The central figure of the Catholic Church, the Pope has always fascinated film and television directors. “Conclave”, “The New Pope”, “The Young Pope”, “The Two Popes”, “Amen” Habemus Papam “are dramas that capture the secrets, crises, manipulations from the Vatican’s backstage.
Jude Law interprets Pope Pius XIII, the first American Pope of History Photo Giani Fior
The Vatican has been a place full of mystery and secrets that has always fascinated cinema and television, writes News.
“Conclave” (2024)
More current than ever, “conclave”, directed by Edward Berger and based on Robert Harris’s homonymous novel, wears viewers in the backstage of a new pope behind closed doors.
When Pope dies suddenly after a heart attack, Cardinal Lawrence, played by Ralph Fiennes, wakes up supervising the succession of the pontiff. But, as the conclave takes place, the cardinal realizes that the deceased Pope has hidden a secret, which he must discover before the elections are concluded.
Between political machines, secrets and lies, “conclave” puts in light the tensions that accompany the papal choice, as well as the discord between the various papal leaders and the currents in the church.
Considered one of the ten best films of the year 2024 by the National Board of Review and American Film Institute, “Conclave” won the Oscar for the best adapted scenario and the BAFTA award.
“The Young Pope” (2016) and “The New Pope” (2020)
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, this miniserie has as a protagonist Jude Law in the role of Lenny Belardo, the young and impetuous pope Pius XIII. At just 47 years old, Lenny becomes the youngest pope in history and the first Italo-American who assumes this role.
Contrary to the image of a progressive and open pontiff, Pius XIII proved to be a man of great rigidity and sometimes ruthless. As he was accommodated with his new role, he tried to impose his influence on the Vatican, but he had to face the reality of spiritual power and expectations of the Catholic Church, while fighting with his own inner demons, especially his fear of abandonment.
The “The Young Pope” series was a huge success at its launch, and a continuation, “The New Pope”, was launched four years later. Directed again by Paolo Sorrentino, this series tells the story of the transition from Pius XIII, in a coma waiting for a heart transplant, to his successor, John Paul III, played by John Malkovich, with a totally different pontifical style.
Less appreciated by criticism and public than the first season, “The Young Pope”, however, explores the challenges of modern papacy, between spiritual crises and political manipulations.
“Habemus Papam” (2011)
Freshly chosen Pope, although initially not considered one of the papabils, Cardinal Melville, played by Michel Piccoli, is hit by an existential crisis when he faces the weight of such responsibility.
While the whole world is waiting for his first public appearance on the balcony in Saint Peter Square, the Sovereign Pontiff discreetly runs from the Vatican to look for answers to his doubts, while the Holy See Cardinals are trying to find solutions to overcome the crisis.
The film, by Nanni Moretti, offers a human and exciting look at the fragility of a cardinal confronted with the grandeur. It was all the more resonant as Pope Benedict XVI has actually announced his resignation in 2013.
“The Two Popes” (2019)
Directed by Fernando Meirelles, “The Two Popes” reports the imaginary meeting between Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) – which will become the future Pontiff Francisc – after Benedict’s resignation in 2013.
Beyond the Vatican’s domestic policy, the “two popes” also highlights the transition between two popes with opposite visions and explores the internal challenges of the Catholic Church in the face of changes in the modern world. A more current question since Pope Francis’s death.
“Amen” (2002)
A dramatic film of Costa-Gavras, “Amen”, whose distribution are Ion Caramitru and Marcel Iureş, tells the true story of a SS (Ulrich Tukur) chemist and a German Jesuit priest (Mathieu Kassovitz) who discovers the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps and tries to alert the Vatican Holocaust.
Although he does not focus directly on the pope, this film, adapted after the German song “The Vicar”, denounces the inaction and silence of Pius XII and the Vatican before the persecution of the Jews and criticizes the responsibility of the Catholic Church during the Second World War.
