The Conversation

The Two Popes: a mixed bag theologically and politically, with bravura performances

Author: Aleksandr Andreas Wansbrough, Lecturer (casual) at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney

Anthony Hopkins (left) as Benedict and Jonathan Pryce as Francis in The Two Popes (2019).Netflix

Netflix’s The Two Popes may be best described, borrowing a turn of phrase from Fredric Jameson, as “nostalgia for the present”.

Biopic and historical dramas are traditionally reserved for people who are dead, so I felt suspicious...

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