I have seen his film so many times and with very few exceptions have come to the conclusion that it is one of the most rewarding films I have ever enjoyed. The photography and art direction are beautiful but the music is stunning and available on a recent CD release. I truly feel it has been very much forgotten and am delighted that it is available in letterbox format for all to enjoy.
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Billy171215 November 2001
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bkoganbing20 November 2006Otto Preminger's blockbuster film, The Cardinal, is kind of like an ecclesiastical Winds of War with its priest/protagonist seemingly on the scene of a whole lot of history from before World War I until just before the outbreak of World War II. The church of those times is vastly different than the Roman Catholic Church of today.
Tom Tryon plays Stephen Fermoyle whose parents, Cameron Prudhomme and Dorothy Gish as did so many Irish married couples, determined that one of their kids would be a priest. They put aside money for same and the film opens with young Tryon completing his ordination in Rome and coming back to be assigned to the Boston Archdiocese.
Tryon undergoes many crises of faith, both personal and historical. As The Cardinal is history as how the church would write it for itself, a lot of things are passed over and answers we might come up with today would not be what Catholic folks especially would have thought back then.
One thing that did get me, though maybe it was in the novel the film is based on, is the big event for American Catholics in that time period was the 1928 presidential campaign and the nomination of Alfred E. Smith by the Democrats, the first Roman Catholic to be nominated by a major party for president. I could not believe that Preminger made a film about the Catholic church in that period with an American protagonist and didn't mention that at all in the film.
Preminger assembled a truly international cast of players of the second and third tier. Note the absence of any big name box office stars. He also shot the film in various locations around the world, Boston, Rome, Vienna and other places where the odyssey of Tom Tryon takes him.
Fellow director John Huston got an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in his role as Cardinal Glennon of Boston, loosely based on Archbishop of Boston at the time, William O'Connell. Preminger said that Huston was cooperative in every way and Huston said he resisted successfully the impulse to call his own shots on his performance remembering this was not his film.
Carol Lynley playing both Tryon's sister and niece does well in a dual role and Patrick O'Neal and Murray Hamilton play a contrasting duo of Ku Klux Klansmen in Georgia. Romy Schneider is fine as the Austrian woman who loves Tryon and nearly shakes him from his vows of celibacy. Austrian actor Joseph Meinrad is memorable as the only true figure portrayed by name in the film, Cardinal Imnitzer of Vienna who makes a devil's bargain with Hitler and has cause to regret it.
I think viewers will also like a pair of fine Italian players Raf Vallone and Tullio Carminati who play a pair Cardinals, the former the friend and mentor of young Tryon and the latter the Papal Secretary of State based on Cardinal Merry del Val.
My favorite moments in The Cardinal are with Burgess Meredith as the parish priest from a diocese in Northern Maine where Tryon is sent as a curate. He's a simple man of great faith who is dying of multiple sclerosis. He's an old friend of Huston's and their reunion scene on Meredith's death bed is touching and sublime. This may very well have been Meredith's best screen role and he never gets enough credit for it.
Curious also that in this day when there is so much controversy about openly gay actor Chad Allen playing a missionary, it's ironic that closeted gay actor Tom Tryon plays a prince of the church here. Tryon after he left acting and became a successful novelist came relatively out of the closet. Today there would be the same howls of indignation as there were for Chad Allen if The Cardinal were made now.
As this is history as the church would write it itself, The Cardinal misfires in making its main points. But the performances that Otto Preminger gets from his cast are dignified and in some cases very moving. Not a bad film, but definitely falls short of being a great one. -
TOM TRYON has the central role in Otto Preminger's majestic looking film version of THE CARDINAL, but he's one of those handsome actors with an impassive face whose emotions never come to the surface. Instead, we get a hint of what he might be thinking without any real clue. And since the film is all about the moral and personal issues facing him as he enters the College of Cardinals, an actor with more emotional capabilities would have been more impressive.
The other flaw is the three hour length for a film in which the story is simply not that compelling. Furthermore, director Preminger has chosen to direct whole scenes at medium length lensing (no close-ups inserted) which gives a flat affect to the dynamics involved.
Aside from these weaknesses, the film has a lot about it to commend. All the interiors of church activities are impressively staged and photographed in beautiful WideScreen photography. The performances around Tryon range from good to excellent, including John Huston, Carol Lynley, Bill Hayes, John Saxon and Burgess Meredith. Huston is particularly commanding as the brusque Cardinal Glennon, who confronts Tryon with: "You're not afraid of me, are you?" when the young man speaks his mind.
All of the technical aspects of the film are professional, giving the story more credibility than it deserves from a rather lumbering script. The icing on the cake is the rich musical score by Jerome Moross.
