I 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.
Review of The Cardinal
