The Conclave (2006)

In 1458, five years after the fall of Constantinople to the Moslems, eighteen cardinals meet to elect a new pope. A 27 year old cardinal learns to play a very dangerous game, his name is Rodrigo Borgia.

Director:

Christoph Schrewe

Writer:

Paul Donovan

Stars:

Manu Fullola, Brian Blessed, James Faulkner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Manu Fullola	...	Rodrigo Borgia
Brian Blessed	...	Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomin
James Faulkner	...	Cardinal Guillaume D'Estouteville
Rolf Kanies	...	Cardinal Bessarion
Holger Kunkel	...	Cardinal Alain D'Avignon
Peter Guinness	...	Cadrdinal Latino Orsini
Nicholas Irons	...	Prospero Colonna
Brian Downey	...	Cardinal Juan De Mella
Lolo Herrero	...	Pedro Luis Borgia
Gaetano Carotenuto	...	Captain Gaetono
Matthias Koeberlin	...	Guiliano Della Rovere
Nora Tschirner	...	Vanozza
Joseph Rutten	...	Pope Calixtus III (as Joe Rutten)
Andrew Keilty	...	Young Priest
Stacy Smith	...	Pantasilia (as Stacey Smith)

Storyline

The Conclave is a courtroom style drama that takes place in Rome in 1458, five years after the fall of Constantinople to Islam. It follows the story of twenty-seven-year-old Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia as he fights to save both his career and his life in his first papal conclave.

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Plot Keywords:

pope | papal election | vatican | film starts with sex | cardinal the priest | 

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Taglines:

In the Holy See domestic affairs can be deadly

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Canada Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 2007 (Poland)

Also Known As:

Das Konklave

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Saltire Entertainment, Studio Hamburg International Production (SHIP), Alexander Sextus Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Excellent!

I saw this last night by chance on the TV. It was excellent! It was wonderful to see a totally absorbing movie, with breathtaking suspense based not on endless explosions and car chases, but brava performances by talented actors with a great and insightful script.

The historical setting is very well done showing both the grimy violent of the time, and the contradictions of politics and faith in the inner workings of the Vatican.

But the main joy is the intelligent acting and clear characterizations of the contending cardinals.

Just a note: for those who don't know their history, the main character, Rodrigo Borgia went on to became Pope Alexander VI, the father of Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia by the woman portrayed as his mistress in the film. He was the most controversial of the secular popes of the Renaissance.

Wonderful film, see it if you can.