The Cardinal (1963)

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Henry Morton Robinson (novel)
Robert Dozier (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

12 December 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Naziism, and his own personal conflicts as he rises to the office of cardinal.

Plot Keywords:

Cardinal | Catholic | Bigotry | Priesthood | Georgia

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Tom Tryon	...	Stephen Fermoyle
Carol Lynley	...	Mona Fermoyle / Regina Fermoyle
Dorothy Gish	...	Celia Fermoyle
Maggie McNamara	...	Florrie Fermoyle
Bill Hayes	...	Frank Fermoyle
Cameron Prud'Homme	...	Din Fermoyle
Cecil Kellaway	...	Monsignor Monaghan
Loring Smith	...	Cornelius J. Deegan
John Saxon	...	Benny Rampell
James Hickman	...	Father Lyons
Berenice Gahm	...	Mrs. Rampell
John Huston	...	Cardinal Glennon
Jose Duvall	...	Ramon Gongaro (as Jose Duval)
Peter MacLean	...	Father Callahan
Robert Morse	...	Bobby and His Adora-Belles
Billy Reed	...	Master of Ceremonies
Pat Henning	...	Hercule Menton
Burgess Meredith	...	The Rev. Ned Halley
Jill Haworth	...	Lalage Menton
Russ Brown	...	Dr. Heller
Raf Vallone	...	Cardinal Quarenghi
Tullio Carminati	...	Cardinal Giacobbi
Ossie Davis	...	Father Gillis
Francesco Mancini	...	Master of Ceremonies (Ordination) (as Don Francesco Mancini of Veroli)
Dino Di Luca	...	Italian Monsignor
Donald Hayne	...	Father Eberling
Chill Wills	...	Monsignor Whittle
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Sheriff Dubrow
Doro Merande	...	Woman Picket
Patrick O'Neal	...	Cecil Turner
Murray Hamilton	...	Lafe
Romy Schneider	...	Annemarie von Hartman
Peter Weck	...	Kurt von Hartman
Rudolf Forster	...	Drunk Man at the Ball
Josef Meinrad	...	Cardinal Innitzer
Dagmar Schmedes	...	Madame Walter
Erik Frey	...	Seyss-Inquart (as Eric Frey)
Josef Krastel	...	Von Hartman's Butler
Matthias Fuchs	...	Father Neidermoser
Vilma Degischer	...	Sister Wilhelmina
Wolfgang Preiss	...	S.S. Major
Jürgen Wilke	...	Army Lieutenant
Wilma Lipp	...	Soloist
Eric van Nuys
Stefan Skodler		(as Stephan Skodler)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jed Curtis	...	Young Monk (uncredited)
David Opatoshu	...	Mr. Rampell (uncredited)

Directed by
Otto Preminger

Writing credits
Henry Morton Robinson		(novel)
Robert Dozier		(writer)
Ring Lardner Jr.		uncredited

Produced by
Otto Preminger	....	producer
Martin C. Schute	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Jerome Moross

Cinematography by
Leon Shamroy

Film Editing by
Louis R. Loeffler

Casting by
Bill Barnes

Production Design by
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Gene Callahan

Costume Design by
Donald Brooks

Makeup Department
Robert Jiras	....	makeup artist
Frederic Jones	....	hair stylist (as Frederick Jones)
Dick Smith	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Guy Luongo	....	production manager: International Film Services, Rome
Eva Monley	....	production manager
Harrison Starr	....	production manager
Paul Waldherr	....	production manager: Danubia Films, Vienna
Henry Weinberger	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bryan Coates	....	assistant director
Robert Fiz	....	assistant director
Hermann Leitner	....	assistant director
Gerry O'Hara	....	assistant director
Bob Vietro	....	assistant director
Erich von Stroheim Jr.	....	assistant director

Art Department
Fred Bockstahler	....	construction grip
Art Cole	....	property master
Tom Frewer	....	property master
Otto Niedermoser	....	art director: Vienna
Italo Tomassi	....	scene painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Morris Feingold	....	sound
Walter Goss	....	sound
Red Law	....	sound
Harold Lewis	....	sound
Peter Thornton	....	sound effects editor

Stunts
Jack Cooper	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Atcheler	....	camera operator
Fred Hall	....	chief gaffer
Kenneth Lang	....	best boy
Leo McCreary	....	key grip
Saul Midwall	....	camera operator
Piero Portalupi	....	camera operator: second unit
Morris Rosen	....	key grip
Paul Uhl	....	camera operator
Clyde Taylor	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Hope Bryce	....	costume coordinator
Joe King	....	wardrobe
George Newman	....	wardrobe
Flo Transfield	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Leon Birnbaum	....	music editor
Gary Hughes	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Elfi von Dassanowsky	....	vocal coach (uncredited)
Albert Woodbury	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Saul Bass	....	title designer
Kathleen Fagan	....	script supervisor
Donald Hayne	....	technical advisor
Otto Preminger	....	presenter
Nat Rudich	....	executive assistant to producer
Buddy Schwab	....	choreographer
Max Slater	....	dialogue coach

Production Companies

• Otto Preminger Films (as Gamma Productions)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1963) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1963) (UK) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1969) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia-Bavaria Filmgesellschaft m.b.H. (1964) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Runtime:

175 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Malden, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Otto Preminger Films

Trivia:

Final feature film of Russ Brown.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the blood is flowing from the statue's heart and Father Fermoyle addresses the worshiping crowd, the length of the flow on the statue is inconsistent between cuts going from nearly all the way down the statue to being shown at midway down the statue and returning to be all the way down the statue.

Quotes:

Cardinal Glennon: We've never had a priest working with the Mafia before. But I suppose you made some interesting contacts in Rome.
Stephen Fermoyle: I had no choice, Your Eminence. I had to work my way through the seminary by selling opium in St. Peter's Square.
Cardinal Glennon: You're not afraid of me.
Stephen Fermoyle: No.
Cardinal Glennon: Why not? Most people are.
Stephen Fermoyle: I think it's because you remind me of my father. He was known as "Den the Down Shouter," but I soon learned his roar was the only fierce thing about him.
Cardinal Glennon: He's a lucky man to have a son who's not afraid of him.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)

Soundtrack:

Stay with Me

A compelling story of a priest trying to fulfill his vocation in a world that sometimes conflicts with Catholic morality.

Tom Tryon is one of the better but less appreciated actors of the '50s and '60s when mature top stars were the likes of Rock Hudson. Tryon, however, is not only an excellent actor but a good writer as well with a number of books to his name just like Sterling Hayden, another almost forgotten actor of the period.

This movie should be required viewing in Moral Theology as it provides guidance on how a serious practicing Catholic should act when faced with moral dilemmas. With the current moral divide on the question of abortion, I am reminded of that crucial scene in the movie when the character portrayed by Tryon had to decide on what medical procedure to choose in the case of an emergency arising out of a childbirth gone awry. He was the nearest of kin of the woman involved and the doctors advised him that there was a choice as to whether to abort the baby (by crushing its head with forceps) or let the childbirth proceed in which case the mother's life would be compromised. In such cases, Catholic morality requires that the best effort should be made to save both infant and mother but in no case may an intervention be made to kill either one of them.