Holds the interest despite the length as it deals with a young man confronting bigotry, Naziism, and his own personal beliefs as he ascends the ladder of success in the Catholic Church. -
The Cardinal is a historically significant film because of what was happening in the Roman Catholic Church at the time it premiered -- the Second Vatican Council. Called by Pope John XXVIII to bring about reforms in the Church, many of the issues touched upon in the film -- the liturgy, the role of lay persons and women in the Church, rights of the mother vs. the child, mixed marriage, ecumenism -- were being hotly debated by the bishops in Rome. The film added to that debate among ordinary Catholics.
I was a student at a Catholic high school in 1963. To many of us who hoped to see significant and even radical changes toward a more modern Church, the Cardinal dramatized many of the problems that we believed needed correcting. The Second Vatican Council didn't go as far as some of us would like, and the Church hasn't seen much reform since, but when I see the Cardinal today, I'm reminded how much more confining Church doctrine was before the Council did its work.
By the way, in response to the comment that no one could have done all the things that the Cardinal was portrayed as doing in the film, my understanding is that the story is based on the life of Cardinal Spellman of New York. The details are changed, but in fact Cardinal Spellman was from Boston and did undertake many of the same roles in his career, including working as a Vatican diplomat from 1925-1932. -
consortpinguin23 June 2022Seriously, this is one of my favorite novels of all time, but Hollywood was still reliving WWII. The movie has no subtlety, and does not explore Catholicism in the same way that "The Chosen" talks about Judiasm. I still love the book.
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leneker9 July 1999A young priest comes to grips with his vocation. A young super power comes to grips with its new position in the world. These are the stories told in the magnificnt book "The Cardinal".
The movie is a watered down version. The intellectual aspect of the priest is considerable weakened. The cast of characters with whom he interacts is two-dimensional. The plot takes some noticible turns towards popular opinion. Much less satisfying than the novel. -
dglink23 December 2004Based on an early 1950's bestseller, producer/director Otto Preminger's lush religious spectacle pits a Catholic priest from Boston against many of the controversies that dogged the Church during the first half of the 20th century. As the young priest rises in rank to Monsignor, Bishop, and eventually Cardinal, he must tackle abortion, inter-faith marriage, racial discrimination, Nazism, and self-doubts about his own religious calling before the nearly three-hour film reaches the closing credits. Despite its episodic nature, "The Cardinal" is an entertaining film, generally well acted, and filmed by master cinematographer Leon Shamroy against some of the most beautiful landscapes and interiors that Rome and Vienna can offer. The Jerome Moross score enhances the beauty of the visuals and provides an appropriate mood that is haunting and liturgical in tone. While Tom Tryon as the Cardinal, Stephen Fermoyle, does his best, a stronger actor with greater screen presence might have anchored the film and given it greater stability. Tryon at times appears colorless and unconvincing as a man who could rise so quickly and to such heights in the Italian-dominated Church bureaucracy. The film's acting honors instead go expectedly to such veterans as John Huston, Raf Vallone, and Burgess Meredith. Also, the film has dated somewhat as the conflicts depicted between events and Church dogma have been for the most part left in the past, abortion excepted. Perhaps a sequel is in order with Cardinal, or maybe Pope by now, Stephen Fermoyle faced with pedophile priests, gay marriage, and a Church that has lost many of its followers over the decades. But, despite the diminished relevance, "The Cardinal" remains a comforting old fashioned view of the Roman Catholic Church during a period when the mass was said in Latin, the celibacy of a priest was unquestioned, fish was eaten on Fridays, the sacraments were taken seriously, and a poor son of Irish immigrants could rise from Boston curate to Cardinal without showing any more signs of aging than a light dusting of powder on his full head of thick hair.
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sol121812 March 2009***SPOILERS*** Otto Perminger's three hour extravaganza on the inner workings of the Catholic Church is a bit heavy handed but still worth watching in his star Tom Tryon, as Father Stephen Fermoyle, unique performance in it.
Father Stephen's faith is badly shaken when his sister Mona, Carol Lynley, who's both pregnant out of wedlock and on the brink of death. With only the abortion of her unborn child being able to save her life Stephen chooses the life of the child Rigena who's also played, when she's grown up, by Carol Lynley over that of his sister Mona leaving her to die in childbirth on the hospital operating table. Stephen going by his Catholic ethics has the child saved at the lost of Mona's life and that hunts him for the reminder of the film.
Temporally giving up the priesthood, but not the vows he took , and becoming a teacher in Vienna Stephen meets and falls in love with one of his students Annemarie, Romy Schneide. It's when Annemarie finds out that Stephen is a Catholic Priest she drops his like a hot potato knowing that the church takes precedence over her. It's some time later when Stephen again meets Annamerie she's happily married to banker Kurt Von Hartman, Peter Weck. It's then, March 1938, that the Nazis march into Austria and Kurt, being part-Jewish, jumps to his death, out of his and Annemarie's six floor apartment window, to avoid being arrested and put into a Nazi concentration camp by the dreaded Gestapo.
