Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Conspiracy

Original title: La conjura de El Escorial
  • 20082008
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
406
YOUR RATING
Julia Ormond, Jason Isaacs, and Juanjo Puigcorbé in The Conspiracy (2008)
  • Adventure
  • Drama
  • History
16th century ruler King Philip II of Spain maneuvers within a court of deceit and betrayal.16th century ruler King Philip II of Spain maneuvers within a court of deceit and betrayal.16th century ruler King Philip II of Spain maneuvers within a court of deceit and betrayal.
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
406
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Antonio del Real
  • Writers
    • Manuel Mir
    • Juan Antonio Porto
    • Marta Rivera de la Cruz
  • Stars
    • Jason Isaacs
    • Julia Ormond
    • Jürgen Prochnow
Top credits
  • Director
    • Antonio del Real
  • Writers
    • Manuel Mir
    • Juan Antonio Porto
    • Marta Rivera de la Cruz
  • Stars
    • Jason Isaacs
    • Julia Ormond
    • Jürgen Prochnow
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 5 nominations

    Photos9

    Joaquim de Almeida in The Conspiracy (2008)
    Blanca Jara in The Conspiracy (2008)
    Julia Ormond, Jason Isaacs, and Juanjo Puigcorbé in The Conspiracy (2008)
    Jason Isaacs, Xabier Elorriaga, Fabio Testi, and Juanjo Puigcorbé in The Conspiracy (2008)
    Juanjo Puigcorbé in The Conspiracy (2008)
    Julia Ormond, Jason Isaacs, Joaquim de Almeida, Fabio Testi, and Juanjo Puigcorbé in The Conspiracy (2008)
    Juanjo Puigcorbé in The Conspiracy (2008)
    Julia Ormond, Jason Isaacs, Joaquim de Almeida, Fabio Testi, and Juanjo Puigcorbé in The Conspiracy (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jason Isaacs
    Jason Isaacs
    • Antonio Pérezas Antonio Pérez
    Julia Ormond
    Julia Ormond
    • Princesa de Ébolias Princesa de Éboli
    Jürgen Prochnow
    Jürgen Prochnow
    • Espinosaas Espinosa
    Jordi Mollà
    Jordi Mollà
    • Mateo Vázquezas Mateo Vázquez
    Joaquim de Almeida
    Joaquim de Almeida
    • Escobedoas Escobedo
    Juanjo Puigcorbé
    Juanjo Puigcorbé
    • Felipe IIas Felipe II
    Blanca Jara
    Blanca Jara
    • Damianaas Damiana
    Fabio Testi
    Fabio Testi
    • Duque de Albaas Duque de Alba
    Rosana Pastor
    • Doña Juana de Coelloas Doña Juana de Coello
    Pablo Puyol
    Pablo Puyol
    • Insaustias Insausti
    Concha Cuetos
    Concha Cuetos
    • Bernardinaas Bernardina
    Tony Peck
    Tony Peck
    • Tiépoloas Tiépolo
    Pilar Bastardés
    • Reina Anaas Reina Ana
    Pepe Martín
    Pepe Martín
    • Don Antonio Pazosas Don Antonio Pazos
    José Lifante
    José Lifante
    • Mayordomo Escobedoas Mayordomo Escobedo
    Manuel de Blas
    Manuel de Blas
    • Fray Diego de Chavesas Fray Diego de Chaves
    Jorge Bosso
    Jorge Bosso
    • Padre Morgadoas Padre Morgado
    William Miller
    William Miller
    • Rodrigo Manuel de Villenaas Rodrigo Manuel de Villena
    • Director
      • Antonio del Real
    • Writers
      • Manuel Mir
      • Juan Antonio Porto
      • Marta Rivera de la Cruz
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Madame Rosa
    7.2
    Madame Rosa
    Esquilache
    6.4
    Esquilache
    Resistance
    5.4
    Resistance
    Skeletons
    6.7
    Skeletons
    The (Silent) War
    5.5
    The (Silent) War
    Medusa's Ankles
    7.7
    Medusa's Ankles
    Good
    6.2
    Good
    Young Catherine
    7.4
    Young Catherine
    Pleading Guilty
    8.0
    Pleading Guilty
    Passionada
    6.1
    Passionada
    The Conspiracy
    6.2
    The Conspiracy
    The Green
    6.4
    The Green

