leonard Maltin is one of the world’s most respected film critics and historians. He is best known for his widely-used reference work Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide and its companion volume Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide, now in its third edition, as well as his thirty-year run on television’s Entertainment Tonight. He teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and appears regularly on Reelz Channel and Turner Classic Movies. His books include The 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, The Great Movie Comedians, The Disney Films, The Art of the Cinematographer, Movie Comedy Teams, The Great American Broadcast, and Leonard Maltin’s Movie Encyclopedia. He served two terms as President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, is a voting member of the National Film Registry, and was appointed by the Librarian of Congress to sit on the Board of Directors of the National Film Preservation Foundation. He hosted and co-produced the popular Walt Disney Treasures DVD series and has appeared on innumerable television programs and documentaries. He has been the recipient of awards from the American Society of Cinematographers, the Telluride Film Festival, Anthology Film Archives, and San Diego’s Comic-Con International. Perhaps the pinnacle of his career was his appearance in a now-classic episode of South Park. (Or was it Carmela consulting his Movie Guide on an episode of The Sopranos?) He holds court at leonardmaltin.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook; you can also listen to him on his weekly podcast: Maltin on Movies. — [Artwork by Drew Friedman]

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