Annemarie herself is arrested by the Gestapo in her being accused of trying to escape from Nazi controlled Austria which Stephen, if she only asked for his help, could have saved her from. During that same period, the late 1930's, Stephen risks his life by traveling to rural Georgia to help fellow-and black- priest Father Gillis, Ossie Davis who's church was burned down by a bunch of local Klansman.
Being kidnapped and brutally horsewhipped by the hooded Klansman Father Stephen's courage to stand up to them encouraged the local black parishioners to come forward and testify against the head of the Klan in the area that put him behind bars. This, according to the movie, was the first time in the south that a white man was convicted on only the strength of a black man, or black mens, testimony!
Back at the Vatican Father Stephen's boundless courage and convictions for his fellow man has him rise to the point where he's appointed as a Cardinal to the Catholic Church. The movie ends with Father, now Carndial, Stephen telling his audience at the Vatican to follow God's rules and resist the dangers that are now surfacing all over the world in the coming, this is in the early summer of 1939, conflict with Fascism. A warning that was sadly ignored, by the world powers at the times, and that resulted in the biggest and most destructive conflict, WWII, in human history.
P.S Actor Tom Tryon who-as Father Stephen Fermoyle- was told by his superior in the film Cardnal Glennow, John Huston, that he needed to be thought a lesson in humility. Tyron was given that hard lesson by the director of the movie "The Cardinal" Otto Preminger himself. Being constantly yelled and screamed at by the ill tempered and demanding Preminger Tryon needed all the humility he could muster up to be able to finish, and not walk off, the movie set! This in itself showed what an excellent and, in taking all that guff from Preminger, disciplined actor the late Tom Tryon really was! -
The Cardinal tracks the life of a young priest through an upwardly-mobile career to the point just prior to his being elevated to Cardinal. The historical time frame falls between the beginning of WWI and the beginning of WWII, and this volatile time in our country's history is reflected by the career of Father (later Monsignor, then Bishop) Fermoyle. Fr. Fermoyle encounters many people who touch his life and have an impact on his career which shakes his faith, and even threatens to end it at one point. You don't have to be Catholic to enjoy this film, but it would certainly help!
The location scenes in Rome, Vienna and Boston give this film a feel which helps the viewer really get involved in the plot. The moral values truly reflect the era depicted; I only wish that a return to those values were possible today.
If you like a good, dramatic story that develops characters you really get to know and care about, please see this film! -
ma-cortes28 June 2012A young Catholic priest named Stephen Fermoyle (Tom Tryon) from Boston confronts bigotry , Nazism, and his own personal conflicts as he rises to the office of cardinal .In Austria, he takes on the question of whether to remain with the priesthood or leave his promise so that he can be with a gorgeous woman (Romy Schneider) he wishes . In Georgia, he contends with Ku Klux Klan and helps another priest (Ossie Davis) to face off racial bigotry . And in Austria, he finds himself personally involved in the dealings of the collaborationist Cardinal Innitzer (Josef Meinrad) with the Third Reich under command of governor Seyss-Inquart (Frey).
Good film with thought-provoking issues and dealing with an Irish-American's rise from a simple priest to the college of Cardinals . The priest singlehandedly attempts to stop bigotry , Nazis , strife and many other difficulties . The film concerns shocking themes for that time as when he must decide whether to save the life of his sister or her unborn child, conceived out of wedlock . The Vatican bankrolled some of the film, and the Vatican liaison was a young Joseph Ratzinger, future Catholic Pope (2005) as Benedict XVI. A truly memorable cast full of good players with special mention to starring Tom Tryon and Romy Schneider . Tryon was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1963 for his acting , but suffered immensely under Otto Preminger's notorious abusive treatment of actor ; at one point during filming, Preminger fired Tryon in front of his parents when they visited the set, then rehired him after being satisfied that Tryon had been sufficiently humiliated , this type of treatment was a big turning point for Tryon, who eventually retired from acting and turned to a successful writing career . Furthermore , an outstanding support cast as Burgess Meredith , John Saxon , Carol Lynley , John Huston , Robert Morse , Cecil Kellaway and feature film of Russ Brown and equally for the late Maggie McNamara in her last character. Enjoyable and sensible musical score by Jerome Moross . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Leon Shamroy.
The motion picture deals with historical events and specially about the ¨Anschluss¨ , it was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938 . Earlier, Nazi Germany had provided support for the Austrian National Socialist Party in its bid to seize power from Austria's Austrofascist leadership.Devoted to remaining independent but under considerable pressure from both Austrian and German Nazis, Austria's Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg tried to hold a referendum for a vote on the issue. Although Schuschnigg expected Austria to vote in favour of maintaining autonomy, a well-planned coup d'état by the Austrian Nazi Party of Austria's state institutions in Vienna took place on 11 March 1938, prior to the referendum, which they canceled. They transferred power to Germany, and the Wehrmacht troops entered Austria to enforce the Anschluss. The Nazis held a plebiscite within the following month, asking the people to ratify it . Although the Allies were committed to upholding the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and St. Germain, which specifically prohibited the union of Austria and the German Empire, their reaction was only verbal and moderate.
