How Do You Make a Movie About the Vatican? With Divine Intervention

How Do You Make a Movie About the Vatican? With Divine Intervention

As I delve into this riveting tale of power, politics, and faith unfolding within the hallowed halls of the Vatican, I find myself utterly captivated by the audacious spirit that permeates every frame of “Conclave.” Having spent my fair share of hours in stuffy meeting rooms, I can relate to Mark Rylance’s character, sitting there for days on end, finding solace in hidden novels and sketchbooks.


Six years ago at the Cannes Film Festival, Tessa Ross, a renowned British producer known for her Academy Award-winning work on films like “12 Years a Slave”, “Slumdog Millionaire”, and “The Zone of Interest”, met with an up-and-coming German filmmaker named Edward Berger. Tessa had been captivated by Berger’s British historical miniseries, “Patrick Melrose”, and was eager to collaborate with him. She pitched several project ideas to him, but unfortunately none came to fruition.

Reflecting on her choices in London, Ross found an idea: ‘Conclave’, a screenplay based on Robert Harris’ novel which she owned the rights to. The narrative revolved around the power struggles, scandals, and religious turmoil at the Vatican following the sudden demise of the pope – an intriguing yet contentious tale. Fascinated by a draft script from Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Peter Straughan (known for ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’), Berger quickly agreed to the storyline about the world’s most mysterious and revered election process.

The film titled “Conclave”, featuring prominent actors such as Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini, made a strong debut nationwide from October 25-27, earning $6.6 million at the domestic box office. Following screenings at prestigious film festivals like Telluride and Toronto, which kick off Oscar campaigns, it garnered significant attention. Catholic communities showed particularly strong support for this movie. Moreover, the timing of its release adds an extra layer of resonance since the story revolves around a contentious leadership election, mirroring the current political climate in America where citizens are undergoing a similar experience (initially slated for wide release on Nov. 8).

Audiences attending the Conclave will witness the culmination of almost a decade’s worth of labor, filled with numerous Hail Marys and divine interventions, as an independently financed film tackling a powerful institution and taboo subject finally makes its way to the screen. “It was a long journey,” says Ross, “but I always knew this movie would come to be.

A Leap of Faith

How Do You Make a Movie About the Vatican? With Divine Intervention

It all began with some real estate providence. 

Ross worked alongside a documentary firm that had good relations with Harris’ agent and held two incomplete book chapters. They gave these to Ross who was intrigued. Shortly after, she received the entire unfinished manuscript and, together with her partner Juliette Howell from their London-based House Productions, met with Harris and obtained film rights following its publication in 2016.

Later, Ross contacted Straughan through a common acquaintance; he finished reading the book in just one session. “Movies centered around elections and sports are as bare as conflicts can be at first glance,” Straughan comments, explaining the allure. A former altar boy who now identifies as an unbeliever, Straughan felt suited to narrate this story.

How Do You Make a Movie About the Vatican? With Divine Intervention

Edward found himself exceptionally well-prepared, a fact that led to him spending multiple weeks on set – a luxury rarely granted by directors. As Straughan puts it, “Edward is the ultimate director – a jack-of-all-trades.” (Berger’s latest film is set to premiere less than two years after he received the Oscar for best international feature for All Quiet on the Western Front, a film adaptation of the 1929 World War I novel, which some critics have hailed as the greatest anti-war movie ever produced.)

During the spring of 2021, while Berger was busy filming “All Quiet on the Western Front”, Berger, Straughan and Ross continued working on their project “Conclave” remotely via Zoom. (According to Ross, he’s quite skilled at managing around 130 projects simultaneously.)

However, assistance from higher powers seemed essential. The sensitive and potentially controversial topic of the Conclave made it highly unlikely for traditional funding options to be viable, so the only feasible path was independent financing. To secure that, the filmmakers needed a high-profile cast who were willing to take on significant roles if they wanted any chance of bringing this movie to life.

Casting The Select 

How Do You Make a Movie About the Vatican? With Divine Intervention

Initially, the main focus was on the leadership role. In the book, Thomas Lawrence, who orchestrates the complex conclave and might harbor hidden agendas, is an Italian Cardinal. However, this wouldn’t work well in an English film adaptation. But Berger proposed a solution. He reimagined Lawrence as a reserved British character. “As we progressed with the script-writing, I came to understand that this character is a quiet and reluctant participant in these events. He doesn’t desire to be the central figure. He speaks less and spends much of his time observing and contemplating,” says Berger.

Fiennes got in touch with both him and Ross, extending an invitation for Berger and Ross to catch his stage performance in London. Following the show, they all decided to dine at a local Italian eatery nearby. “It was surprisingly swift,” Fiennes shares, “it was effortless for me to accept the offer.” He clarified that it wasn’t one of those meetings where they were trying to evaluate each other.

