The Cardinal, directed by Otto Preminger, marked a period in the life of an Irish-American priest who rose to become a Cardinal-Archbishop. The movie, based on a best-selling novel of the same name that was published in 1950, suffered in comparison with the blockbuster book, which was a great read as well as commercial success in its day.
The movie has some excellent acting but the plot is often disconnected and poorly presented. The book is a long one and it seems as if some of the scenes were poorly selected. The scene where a churchgoer attributed a cure to the Virgin Mary resulted in a crowd of immigrants flocking to the church, a stereotype of the poor, uneducated Catholic. The young woman working with the parish priest of a rural, French community, performed by Burgess Meredith, presented a beautiful young woman who says she was meant to spend her life in service to the poor and the sick. It might have been a sincere effort to show youthful virtue but seemed a stretch to even the most devout Catholic.
Tom Tryon is badly miscast as Father Stephen Fermoyle, the main character, whose life draws upon the rich subject of Irish Catholic life in 20th century America. Directors will want to have a main character, who will have some star appeal but Tom Tryon seemed uncomfortable and awkward. Hitchcock used Montgomery Clift in the movie "I Confess" but Clift's acting was strong enough to make him credible. Carol Lynley as his wayward sister is excellent. However, the scenes showing Lynley as a vaudeville and nightclub performer while Tryon watched in horror from the audience was rather funny and not overly risqué. Maybe the movie is just dated.
I found the performances of Burgess Meredith and John Huston very convincing. One meeting between the church prelate and the bed-ridden parish priest was very moving with the Cardinal offering to give the elderly priest the last rites. Huston seemed to combine the gravitas of a high church official with concern for the faithful. Ossie Davis was outstanding as the priest from the state of Georgia fighting racism within his own parish and diocese, seeking help from the Vatican.
Fermoyle's relationship with the attractive Romy Schneider, while on a sabbatical to think about his vocation, seemed more to highlight the photography of Vienna and the mountains overlooking the Danube River than to highlight his self-examination of his priestly vocation. The foray to Georgia to help a black priest facing the Klu Klux Klan and the racism of his parish was timely in the1960's when the movie was made.
The Irish Catholic population in North America experienced phenomenal growth in the 19th century with successive waves of immigrants, particularly after the Irish potato famine of the 1840's. The second and third generation Irish benefited greatly from the education and social skills they received at Catholic schools, and the life of Stephen Fermoyle shows the idealized priestly vocation that many families aspired to give to their Church. With their love of music, their faith and family life, they formed a distinct culture within the American mosaic. This culture, based mainly in urban America, is what the novel captured. It is too much to believe a movie could be as effective and while the movie has some great photography and acting, it should have been much better
The movie has some excellent acting but the plot is often disconnected and poorly presented. The book is a long one and it seems as if some of the scenes were poorly selected. The scene where a churchgoer attributed a cure to the Virgin Mary resulted in a crowd of immigrants flocking to the church, a stereotype of the poor, uneducated Catholic. The young woman working with the parish priest of a rural, French community, performed by Burgess Meredith, presented a beautiful young woman who says she was meant to spend her life in service to the poor and the sick. It might have been a sincere effort to show youthful virtue but seemed a stretch to even the most devout Catholic.
Tom Tryon is badly miscast as Father Stephen Fermoyle, the main character, whose life draws upon the rich subject of Irish Catholic life in 20th century America. Directors will want to have a main character, who will have some star appeal but Tom Tryon seemed uncomfortable and awkward. Hitchcock used Montgomery Clift in the movie "I Confess" but Clift's acting was strong enough to make him credible. Carol Lynley as his wayward sister is excellent. However, the scenes showing Lynley as a vaudeville and nightclub performer while Tryon watched in horror from the audience was rather funny and not overly risqué. Maybe the movie is just dated.
I found the performances of Burgess Meredith and John Huston very convincing. One meeting between the church prelate and the bed-ridden parish priest was very moving with the Cardinal offering to give the elderly priest the last rites. Huston seemed to combine the gravitas of a high church official with concern for the faithful. Ossie Davis was outstanding as the priest from the state of Georgia fighting racism within his own parish and diocese, seeking help from the Vatican.
Fermoyle's relationship with the attractive Romy Schneider, while on a sabbatical to think about his vocation, seemed more to highlight the photography of Vienna and the mountains overlooking the Danube River than to highlight his self-examination of his priestly vocation. The foray to Georgia to help a black priest facing the Klu Klux Klan and the racism of his parish was timely in the1960's when the movie was made.
The Irish Catholic population in North America experienced phenomenal growth in the 19th century with successive waves of immigrants, particularly after the Irish potato famine of the 1840's. The second and third generation Irish benefited greatly from the education and social skills they received at Catholic schools, and the life of Stephen Fermoyle shows the idealized priestly vocation that many families aspired to give to their Church. With their love of music, their faith and family life, they formed a distinct culture within the American mosaic. This culture, based mainly in urban America, is what the novel captured. It is too much to believe a movie could be as effective and while the movie has some great photography and acting, it should have been much better