This epic point of view of a rise of an obstinate young priest from a backwoods clergyman until Cardinal was well directed by Otto Preminger , but emerge some flaws , being alternately compelling and uneven . -
dowdosean13 January 2008The stiffness in the telling marks the destiny of this confused tale. At times is quite simply, unendurable. The wooden rigidity of Tom Tryon makes things even harder to take. Unconvincing should be the polite way of putting it. Preminger shows an eye for the travelogue part but a total diffidence in the subject at hand. No feel for it at all. Solemnity shouldn't be the way but it is and a rather phony solemnity at that. At times, they all behave like creatures from another planet and nothing they say or do sounds or looks credible. The over long saga is told in little disjointed episodes, the only thing that remains constant is the inexpressive brow of Mr Tryon. Most of Otto Preminger's opus looks terribly dated now. "The Cardinal" is, perhaps, the most dated. Carol Linley goes from saintly sister to exotic dancer in one single throw and Romy Schnaider has a brief and calculated moment. If I had to save something it would be the scene in which John Huston goes to visit his dying friend Burgess Meredith. But those kind of moments are rare. For some reason that I haven't been able to figure out there is a long musical number by Robert Morse, but as absurd as it was, it came as a welcome change from the agonizing pace the film suffers through its interminable length.
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elo-equipamentos11 June 2017The Cardinal l'd watched in 1984 on TV, an overlong movie, in that time l didn't have any idea how meaning of the pictures itself, today after a long time l've the opportunity to re-watch this one from Otto Preminger's unknown movie, after almost three hours long l finally recognized this picture is really amazing, telling a story about a young priest in Boston until a high position in Catholic Church, the movie is showing in flashbacks since the beginning, all the facts one of the most remarkable is about the Father Ned Halley played by Burgess Meredith who died in poverty, another was when he has to help a nigro priest in Georgia and has to confront the segregationist system in this town, the story through the time have many faces until the final, once more Otto Preminger proves as one of best directors for all times!! Underrated movie!!
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First watch: 1984 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 8.5 -
blanche-222 April 2016In the book "Growing Up Catholic," there's a section on "Father What- A-Waste," the good-looking priest in the parish who set hearts aflutter. I'd say Tom Tryon fit into that category.
Directed by Otto Preminger, "The Cardinal," starring Tom Tryon in the eponymous role, is a long, somewhat dated film, given what we know about the behavior of some priests today. Here's a guy not sure he can continue being a priest because of celibacy, and little did he know that about 50% aren't and are priests anyway.
Other actors in the film include John Huston, Burgess Meredith, Bill Hayes, John Saxon, Dorothy Gish, and Maggie McNamara.
Tryon plays Stephen Fermoyle, a man from Boston at the turn of the century whose family has always assumed he would go into the priesthood. After finishing his studies in Rome, he returns to America. He's a good man, and an ambitious one, but it's a quiet ambition. He isn't capable of crushing others.
In Boston, he helps others, but he runs into problems in his own family when his sister (Carol Lynley) leaves home and becomes pregnant. Stephen has to then make a tough decision, and an agonizing one. In Austria, he questions his vocation and takes a leave of absence. He meets a beautiful, vivacious woman (Romy Schneider) with whom he falls in love. But the priesthood wins.
Along the way to Cardinal, he is surprised by the Church's refusal to become involved with a racially-charged issue in a diocese in Georgia. He becomes involved anyway.
Finally, in Austria, he becomes involved in the Church's attitude toward the Third Reich.
Unfortunately the film is neither intense or compelling, moves too slowly, and goes on too long. There are some strong scenes at the end, though. The acting is fine. Tryon would eventually leave acting and become a successful writer before dying of cancer at the age of 65.
Lots of familiar faces and a beautiful production. -
moonspinner5517 March 2007Tom Tryon plays an idealistic Irish-American priest in pre-World War II Boston who works his way up to Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. Adaptation of Henry Morton Robinson's book becomes a woefully uneven melodrama directed by Otto Preminger, who seems to have an understanding of the material but who hasn't enlisted the faith of his large cast. Tryon, looking like a deer caught in the headlights of this mammoth actors' vehicle, is truly awful, but one is more apt to blame Preminger than Tryon (who has been capable in other pictures). Supporting cast (particularly Carol Lynley, John Huston, and Burgess Meredith) fares somewhat better, and the movie looks burnished and handsome, but it just isn't compelling; instead, it's overlong and under-nourished. ** from ****
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jozefkafka8 March 2011Just watched this on TCM (I had seen it once before, about fifteen years ago). It's a type of film that doesn't seem to get made anymore -- the cinematic equivalent of the "good read", examining the life of a character set against a backdrop of historical events.