The following task involved selecting suitable actors for the roles of the potential popes, given that a series of unfolding events might expose various scandals, causing many candidates to be disqualified. Berger promptly considered Tucci for portraying Cardinal Bellini, an innovative American cardinal who serves as the unofficial head of the reformist group within the conclave. “Ralph’s character is more of a deep thinker,” says Berger, “while Stanley’s character is more action-oriented, like ‘Let’s just get this done.’ ” To visualize their onscreen chemistry, Berger put up pictures of both actors in his office. Additionally, Tucci, host of the Emmy-winning CNN show Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, offered an additional advantage as he was familiar with Rome’s dining spots.

In due course, Berger hung additional portraits, featuring Lithgow as the ambitious Canadian Cardinal Tremblay, striving relentlessly to become the next pope and willing to take extreme measures for his ambition. Rossellini was depicted as Sister Agnes, a character who would make an appearance. Despite being barred from the Sistine Chapel during the conclave meetings, nuns like Sister Agnes were responsible for serving meals to the College of Cardinals. Among them, Sister Agnes stood out as one of the few with any real influence, and she wasn’t shy about asserting her power.

How Do You Make a Movie About the Vatican? With Divine Intervention

In the film, Rossellini, who was raised in Rome, speaks just around 30 words, yet those few lines, such as the powerful statement advocating for women that “Although my role is supposed to be invisible, God has still blessed us with sight and hearing,” are among the most impactful moments in the movie.

From the get-go, she was lingering in my thoughts, but I hesitated to focus on her initially as I wanted to observe how the all-male group dynamics would unfold,” explained Berger to Rossellini. He further elaborated that even when she wasn’t speaking, he aimed to emphasize her character. Eventually, when she began to speak, it was a relief for the audience as she “was breaking the monotony of male uniformity,” he added.

For Rossellini, the project held a deeply personal significance. “I attended Catholic schools and was educated by nuns,” she explains, “so I had some understanding of their character.” She describes them as possessing an impressive presence and authority even in silence. “They were not submissive, despite lacking the right to speak or vote for the pope, or even lead Mass,” she adds. She refers to them as her “great source of inspiration.

However, the most astonishing acting feat was yet to unfold. The role of Cardinal Benitez from Kabul, portrayed by Carlos Diehz in his debut significant film performance, was particularly noteworthy. Unbeknownst to everyone, this character was a secret appointment by the late pope as a cardinal, and his sudden appearance at the conclave left over 130 cardinals utterly astonished.

Born in Mexico, Diehz – an architectural designer with training under his belt who now resides in Montreal – took up acting just a few years ago. He was spotted during a global open audition for roles. Director Berger opted against casting a well-known actor for the part. “Where that person came from wasn’t crucial,” Berger remarks. “I simply needed someone I could look into whose eyes and genuinely believe what he was saying [during a key monologue in the movie].

“And that’s not easy,” Berger continues, “if you’ve seen them in 20 movies.”

How Do You Make a Movie About the Vatican? With Divine Intervention

Multiple experts are already speculating that Fiennes might secure a nomination for the Oscars’ best actor category, while the supporting acting categories could potentially feature other talented actors from “Conclave”. Remarkably, this would mark Rossellini’s debut as an Oscar nominee.

In May 2022, Ross unveiled the star-studded cast for an upcoming film. Simultaneously, it was disclosed that Glen Basner’s renowned independent studio FilmNation and Steven Rales’ Indian Paintbrush, a regular collaborator of Wes Anderson, were jointly funding the project and marketing its foreign distribution rights. It is worth noting that Basner’s production house has been associated with several Oscar-nominated films this year, with not one, but two other contenders apart from Conclave, namely Anora and Maria.

The estimated budget for the production of “Conclave” has not yet been officially confirmed, but insiders suggest it could be around $20 million. This figure might come as a surprise considering the high-profile cast, detailed recreations of Vatican grounds and the Sistine Chapel (where the conclave takes place), but it seems that expenses were kept relatively low. In August 2022, Black Bear secured distribution rights for the UK, while Focus Features obtained North American rights in November 2023 – several months following the triumph of “All Quiet” at major awards.

A Biblical Challenge

How Do You Make a Movie About the Vatican? With Divine Intervention

It’s quite challenging to understand the intricate mechanisms within conclaves, and Berger and his team made no effort to seek assistance from the Vatican in this endeavor.

