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IMDbPro

The Cardinal

  • 19631963
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 2h 55m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
Romy Schneider and Tom Tryon in The Cardinal (1963)
A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Nazism, and his own personal conflicts as he rises to the office of cardinal.
Play trailer1:03
1 Video
27 Photos
  • Drama
  • History
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A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Nazism, and his own personal conflicts as he rises to the office of cardinal.A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Nazism, and his own personal conflicts as he rises to the office of cardinal.A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Nazism, and his own personal conflicts as he rises to the office of cardinal.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Otto Preminger
  • Writers
    • Robert Dozier(screenplay)
    • Henry Morton Robinson(novel)
    • Ring Lardner Jr.(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Tom Tryon
    • John Huston
    • Romy Schneider
Top credits
  • Director
    • Otto Preminger
  • Writers
    • Robert Dozier(screenplay)
    • Henry Morton Robinson(novel)
    • Ring Lardner Jr.(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Tom Tryon
    • John Huston
    • Romy Schneider
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 53User reviews
    • 18Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 6 Oscars
      • 3 wins & 13 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:03
    Trailer

    Photos27

    Romy Schneider, Otto Preminger, and Tom Tryon in The Cardinal (1963)
    Romy Schneider, Otto Preminger, and Tom Tryon in The Cardinal (1963)
    "The Cardinal" (Saul Bass Poster) 1963 Columbia Pictures
    1/2 sheet
    Insert
    The Cardinal (1963)
    Tom Tryon in The Cardinal (1963)
    Tom Tryon in The Cardinal (1963)
    The Cardinal (1963)
    The Cardinal (1963)
    Tom Tryon and Raf Vallone in The Cardinal (1963)
    Doro Merande, Tom Tryon, and Chill Wills in The Cardinal (1963)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tom Tryon
    Tom Tryon
    • Stephen Fermoyleas Stephen Fermoyle
    John Huston
    John Huston
    • Glennonas Glennon
    Romy Schneider
    Romy Schneider
    • Annemarieas Annemarie
    Carol Lynley
    Carol Lynley
    • Monaas Mona…
    Dorothy Gish
    Dorothy Gish
    • Celiaas Celia
    Maggie McNamara
    Maggie McNamara
    • Florrieas Florrie
    Bill Hayes
    Bill Hayes
    • Frankas Frank
    Cameron Prud'Homme
    Cameron Prud'Homme
    • Dinas Din
    Cecil Kellaway
    Cecil Kellaway
    • Monsignor Monaghanas Monsignor Monaghan
    Loring Smith
    Loring Smith
    • Cornelius J. Deeganas Cornelius J. Deegan
    John Saxon
    John Saxon
    • Benny Rampellas Benny Rampell
    James Hickman
    • Father Lyonsas Father Lyons
    Berenice Gahm
    • Mrs. Rampellas Mrs. Rampell
    Jose Duvall
    • Ramon Gongaroas Ramon Gongaro
    • (as Jose Duval)
    Peter MacLean
    Peter MacLean
    • Father Callahanas Father Callahan
    Robert Morse
    Robert Morse
    • Bobbyas Bobby
    • (as Robert {Morse} and His Adora-Belles)
    Billy Reed
    • Master of Ceremoniesas Master of Ceremonies
    Pat Henning
    Pat Henning
    • Hercule Mentonas Hercule Menton
    • Director
      • Otto Preminger
    • Writers
      • Robert Dozier(screenplay)
      • Henry Morton Robinson(novel)
      • Ring Lardner Jr.(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The Vatican bankrolled some of the film, and the Vatican liaison was a young Joseph Ratzinger, who in 2005 became the 265th Catholic Pope as Benedict XVI.
    • Goofs
      All along the movie, we see, leading to St Peter's square, the Via della Conciliazione and its palazzi, built for the Holy Year of 1950, under the pontificate of Pius XII, whose election Cardinal Fermoyle is supposed to take part at the very end of the movie.
    • Quotes

      Cardinal Glennon: We've never had a priest working with the Mafia before. But I suppose you made some interesting contacts in Rome.

      Stephen Fermoyle: I had no choice, Your Eminence. I had to work my way through the seminary by selling opium in St. Peter's Square.

      Cardinal Glennon: You're not afraid of me.

      Stephen Fermoyle: No.

      Cardinal Glennon: Why not? Most people are.

      Stephen Fermoyle: I think it's because you remind me of my father. He was known as "Den the Down Shouter," but I soon learned his roar was the only fierce thing about him.

      Cardinal Glennon: He's a lucky man to have a son who's not afraid of him.

    • Connections
      Featured in Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)
    • Soundtracks
      They Haven't Got the Girls in the U.S.A.
      Lyrics by Al Stillman

      Music by Jerome Moross (uncredited)

      Performed by Robert Morse (uncredited)

    User reviews53

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Ooooooooooh !!! That soundtrack.
    I 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.
    helpful•26
    12
    • nicholas.rhodes
    • Nov 9, 2004

    FAQ1

    • Who sang the song Stay With Me in the film

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 12, 1963 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • Der Kardinal
    • Filming locations
      • Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
    • Production company
      • Otto Preminger Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 55 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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