I've read that Henry Morton Robinson's hugely successful novel, one of the biggest bestsellers of the early '50s, was a key cultural landmark for American Catholics (I'm not Catholic myself). Telling the story of Irish immigrant's son Stephen Fermoyle from Boston altar boy to achieving the titular honor, the book clearly resonated with US Catholics seeking a new sort of identity in the postwar world. The fact that it was clearly based on the well-known Cardinal Spellman probably didn't hurt sales.
Starting in the mid '50s Otto Preminger made a habit of filming recent bestsellers, to take marketing advantage of the books' established publicity. But The Cardinal was published well over a decade before Preminger filmed it in 1963. I'd guess part of this was due to censorship, as a major subplot deals with abortion.
Why a Jew like Preminger would film a novel like The Cardinal can only be guessed at (I have not read the recent Preminger biography), but I wonder if it wasn't at least partly due to the fact that much of the story takes place in Preminger's native Vienna.
The Cardinal has great work from title designer Saul Bass, cinematographer Leon Shamroy, and especially composer Jerome Moross -- his main theme should be much better known. Preminger himself directs in his usual "objective" style: long takes, few if any reaction shots, and occasional use of Preminger's trademark -- the actor starts from the side of the frame, walks toward the camera to CU range, then away from the camera (I can't be the first person to notice this -- have critics come up with a name for this shot?). As always with Preminger, there are moments when a few reactive close-ups might make things a bit clearer, notably the suicide jump in immediate response to the Gestapo visit. A CU or two of the panicking, paranoid victim might make the scene come across as a bit less jarringly out-of-nowhere.
In the very long title role Tom Tryon is adequate. I'm not sure if a more expressive actor could have done much better, as religious uncertainty is hard to visualize. Perhaps someone like Richard Burton might have brought more vulnerability to the section where Fermoyle is tempted by an Austrian girl (Romy Schneider).
John Huston steals all his scenes as a wily church politician, and got a Supporting Oscar nomination to boot. Indeed The Cardinal is the film that started him on his second career as an actor. Carol Lynley also got a nomination and does especially well in her confession scene, although the film fails to take much advantage of the gimmick of Lynley playing two characters. Burgess Meredith (as a saintly parish priest), Dorothy Gish, Raf Vallone, an unbilled David Opatoshu, and many others make effective appearances. I have to mention Bill "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett" Hayes as Fermoyle's piano-playing brother. He's quite lively (Hayes had been a second banana on Ernie Koxacs' 1956 TV show) and surprisingly good in the dramatic scenes. I wonder why he never had more of a Hollywood career (outside of a longtime soap gig).
One other participant in the production should be cited. According to Wikipedia the Papal liaison for the film was one Joseph Ratzinger, now known as Pope Benedict.
The Cardinal is definitely far better than the similar Shoes Of The Fisherman, and I prefer it to another priestly life-story The Keys Of The Kingdom. It could probably be considerably shortened without too much harm -- the Robert Morse musical number could definitely be cut, and the Ku Klux Klan episode is unnecessary as well as unconvincing.
Among Preminger's "bestseller films" I rate The Cardinal higher than Exodus, if not as high as Anatomy Of A Murder. -
barryrd23 April 2016The Cardinal, directed by Otto Preminger, marked a period in the life of an Irish-American priest who rose to become a Cardinal-Archbishop. The movie, based on a best-selling novel of the same name that was published in 1950, suffered in comparison with the blockbuster book, which was a great read as well as commercial success in its day.
The movie has some excellent acting but the plot is often disconnected and poorly presented. The book is a long one and it seems as if some of the scenes were poorly selected. The scene where a churchgoer attributed a cure to the Virgin Mary resulted in a crowd of immigrants flocking to the church, a stereotype of the poor, uneducated Catholic. The young woman working with the parish priest of a rural, French community, performed by Burgess Meredith, presented a beautiful young woman who says she was meant to spend her life in service to the poor and the sick. It might have been a sincere effort to show youthful virtue but seemed a stretch to even the most devout Catholic.
Tom Tryon is badly miscast as Father Stephen Fermoyle, the main character, whose life draws upon the rich subject of Irish Catholic life in 20th century America. Directors will want to have a main character, who will have some star appeal but Tom Tryon seemed uncomfortable and awkward. Hitchcock used Montgomery Clift in the movie "I Confess" but Clift's acting was strong enough to make him credible. Carol Lynley as his wayward sister is excellent. However, the scenes showing Lynley as a vaudeville and nightclub performer while Tryon watched in horror from the audience was rather funny and not overly risqué. Maybe the movie is just dated.
