| The Cardinal | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster bySaul Bass | |
| Directed by | Otto Preminger |
| Screenplay by | Robert Dozier |
| Based on | The Cardinal by Henry Morton Robinson |
| Produced by | Otto Preminger |
| Starring | Tom Tryon Romy Schneider Carol Lynley Jill Haworth Raf Vallone Josef Meinrad Burgess Meredith Ossie Davis John Saxon Dorothy Gish Tullio Carminati Maggie McNamara Bill Hayes Cecil Kellaway John Huston Robert Morse |
| Cinematography | Leon Shamroy |
| Edited by | Louis R. Loeffler |
| Music by | Jerome Moross |
Production company | Gamma Productions |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 175 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $11,170,588[1] |
The Cardinal is a 1963 Americandrama film produced independently, directed byOtto Preminger and distributed byColumbia Pictures. Thescreenplay was written by Robert Dozier, based on the novel byHenry Morton Robinson. The music score was written byJerome Moross.
The film's cast featuresTom Tryon,Romy Schneider andJohn Huston, and it was nominated for sixAcademy Awards. It marks the final appearance by veteran film starDorothy Gish, as well as the last big-screen performance ofMaggie McNamara.
The film was shot onlocation inRome,Vienna,Boston andStamford, Connecticut.
Robinson's novel was based on the life ofFrancis Cardinal Spellman, who was thenArchbishop of New York. TheVatican'sliaison officer for the film was Rev. Dr. Joseph Ratzinger,[2] later to becomePope Benedict XVI. The story touches on various social issues, such as:interfaith marriage, sex outside marriage,abortion,racial bigotry, the rise offascism and war.
The film is shown as a series of memoryflashbacks during a formal ceremony where the protagonist is instituted as acardinal.
A newly ordainedIrish Catholicpriest, Stephen Fermoyle, returns home toBoston in 1917. He discovers that his parents are upset about daughter Mona having become engaged to marry a Jewish man, Benny Rampell. Stephen and his Irish Catholic family will only permit Mona to marry Benny if hebecomes a Catholic or agrees to raise any children as Catholic, as demanded by thepapal bullNe Temere (superseded in 1970). Benny does not agree and leaves to serve inWorld War I. Mona seeks Stephen's counsel as a priest. After he tells her to give Benny up, she runs away and becomes promiscuous.
Concerned about the young priest's ambition, the Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Lawrence Glennon assigns Stephen to an out-of-the-way parish where it is hoped that he will learn humility. There he meets the humble pastor, Father Ned Halley, and Stephen observes the unpretentious way in which he lives his life and treats his parishioners. Father Halley is very sick withmultiple sclerosis. Stephen learns humility from him and his housekeeper, Lalage Menton.
Meanwhile, Mona becomes pregnant out of wedlock. Stephen, his brother Frank and Benny find Mona in agony because herpelvis is too small for a large baby. She is taken to the hospital, where Dr. Parks tells Stephen that it is too late to perform acaesarean section and in order to save Mona, the head of the baby must be crushed. Stephen will not allow Dr. Parks to do so, because according toCatholic doctrine, the baby may not be killed. Mona dies giving birth to the child, Regina.
Racked with guilt over the death of his sister, Stephen suffers a crisis offaith, so he is transferred to Europe and made amonsignor, but he is unsure of how committed he is to a life in the clergy, and he travels toVienna, taking a two-year sabbatical by working as a lecturer. There he meets and enters into a relationship with a young woman, Annemarie von Hartmann. Stephen does not violate his vows.
Stephen's vocation calls him back toRome and the church. TheVatican returns him to the United States on a mission in theAmerican South to assist a black priest named Father Gillis who is opposed by theKu Klux Klan. After successfully handling the assignment, Stephen is consecrated as a bishop, with Father Gillis present for the consecration.
Stephen is sent back toAustria to persuade CardinalTheodor Innitzer not to cooperate with theNazi government, with a threat of a world war looming over all. He and Innitzer ultimately must flee for their lives. He manages to see Annemarie one last time after she has been imprisoned by the Nazi authorities. After the success of the missions on which the Vatican had sent him, he is elevated to theCollege of Cardinals. On the eve ofWorld War II, a ceremony is held in which Stephen formally becomes a cardinal. He warns about the dangers oftotalitarianism and pledges to dedicate the rest of his life to his work.
The script was credited to Robert Dozier, but featured uncredited contributions byRing Lardner Jr. who worked withOtto Preminger in developing characterizations and story structure.[4]Saul Bass was not only responsible for designing the film's poster and advertising campaign, but also the film titles, during which Bass transforms a walk through theVatican into an abstract play of horizontal and vertical lines.[5]
The film had its world premiere at theSaxon Theatre inBoston, Massachusetts.[6] It was the first film to be shown in70 mm despite being shot on35 mm movie film for someroadshow releases, using a "print-up" (blow up) process.[7][8][9]
The Cardinal was the18th highest-grossing film of the year. It grossed $11,170,588 in the United States,[1] earning $5.46 million in domesticrentals.[10]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 47% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[11]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Director | Otto Preminger | Nominated | [12] |
| Best Supporting Actor | John Huston | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction – Color | Art Direction:Lyle R. Wheeler; Set Decoration:Gene Callahan | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography – Color | Leon Shamroy | Nominated | ||
| Best Costume Design – Color | Donald Brooks | Nominated | ||
| Best Film Editing | Louis R. Loeffler | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Drama[a] | Won | [13] | |
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Tom Tryon | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Romy Schneider | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | John Huston | Won | ||
| Best Director – Motion Picture | Otto Preminger | Nominated | ||
| Best Film Promoting International Understanding | Nominated | |||
| Laurel Awards | Top Drama | Nominated | ||
| Top Male Dramatic Performance | Tom Tryon | 5th Place | ||
| Top Male Supporting Performance | John Huston | Nominated | ||
| National Board of Review Awards | Top Ten Films | 10th Place | [14] | |
The film was nominated by theAmerican Film Institute for itsAFI's 100 Years of Film Scores list.[15]
The Cardinal was preserved by theAcademy Film Archive in 2012.[16]
