The Two Popes - Netflix

[Gregory Irwin]

My wife and I just watched this wonderful story of profound history. Most was enjoyable. Excellent casting, enthralling script and outstanding performances. What we could not  get behind was the cinematography. For an elegant and surprisingly lighthearted story, the photography was jarring and Paparazzi-like. The style was inconsistent during individual sequences and extremely distracting. It was not befitting to the story. So disappointing. But having said this (with the knowledge of coming criticism and skepticism), we truly enjoyed the picture. 
 

G

[Guest]

Oh you noticed ?

Yes, looked like a college student production.  I was very confused, with the mixture of styles, snap zooms, etc etc.  Bizarre.

This is largely why I continue to shoot, "traditional style,"  it doesn't need an explanation, and it will last into the future.  Gimmicks are just that, gimmicks.

I agree with the rest of your assessment, very interesting story, casting was very good for the two leads.

Cinematography, D-

R,

 

[Guest]

Now let me guess.....the director and DOP, both post here. ?

R,

 

[Manu Delpech]

The inexplicable thing is that the film got a Silver Frog at Camerimage for its cinematography. 

[Stephen Perera]

very peculiar look.....Ratzinger became pope in April 19th 2005.....

.....its almost like they chose to base the look of the film on what cameras in that time period would have given them....the look is very digital, metallic and noisy.....it has that thin thin metallic digital look or early lower tech digital cameras......perhaps they wanted to go for a look that was documentary style as if they had shot it back then with the cameras and lenses available.....Im just guessing here I have not read anything at all about the film not how it was made nor what the intentions were....the lenses in high key shots when they are choosing the new pope are just off showing us that fringing of chromatic aberration......

Edited January 17, 2020 by Stephen Perera

[Stephen Perera]

...saying the above very entertaining and excellent film.....and particularly interesting to us in Gibraltar alone of our own has been translating for the current Pope in many overseas visits....Mark Miles...he is now 'Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Organization of American States'....the Papal representative in the United States.....he's done well in that 'profession'...and yes of course I know him hahahah