I found the performances of Burgess Meredith and John Huston very convincing. One meeting between the church prelate and the bed-ridden parish priest was very moving with the Cardinal offering to give the elderly priest the last rites. Huston seemed to combine the gravitas of a high church official with concern for the faithful. Ossie Davis was outstanding as the priest from the state of Georgia fighting racism within his own parish and diocese, seeking help from the Vatican.
Fermoyle's relationship with the attractive Romy Schneider, while on a sabbatical to think about his vocation, seemed more to highlight the photography of Vienna and the mountains overlooking the Danube River than to highlight his self-examination of his priestly vocation. The foray to Georgia to help a black priest facing the Klu Klux Klan and the racism of his parish was timely in the1960's when the movie was made.
The Irish Catholic population in North America experienced phenomenal growth in the 19th century with successive waves of immigrants, particularly after the Irish potato famine of the 1840's. The second and third generation Irish benefited greatly from the education and social skills they received at Catholic schools, and the life of Stephen Fermoyle shows the idealized priestly vocation that many families aspired to give to their Church. With their love of music, their faith and family life, they formed a distinct culture within the American mosaic. This culture, based mainly in urban America, is what the novel captured. It is too much to believe a movie could be as effective and while the movie has some great photography and acting, it should have been much better -
verna-a15 July 2010I was pleasantly surprised to catch "The Cardinal" on the late-late show and find it a very watchable film. Despite the Catholic trappings it's a film about ethics as much as religion - in fact that's the point, as a young priest with scholarly leanings has to put his faith into practice dealing with real-life issues. The opening scenes aren't engaging, but I persevered and got into the film sufficiently to watch it through until 3am! The problem with the opening scenes is the major weakness of the film as a whole : quite a few scenes are woodenly directed, surprising given such an eminent director. The bit players are particularly stiff and don't know where to put themselves, while the more experienced actors handle it better, but what was the director doing? Tom Tryon is not expressive as to face and voice, but has impressive presence and becomes a believable character. Carol Lynley and Romy Schneider work hard at their parts but the female characters are shallow in this film. What I appreciated most about this film (as a non-believer) is that it avoids sentiment and while it states Catholic dogma it leaves a question mark in the air. While the Cardinal joins the ranks of the senior priesthood, pink taffeta, funny hats and all he remains very much an individual man grappling with ethical issues, and sometimes arriving at different conclusions to his colleagues. Recommended as a worthwhile film.
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nicholas.rhodes9 November 2004I don't care if anyone believes this but I was actually "attracted" to this film via its incredible, grandiose and very emotional soundtrack which I heard on a Frank Chacksfield Cd ! I thought, with an incredible score like that, the film just cannot be bad ! Might sound stupid, but there it is ! So I found this on a DVD from the USA - very nicely presented in colorful red packaging together with a bonus DVD about the life of O Preminger !
In fact, I did enjoy the film quite a lot ! Excellent picture quality and reasonable sound. Being a Roman Catholic, and always educated in catholic schools, jesuits and De La Salle Brothers, having often attended Holy Mass, I felt, on watching this film to be on familiar ground, so to speak. I thought the film illustrated well certain contradictions within the church, notably of course with regards to "racism" and the "Nazis" in the World War II where its rôle seemed to have been ambiguous to say the least.
I am one of those people who believed that the doctrines of religion have been fixed by God for eternity - you must either accept them as they are or reject them - no one said it would be easy, for this reason I believe that you can not and must not modify religious doctrine to suit the fashion at a given moment in time. If you cannot accept the church's position on one or other point, then you are perfectly free to refuse the Church, the time of the Inquisition is long past, but you certainly should not try to change the doctrine of the Church to suit your own particular views. Only God can do that ! For this reason I agree with the reaction of Fermoyle confronted with various "crucial" situations .... abortion, inter-faith marriage, racism, Nazism etc etc. Sometimes unpopular stances have to be taken and it is good to see Fermoyle have the courage of his convictions even if we do see at times that he is no more than a human being who has doubts about what he is doing and his own weaknesses.
The film is a series of very intense episodes, each one being good to watch but the linking together of them not very smooth, just as you're getting involved in one of these, begorrah ! You're whisked onto the next one without knowing really how the one before resolved itself.
I had never heard of the actor Tom Tryon ! He was not bad but I think the part could have been played better by certain other more well known actors. Tryon had a good, powerful and imposing physique but in some scenes he appears rather emotionless or should I say not emotional enough.
