The Cardinal

This article is about the 1963 American film. For the 1641 James Shirley play, see The Cardinal (play). For the 1936 British film, see The Cardinal (1936 film). For other uses, see Cardinal.

The Cardinal
Promotional poster by Saul Bass
Directed by	Otto Preminger
Produced by	Martin C. Schute
Written by	Robert Dozier
Starring	Tom Tryon Romy Schneider Carol Lynley
Music by	Jerome Moross
Cinematography	Leon Shamroy
Editing by	Louis R. Loeffler
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	December 12, 1963 (1963-12-12)
Running time	175 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Cardinal is a 1963 American drama film which was produced independently and directed by Otto Preminger, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The screenplay was written by Robert Dozier, based on the novel of the same name (1950) by Henry Morton Robinson.

Its cast featured Tom Tryon, Romy Schneider and John Huston and the film was nominated for six Academy Awards.

The film was shot on location in Boston, Rome and Vienna; the music score was written by Jerome Moross. The Cardinal featured the final appearance by veteran film star Dorothy Gish.

Robinson's novel was based on the life of Cardinal Francis Spellman, who was then Archbishop of New York. The Vatican's liaison officer for the film was Joseph Ratzinger, later to become Pope Benedict XVI.

Plot

The film shows the life of a fictional Irish Catholic priest, Stephen Fermoyle, played by Tom Tryon, from his ordination in 1917 to his appointment as a cardinal on the eve of World War II. Fermoyle goes through one crisis after another, first in his own family and then as he climbs up the ladder of the church hierarchy back in his Boston parish and later in Rome within the Vatican. The film touches on various social issues such as interfaith marriage, sex outside of marriage, abortion, racial bigotry, the rise of fascism, and war.

Cast

• Tom Tryon as Stephen Fermoyle
• Carol Lynley as Mona Fermoyle / Regina Fermoyle
• Dorothy Gish as Celia Fermoyle
• Maggie McNamara as Florrie Fermoyle
• Bill Hayes as Frank Fermoyle
• Cameron Prud'Homme as Din Fermoyle
• Romy Schneider as Annemarie von Hartman
• Cecil Kellaway as Monsignor Monaghan
• Loring Smith as Cornelius J. Deegan
• John Saxon as Benny Rampell
• James Hickman as Father Lyons
• Berenice Gahm as Mrs Rampell
• John Huston as Cardinal Glennon
• Jose Duvall (as Jose Duval) as Ramon Gongaro
• Peter MacLean as Father Callahan
• Robert Morse as Bobby and His Adora-Belles
• Burgess Meredith as Father Ned Halley
• Josef Meinrad as Cardinal Innitzer
• Erik Frey as Seyss-Inquart
• Wolfgang Preiss as SS major
• Jill Haworth as Lalage Menton
• Raf Vallone as Cardinal Quarenghi

Awards

The film won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama, marking the last time (as of 2012) a film won that category without later being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Preminger was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director; John Huston was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. Huston's role as Cardinal Glennon was his official debut as an actor although he had previously played bit roles in several films including his own The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). Other Academy Awards nominations were for Best Cinematography (Leon Shamroy), Best Art Direction (Lyle R. Wheeler and set decorator Gene Callahan), Best Costume Design (Donald Brooks), and Best Film Editing (Louis R. Loeffler).

See also

• 1963 in film
• Boston in fiction
• List of American films of 1963
• List of drama films
• List of films set in Rome

External links

• The Cardinal at the Internet Movie Database
• The Cardinal at AllRovi