The New Pope was worth a second watch as I still had questions about a number of things after having viewed it the first time. The second time, binging it all in three days as opposed to following the series from week to week, turned out to be a more enlightening way to enjoy the it because the details of previous episodes were still fresh.
So here it is.
What I loved:
The incredible cinematography, lush and just gorgeous, pared with beautiful scenic-design and costumes.
The writing. The dialogue is stylized, with an individual beauty and respect for the use of language and it pulls the viewer into a living novel that floats in and out of familiar and less familiar levels that most of us associate with reality. The twists and turns of the story are utterly impossible to predict.
Sorrentino, whether by intention or not, holds up a mirror to the viewers, often giving them the opportunity to trigger themselves, if they are so inclined, into strong, knee-jerk, emotional interpretations and various thematically diverse expressions of righteous indignation in the early episodes, only to have the perspective completely turned around in the later episodes. It is therefore, usually quite easy to tell which authors judged the entire series without having seen all episodes. There is a certain poetic justice in this.
The music.
Voiello. Everything about Voiello
An awakened Lenny
Any scene with Leopold Essence
Paolo Sorrentino introduces Federico Fellini to David Lynch and they get along famously
Episode 9
What I loved less:
The accent. Malkovich's character was given some of the greatest eloquence and most of the most beautiful verbal expressions in the entire series. I deeply respect John Malkovich as an actor. While many have come and gone, Malkovich, at his age, is right in the thick of things. He's in Billions, The New Pope and whatever else is next on his agenda. I wanted it all to work but I was pulled out of the story from time to time, asking myself just what accent that is actually supposed to be. Perhaps a back-story with an American nanny or some such would have helped.
Wrapping it up:
As you can tell, I was enchanted by The New Pope. It has an unadulteratedly unique voice which means that there is nothing even remotely like it that has ever appeared on a screen with the exception of The Young Pope.
I, for one, am hopeful that HBO will continue in the tradition that has made the company legendary, producing excruciatingly high-quality content, by soon inviting Mr. Sorrentino in to discuss the particulars of his POPE WORLD PREQUEL.
So here it is.
What I loved:
The incredible cinematography, lush and just gorgeous, pared with beautiful scenic-design and costumes.
The writing. The dialogue is stylized, with an individual beauty and respect for the use of language and it pulls the viewer into a living novel that floats in and out of familiar and less familiar levels that most of us associate with reality. The twists and turns of the story are utterly impossible to predict.
Sorrentino, whether by intention or not, holds up a mirror to the viewers, often giving them the opportunity to trigger themselves, if they are so inclined, into strong, knee-jerk, emotional interpretations and various thematically diverse expressions of righteous indignation in the early episodes, only to have the perspective completely turned around in the later episodes. It is therefore, usually quite easy to tell which authors judged the entire series without having seen all episodes. There is a certain poetic justice in this.
The music.
Voiello. Everything about Voiello
An awakened Lenny
Any scene with Leopold Essence
Paolo Sorrentino introduces Federico Fellini to David Lynch and they get along famously
Episode 9
What I loved less:
The accent. Malkovich's character was given some of the greatest eloquence and most of the most beautiful verbal expressions in the entire series. I deeply respect John Malkovich as an actor. While many have come and gone, Malkovich, at his age, is right in the thick of things. He's in Billions, The New Pope and whatever else is next on his agenda. I wanted it all to work but I was pulled out of the story from time to time, asking myself just what accent that is actually supposed to be. Perhaps a back-story with an American nanny or some such would have helped.
Wrapping it up:
As you can tell, I was enchanted by The New Pope. It has an unadulteratedly unique voice which means that there is nothing even remotely like it that has ever appeared on a screen with the exception of The Young Pope.
I, for one, am hopeful that HBO will continue in the tradition that has made the company legendary, producing excruciatingly high-quality content, by soon inviting Mr. Sorrentino in to discuss the particulars of his POPE WORLD PREQUEL.