The film is pretty long, there's an intermission which allows the spectator to take a breather,and I found the second part a bit more interesting and intense than the first. That said, the film doubtlessly needs several viewings to be fully appreciated. There are other intense moments, where Fermoyle has to choose between permitting the life of his sister or that of her child-to-be but not both of them, an extremely painful decision for anyone to have to make, also his priest friend who is dying of multiple sclerosis. I was reading the other comments about this film and one of them was limited to the episode of ROmy Schneider's husband who had been sitting at table one minute, hears the Gestapo comes, and in one-and-a-half shakes of a duck's tail, has precipitated himself out of the window to his death on the street below ! It's true that you don't see it coming and remain flabbergasted because it all takes place so quickly. Funny, though that that particular episode should have marked the commentator to such a point that it was the only detail of the film that he/she wrote about !
Another extremely emotional scene is when Fermoyle journeys to Georgia USA at the request of a black priest whose church has been burned down by KKK extremists. He takes a very strong stand against this and pays for it by being whipped by the KKK. A few hours later, one of those who has participated in the whipping ( the harmonica player ) comes back and helps him up ! Although Fermoyle realizes that he was one of the evil-doers, he just gives him a pat on the back and walks off with him. It's a difficult and very uncomfortable scene to bear. I could not forgive a man who had done that to me !
The scene in Vienna where the church singers are bothered by a band of marauding Nazis is extremely intense violent and uncomfortable for the spectator ... the way those Nazis just smash their way into the church building ...... Fermoyle manages to escape via a secret passage to the church crypt .
suddenly it just fades away and we jump forward in time. It was a little frustrating as that was the end of the film. I was surprised to see Romy Schneider in this film, I have seen her often in French and German films but did not know she had starred in American ones. She was very beautiful but her rôle was pretty limited. Perhaps a little more passion between her and Fermoyle would have added some spice to the story ......... never mind !
To conclude then, a fairly long film with intense moments. I'm absolutely not sure whether today many people would like it as unfortunately religion seems to be declining in Western society. But to those people who are religious or have an association with religion or concerned about its development, it is sure to have a certain interest and relevance. -
JasparLamarCrabb6 September 2005A long, at times lumbering, epic directed by Otto Preminger, THE CARDINAL tells the story of a man's rise through the ranks of the catholic church. He encounters all types of sin along the way: loose women, too much pride, racism, Nazis, and on and on. It's all very well mounted and gloriously photographed by the great Leon Shamroy, but it's also intermittently dull and Tom Tryon is nearly fatally cast in the lead role; he has no personality so it's difficult to be intrigued by what happens to him. Preminger's direction is firm, if unimaginative. Several members of the supporting cast shine: John Huston, Burgess Meredith, Jill Haworth, Ossie Davis. Others in the cast, like Raf Vallone and Maggie McNamara are given little to do while Carol Lynley is saddled with two roles: as Tryon's rebellious sister as well as her own illegitimate daughter--she's not particularly appealing in either of them. Romy Schneider is the perky young Austrian who tempts Tryon a little too much. She, like Lynley, is duly punished. Although one of Hollywood's most famous liberals, Preminger never seemed as square as he does here --- you can almost feel him waving his finger at you telling you to behave or else!
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joseph95200122 October 2006I love this movie! I love every foot, every minute, and every second of it! When I first saw this movie I was a practicing Mormon, and now that I am of the Catholic Faith, I love this movie even more than ever. There is a rumor about this movie that it was loosely based on the life of Cardinal Spellman. Was it? Could be, but I haven't found proof, but now that it has been completely restored on Video and in Wide-Screen; what a pleasurable experience, and what a cast. Perfection! And of course, even though briefly in the film, John Huston, as usual is the scene stealer, but when you watch it, I think that the reason this movie is so enjoyable is that not only does everyone look like they love being in the film, they all look like each one of them is trying to steal the scenes from one another and that just makes the film more enjoyable. In the book "The Hustons" John Huston was suppose to have told Preminger to watch himself when directing Tom Tyron because Tyron was a very nervous person and he was not to scream at him in any way, and the first thing that Preminger did, after hearing this, was to walk in back of Tryon and scream at him which sent him almost into having a nervous breakdown right there on the set. This was Tom Tryons last movie assignment and it could well be because of Premingers attitude toward him. Nevertheless, Tryon went on to become a very successful author and if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have "The Dark Secret of Harvest Home" in which when it was filmed for television, we were to enjoy Bette Davis playing Widda, but back to The Cardinal, if anyone asks if this movie was the movie that made me convert from Mormonism to Cathocism; the answer is no. It was "The Sound of Music", although later, I was disappointed to find out that Mary Poppins was a Protestant!
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TheLittleSongbird26 September 2011I quite like Otto Preminger's work, which has consisted of some masterpieces(Laura), some great movies(Carmen Jones), some underrated curiosities(Under Your Spell) to decent and interesting(this). So far, my least has been River of No Return, and even that was nowhere near close to awful.
I found The Cardinal to be interesting and a very decent little movie. It isn't entirely successful however, the film is lengthy and does feel overlong and stodgy in places, Tom Tryon's lead performance is rather stiff and when I saw The Cardinal, the sound seemed muffled.