Berger states, “That method is illogical. To begin with, they can’t assist you, and moreover, they shouldn’t. Also, it’s not desirable for you to find yourself indebted to them.” Instead, filmmakers conversed with multiple cardinals who had taken part in actual conclaves. Although these cardinals were prohibited by the Church from revealing precise details about a conclave, they could provide general information. For instance, during the process, the College of Cardinals resides at the Casa Santa Marta, an elegant, medieval dormitory where they are catered to and cared for by a sisterhood of nuns.

In addition to the film crew, they brought on a consultant versed in religious matters. Though the specifics of ancient ceremonies remain somewhat mysterious, details have trickled down over time, such as the method for removing and destroying a deceased pope’s ring. Fiennes emphasized, “I felt it was crucial to accurately portray the rituals, like the correct way to position one’s hat. There are various ways to hold your hands when praying.

Additionally, an excursion through the Vatican was incredibly beneficial for the team. Production designer Suzie Davies had the rare opportunity to peek into the secluded gardens and catch a brief glimpse of Casa Santa Marta. The goal was to portray Santa Marta as stark and reminiscent of Rome’s fascist era, with a prison-like ambiance.

By January 2023, Davies had successfully orchestrated the recreation of the Sistine Chapel within the historic Cinecittà Studios, a 99-acre film production complex established during Mussolini’s Fascist era. This studio has been utilized by renowned Italian directors such as Federico Fellini and Bernardo Bertolucci, as well as American filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, and even visited by Rossellini (daughter of Roberto Rossellini) in her childhood when she accompanied her father, director Roberto Rossellini.

Fortunately for Davies, there remained a duplicate of the Sistine Chapel walls, allegedly from the series ‘The Young Pope’. What she had to accomplish was fixing some rodent-caused damages and recreating the ceiling using computer-generated imagery (CGI).

In the film “Conclave,” Berger teams up with composer Volker Bertelmann for their fifth project together, who won an Oscar for “All Quiet on the Western Front.” For this film, Berger desired music that would reflect the inner lives of the characters and give a more contemporary vibe. Traditional organs were not his preference; instead, he opted for the Cristal Baschet, a unique instrument consisting of tuned glass rods rubbed by wet fingers. As Bertelmann explains, “We aimed for something more modern and disconnected from the Church. The Baschet produces more ethereal tones.

The shoot spanned around 40 days in total. Notably, Lithgow remembers the meetings extending over a fortnight. “Interestingly, that was the most demanding part,” Lithgow reflects, “We were all seated there, about 110 of us, every day for two weeks straight.” To combat boredom, he concealed a book and a sketchpad beneath the tablecloth. Moreover, he requested Italian extras to sit beside him so he could practice his Italian (he also hid a language guide). “Forgive me, Father, for sneaking my pastimes into my job,” Lithgow added humorously.

A Time for Silence and a Time for Speak

How Do You Make a Movie About the Vatican? With Divine Intervention

In a natural and easy-to-read manner:

Nevertheless, Straughan points out that these events hold a theatrical quality: “There’s the visible stage where the rituals unfold. But behind the scenes, there’s the horse trading happening in the rooms and corridors. Here, you can witness cardinals removing their masks, revealing their true identities.

The film “Conclave” primarily revolves around the Church, but its creators were inspired by the political suspense thrillers prevalent in the 1970s and their frequent exploration of power vacuums. Berger explains, “I wasn’t captivated by the Vatican. Our movie could have been set in Washington D.C., or any other significant meeting place.” Straughan adds, “It’s the oldest election imaginable, with a constituency of 1.5 billion. However, it’s misleading to view this as a secular election. The individuals within the conclave believe that they are guided by the Holy Spirit.

The primary attraction for Berger lay in the internal voyage of uncertainty – and optimism – undertaken by Fiennes’ character, as he is assigned the responsibility of overseeing the conclave proceedings. “What was Lawrence’s inner world?” Fiennes muses. “I sensed he was a man harboring much suppressed frustration or sadness, yet aware of his obligations.

Up until now, Berger hasn’t had the chance to direct a major Hollywood film. However, there’s been buzz among fans about the possibility of him being chosen to helm the next James Bond movie, which currently doesn’t have an actor attached. Berger himself has mentioned that he would be eager to discuss the project with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, but they haven’t reached out to him yet.

When asked about possibly directing the next 007 movie, he clarified it’s just a rumor. He does believe many directors would love to work on Bond, and it’s indeed an amazing opportunity. However, Barbara and Michael are skilled producers who will make the right decisions at the appropriate time. When they’re ready to produce a film, they’ll choose an excellent director, almost like convening a meeting of experts.

“Check out this article featured in the October 30th edition of The Hollywood Reporter magazine! Subscribe now to keep up with future issues.

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2024-10-31 19:57