Just 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.
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.