However it is a well made movie, with beautiful locations and photography, and the music score is highly emotional. Preminger directs with his usual efficiency, the script has many moments of thoughtfulness and the story is crafted in a loving and careful manner and asks several questions which is a further point of interest. To make up for Tryon, we do have a great supporting cast, especially Burgess Meredith and John Huston who are both wonderful. And the scene with Meredith dying and Huston visiting him was beautifully done.
In conclusion, an interesting film. 7/10 Bethany Cox -
laholly9 October 2003I saw this film years ago on television AFTER I had read the excellent book on which it is very loosely based. What a disappointment!.So many integral characters are eliminated,ie, Gaetano Orselli, most of Stephens family, and several of his clergy friends. Although Tom(Thomas) Tryon, Burgess Meredith and John Huston are excellent, there is very little thread to tie them together in this over long film. And will someone please tell me why the character of Ghislana Falerni Orselli was turned into the student temptress for lack of a better term, Anne-Marie. The character only cheapened the film. Even today with the crises in the Roman Catholic church, this film is dated and downright silly. There was so much potential in the book that Preminger chose to ignore for the sake of heaven knows what. Maybe this one should be remade(NOT UPDATED,but using the original source to show how a man of the cloth really should behave.
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Deusvolt19 November 2004Tom Tryon is one of the better but less appreciated actors of the '50s and '60s when mature top stars were the likes of Rock Hudson. Tryon, however, is not only an excellent actor but a good writer as well with a number of books to his name just like Sterling Hayden, another almost forgotten actor of the period.
This movie should be required viewing in Moral Theology as it provides guidance on how a serious practicing Catholic should act when faced with moral dilemmas. With the current moral divide on the question of abortion, I am reminded of that crucial scene in the movie when the character portrayed by Tryon had to decide on what medical procedure to choose in the case of an emergency arising out of a childbirth gone awry. He was the nearest of kin of the woman involved and the doctors advised him that there was a choice as to whether to abort the baby (by crushing its head with forceps) or let the childbirth proceed in which case the mother's life would be compromised. In such cases, Catholic morality requires that the best effort should be made to save both infant and mother but in no case may an intervention be made to kill either one of them. -
arthur_tafero1 January 2024This was an interesting film that had some very memorable moments in it, as well as some preachy, predictable moments as well. It was Tom Tryon signature role for which he is best remembered. He never reached superstar status in his Hollywood experiennces, so this must be considered the apex of his career. Romy Schneider is very young and slim in this film and is radiant on screen. A notable minor role was played by John Huston as a church official, and he did a very good job as well.
The story is told in flashback from 1924 to present day (1963) and there are some very dramatic scenes. I thought the US scenes in the South were very well done, as were the scenes within the Vatican. The only scenes that did not ring true were the scenes in Vienna, and a few scenes in Paris. They were more stereotypical than revealing. As far as the music for the film was concerned, I thought it was a great mistake to use Jerome Moross for this soundtrack; Miklos Rozsa would have been a much better choice. Moross excelled in doing Western music (The Big Country), but was not really known for his work on spectacles. Rozsa already had done several successful scores for major films by this time.
Worth watching, but be warned; it is a three-hour feature and requires a bit of patience. -
The Cardinal is directed by Otto Preminger and adapted to screenplay by Robert Dozier from the novel of the same name written by Henry Morton. It stars Tom Tryon, Romy Schneider, Carol Lynley, Dorothy Gish, Ossie Davis, Burgess Meredith, John Huston, Cecil Kellaway and Maggie McNamara. Music is by Jerome Moross and cinematography by Leon Shamroy.
Film follows the life of Irish Catholic priest Stephen Fermoyle (Tryon) from his ordination to his appointment as a cardinal. His journey over time will see him tackle crisis' within his own family, a struggle with his faith, racism and fascism.
Preminger's epic vision is evident, the visuals often superlative and attention to detail is rather magnificent, yet The Cardinal is too bloated and too episodic for its own good. In what is clearly meant to be a detailed examination of the Catholic Church and faith, both good and bad, just comes off as film makers straining for emotional wallop instead of challenging the viewers.
Film is basically strung together in one by one formation. One scene finds Fermoyle (Tryon looking quite lost at times) faced with something nasty, the next is how he deals with it. Then the next nasty thing comes his way, and then he deals with it. And so on and so on. OK, maybe it is a bit literate at times, desperately reaching out for some poetic worth, and Preminger has camera fluidity in abundance, but the script is too often flaccid, even corny, and there's just not enough pulse raising performances around Tryon to make the near three hour experience worth it
If cut by an hour, with a better leading man and with a script writer willing to really get gritty with the source, then The Cardinal may have been a far better movie. As it is it's a misfire that wastes possibilities all over the shop. 5/10