The Cardinal l'd watched in 1984 on TV,a overlong movie...in that time l didn't have any idea how meaning of the pictures itself...today after a long time l've the opportunity to re-watch this Otto Preminger's unknown movie and After almost three hours long l finally recognized this picture is really amazing...telling a story about a young priest in Boston until a high position in Catholic Church,the movie is showing in flashback since the beginning,all the facts one's most remarkable to me is about the Father Ned Halley played by Burgess Meredith who died in poverty...another was when he has to help a nigro priest in Georgia and has to confront the segregationist system in this town....the story through the time have many faces until the final....once more Otto Preminger proves as one's best directors for all times!!Underrated movie!!Resume:First watch: 1984 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 8.5

In the book "Growing Up Catholic," there's a section on "Father What- A-Waste," the good-looking priest in the parish who set hearts aflutter. I'd say Tom Tryon fit into that category.Directed by Otto Preminger, "The Cardinal," starring Tom Tryon in the eponymous role, is a long, somewhat dated film, given what we know about the behavior of some priests today. Here's a guy not sure he can continue being a priest because of celibacy, and little did he know that about 50% aren't and are priests anyway.Other actors in the film include John Huston, Burgess Meredith, Bill Hayes, John Saxon, Dorothy Gish, and Maggie McNamara.Tryon plays Stephen Fermoyle, a man from Boston at the turn of the century whose family has always assumed he would go into the priesthood. After finishing his studies in Rome, he returns to America. He's a good man, and an ambitious one, but it's a quiet ambition. He isn't capable of crushing others. In Boston, he helps others, but he runs into problems in his own family when his sister (Carol Lynley) leaves home and becomes pregnant. Stephen has to then make a tough decision, and an agonizing one. In Austria, he questions his vocation and takes a leave of absence. He meets a beautiful, vivacious woman (Romy Schneider) with whom he falls in love. But the priesthood wins.Along the way to Cardinal, he is surprised by the Church's refusal to become involved with a racially-charged issue in a diocese in Georgia. He becomes involved anyway. Finally, in Austria, he becomes involved in the Church's attitude toward the Third Reich. Unfortunately the film is neither intense or compelling, moves too slowly, and goes on too long. There are some strong scenes at the end, though. The acting is fine. Tryon would eventually leave acting and become a successful writer before dying of cancer at the age of 65.Lots of familiar faces and a beautiful production.

The Cardinal is directed by Otto Preminger and adapted to screenplay by Robert Dozier from the novel of the same name written by Henry Morton. It stars Tom Tryon, Romy Schneider, Carol Lynley, Dorothy Gish, Ossie Davis, Burgess Meredith, John Huston, Cecil Kellaway and Maggie McNamara. Music is by Jerome Moross and cinematography by Leon Shamroy.Film follows the life of Irish Catholic priest Stephen Fermoyle (Tryon) from his ordination to his appointment as a cardinal. His journey over time will see him tackle crisis' within his own family, a struggle with his faith, racism and fascism.Preminger's epic vision is evident, the visuals often superlative and attention to detail is rather magnificent, yet The Cardinal is too bloated and too episodic for its own good. In what is clearly meant to be a detailed examination of the Catholic Church and faith, both good and bad, just comes off as film makers straining for emotional wallop instead of challenging the viewers.Film is basically strung together in one by one formation. One scene finds Fermoyle (Tryon looking quite lost at times) faced with something nasty, the next is how he deals with it. Then the next nasty thing comes his way, and then he deals with it. And so on and so on. OK, maybe it is a bit literate at times, desperately reaching out for some poetic worth, and Preminger has camera fluidity in abundance, but the script is too often flaccid, even corny, and there's just not enough pulse raising performances around Tryon to make the near three hour experience worth itIf cut by an hour, with a better leading man and with a script writer willing to really get gritty with the source, then The Cardinal may have been a far better movie. As it is it's a misfire that wastes possibilities all over the shop. 5/10

The stiffness in the telling marks the destiny of this confused tale. At times is quite simply, unendurable. The wooden rigidity of Tom Tryon makes things even harder to take. Unconvincing should be the polite way of putting it. Preminger shows an eye for the travelogue part but a total diffidence in the subject at hand. No feel for it at all. Solemnity shouldn't be the way but it is and a rather phony solemnity at that. At times, they all behave like creatures from another planet and nothing they say or do sounds or looks credible. The over long saga is told in little disjointed episodes, the only thing that remains constant is the inexpressive brow of Mr Tryon. Most of Otto Preminger's opus looks terribly dated now. "The Cardinal" is, perhaps, the most dated. Carol Linley goes from saintly sister to exotic dancer in one single throw and Romy Schnaider has a brief and calculated moment. If I had to save something it would be the scene in which John Huston goes to visit his dying friend Burgess Meredith. But those kind of moments are rare. For some reason that I haven't been able to figure out there is a long musical number by Robert Morse, but as absurd as it was, it came as a welcome change from the agonizing pace the film suffers through its interminable length.