The Sistine Chapel in The Two Popes

The Sistine Chapel is the most significant location in The Two Popes, both in terms of the space where the most important scenes take place and in terms of the paintings on its walls. The aim of this paper is to explore the ways in which the Sistine Chapel is used as part of the film form. Like any formal element, the Sistine Chapel performs some functions in relation to how the narrative is conveyed to the audience. In each section of this paper, I progress from the initial impression the viewer gets when watching the film to the individual shots. The result is an understanding of the film-making techniques that have been used to strip the Sistine Chapel of the myriad layers of meaning that have been given to it over the years and to subordinate the Sistine Chapel to the needs of cinematic narration.

Keywords: Sistine Chapel; The Two Popes; Film Analysis; Film Form, Film Style