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- For the 1641 James Shirley play, see The Cardinal (play)
The Cardinal is a 1963 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 by Henry Morton Robinson. The film was shot on locations in Boston, Rome and Vienna. The film's music score was written by Jerome Moross.
Plot
The film shows the life of a fictional Irish American, Roman 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. Tom Tryon portrays Fermoyle as a priest grappling with the moral dimensions of the crises he must face. Actor Tryon worked with Preminger one more time in In Harm's Way (1965).
Cast
Awards
Preminger was nominated for a Best Director Academy Award, as was John Huston, who was nominated for his acting (in a supporting role) (He did, however, win the Golden Globe). 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. Other nominations were for Best Cinematography (Leon Shamroy), Best Art Direction (Lyle Wheeler and set decorator Gene Callahan), Best Costume Design (Donald Brooks), and Best Film Editing (Louis R. Loeffler).[1]
Cardinal Francis Spellman
Robinson's original 1950 novel was based on the life of Cardinal Francis Spellman, who was then archbishop of New York. Pius XII created him Cardinal Priest of Ss. Giovanni e Paolo in the consistory of February 18, 1946; his titular church was the same one held by Pius before he was elected to the papacy.
During his tenure in New York, Spellman's considerable national influence in religious and political matters earned his residence the nickname of "the Powerhouse".[2] He hosted such prominent figures as Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., Bernard Baruch, David I. Walsh, John William McCormack, and numerous other politicians, entertainers, and clergymen. In 1945, he instituted the Al Smith Dinner, an annual white tie fundraiser for Catholic Charities attended by prominent national figures, including presidential nominees.
Vehemently anti-Communist, Spellman once said that "a true American can neither be a Communist nor a Communist condoner and that "the first loyalty of every American is vigilantly to weed out and counteract Communism and convert American Communists to Americanism". He was firm supporter of Joseph McCarthy. He frequently criticized films he perceived to be immoral or indecent.
References
External links
