Blu-ray movie reviews: ‘Conclave’ and ‘Saturday Night’

Two real cultural events – the selection of a pope and the start of a late-night comedy show – are each told through a pair of fictionalized films, new to the Blu-ray disc format.

Conclave (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, rated PG, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 120 minutes, $30.99) — Director Edward Berger’s adaptation of author Robert Harris’ political thriller gave viewers an inside look at the secretive election process of the most important man in the Catholic Church and arguably in all of religions.

The story explores the leadership and investigations of British Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), dean of the College of Cardinals, as he calls for a sequestered meeting at Vatican City of roughly 110 cardinals to choose the next pope, with 72 votes required.

Over the next three days, Cardinal Lawrence has to make sure the top candidates — Nigerian Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), Italian traditionalist Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), American Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci) and Canadian Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) — have nothing to hide and nothing to gain with one of their eventual elevations to the role of the pontiff.

Exceptional performances of the lead actors get supplemented by Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes and Carlos Diehz as Cardinal Vincent Benitez, the mysterious Mexican archbishop from Kabul, to deliver a weighty piece of entertainment.

Overall, viewers will appreciate Mr. Berger’s dramatic and meticulous examination of the often petty and political papel election process through its pomp and pageantry, traditions and historical locations (Vatican down to Sistine Chapel) but may find the ending twist more than a hardcore Catholic can withstand.

Best extras: Two major digital goodies are found on the Blu-ray disc starting with a very informative optional commentary track with the director.

Mr. Berger dives deep into his filmmaking process with details such as he had Mr. Fiennes breathing into a microphone as an added sound layer as well as capturing noises such as fabric rubbing on his robes and chains tinkling to get a perspective of what the character sees and feels.

Other pointed topics covered include casting; shot selection and composition; story analysis; using limited computer-generated effects for locations; inspirations from 1970s thrillers; and subtle costuming designs.

There are some lapses in commentary as the director was reverent to listening to the actor’s key monologues, but when he speaks, he offers great insight.

And, viewers get a 16-minute featurette covering the movie as relayed by the key actors and crew touching on production design, rebuilding the Sistine Chapel on a sound stage, costuming, musical score and the complicated story.

Saturday Night (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, rated R, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 109 minutes, $40.99) — Director Jason Reitman’s docudrama chronicling the birthing of a legendary comedy variety television show debuts on the high definition format to introduce home theater viewers to the chaotic intricacies of a live television broadcast and the groundbreaking Not Ready for Prime Time Players.

It was Oct. 11, 1975, and creator-producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) and his creative team’s dream of putting on a live late-night show featuring cutting-edge sketches, radical comedians and musical guests was about to become a reality — if NBC censors and nervous executives allowed it to proceed.

A cast of rogue performers trained from fabled institutions such as Second City, The Groundlings and National Lampoon offered the comedic executions and included feral John Belushi (Matt Wood), arrogant Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), awkward Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), all-knowing Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien), mirth goddess Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), savvy Jane Curtin (Kim Matula) and overtly anxious Laraine Newman (Emily Fairn).

Viewers get the frenetic 90 minutes leading up to the show’s air and the opening sketch, including the nearly disastrous final dress rehearsals, Michaels dealing with the aggressively belligerent union crew and a disappearing Belushi as the fledgling cast and writers prepare to dazzle the evening’s home and studio audience.

As history will validate, the show did go on that night, and “Saturday Night Live” has continued to become a staple for the past five decades.

The cast playing the cast offers uncanny homages and vocal reproductions to their counterparts, spotlighted by Mr. Wood, Mr. Smith and Mr. Morris.

The main actors are handsomely supported with appearances by J.K. Simmons as Milton Berle; Nicholas Braun as Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson; Matthew Rhys as George Carlin; and Willem Dafoe as nasty network executive David Tebet.

Mr. Reitman’s “Saturday Night” with long, sweeping camera movements, grainy film stock and a nearly documentary handheld style dissects and delivers an exciting inside look at the chaos of creation, liberally mixing fact and fiction with just enough real laughs.

Best extras: Let’s start with Mr. Reitman, who also cowrote the film, delivering a nonstop optional commentary track with cinematographer Eric Steelberg, costume designer Danny Glicker, production designer Jess Gonchor and sound mixer Steve Morrow recorded Oct. 1, 2024, on the same lot where the “Wizard of Oz” was shot.

The director, well, directs by asking his key crew to discuss topics such as mixing multiple sound sources on the set; using 16 mm film; recreating a 1970s color palette; building the costumesf for bees sketch; creating a live vibe on the set; improvising music by the shot; and deciding early on not to capture the action in one continuous shot.

Next, viewers get 16 minutes on making the movie, eight minutes of cast introductions, both too short for any introspective specifics, and even more compact featurettes on cinematography and music.

What is missing, and really needed to be an extra was either a roundtable discussion with the surviving original cast such as Mr. Ackroyd, Ms. Newman, Mr. Chase, Ms. Curtain and Mr. Morris or including one or more of the folks in the optional commentary track.

I am betting viewers would have paid big money for the cantankerous Mr. Chase to be in the same room as the director to explain his side of the events as the film played out.