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The interior and garden scenes at the Palace-Monastery of El Escorial were actually shot at the real historical site in the foothills of the Guadarrama Mountains outside Madrid.
    • Connections
      References Conan the Barbarian (1982)

    User reviews7

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Watch it for the intrigue, not the swordplay
    The 'conjuration' in the title refers to a real event: the political assassination in Madrid of a high-ranking official in the Spanish court in 1578. A plaque marks the spot today in the exact corner of the street where it happened.

    The script begins with the scene of the murder and then takes us back to recount the events leading up to it. There are many characters involved, and although at the beginning it is not clear why we are being introduced to so many, eventually they all find a reason for being there, from a priest who ends up a the centre of the investigation, to a young 'morisca', a half-Moorish girl who is plucked from the streets to serve in a rich house.

    The film is not very imaginatively shot and some of the expository dialogue is quite clumsy: some actors seem to be there just to summarise in words what the atmosphere at the time was, which is always a pitfall in historical films. Many actors means many lines of dialogue and this film -not short, about two hours and a quarter long- is full of conversations, often stilted and stagy. There's a lot of standing upright with broody brows with the purpose of looking imposing and serious, in bunches around the king or other important characters. It is not a slow film, however, but it's not a swashbuckler either. In fact, the one time when we are given a good old sword-fight, it goes so lamely clichéd, with stalls of fruit and ceramic bowls being turned upside down in a street market and a couple of unrealistic fight moves, that it feels utterly wrong.

    In its favour, the costumes are great and many scenes are shot at El Escorial itself, the palace-cum-monastery where king Phillip II pored over the business of governing the world's leading superpower. Some of the actors are quite good in their roles, and this despite a cast mixing Spanish and foreign stars. I would single out for praise Julia Ormond, who looks not a day younger than her 43 years old. With her ageing beauty, she brings alive one of the most fascinating characters of her time, the eyepatch-wearing princess of Eboli. Joaquim de Almeida is also very good as the vigorous secretary Juan de Escobedo, acting his scenes with much-needed energy. It is a pity, though, that the role of Jason Isaacs, Antonio Pérez, fizzles out somewhat towards the end, when he should be one of the most memorable characters, according to the real story. Juanjo Puigcorbé plays a more ironic and even affable Phillip than the sombre and adust quasi-monk we have seen in other portrayals. And I personally took a liking to Jürgen Prochnow's character, a local 'alguacil' (sheriff) who becomes involved in the matter both through his job and his private life.

    The question at the heart of the film is: did King Phillip II order the dismissal of one of his own officials? This has been much debated by historians, and the evidence is not conclusive. It may have been in his favour because of political rivalries, but the public backlash would have been uncomfortable (as it in fact was), even for a monarch as self-assured and with so great a grip on power as he happened to be. This matter is one of the central charges against him laid out by the so-called 'Leyenda negra' (Black legend), with which other European rulers and political enemies sought to discredit him in public, in particular in the Netherlands and Britain. Whether the film takes a stance on it or not, you will have to see it.
    helpful•15
    6
    • rogornmoradan
    • Sep 8, 2008

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 5, 2008 (Spain)
    • Country of origin
      • Spain
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • Spanish
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La conjura de El Escorial
    • Filming locations
      • Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, El Escorial, Madrid, Spain
    • Production companies
      • Mascara Films
      • Settima Luna
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,784,297
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Julia Ormond, Jason Isaacs, and Juanjo Puigcorbé in The Conspiracy (2008)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Conspiracy (2008) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in June
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.