The Cardinal

"A motion picture that spans two decades of conflict and drama as it tells the story of a young American and his rise to prince of the church."

1963 3h 5m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 55

DramaHistoryWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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

“A motion picture that spans two decades of conflict and drama as it tells the story of a young American and his rise to prince of the church.”

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Cast

Tom Tryon
Stephen Fermoyle
Romy Schneider
Annemarie von Hartman
John Huston
Kardinal Glennon
Carol Lynley
Mona Fermoyle / Regina Fermoyle
Dorothy Gish
Celia Fermoyle
Maggie McNamara
Florrie Fermoyle
Bill Hayes
Frank Fermoyle
Cameron Prud'Homme
Din Fermoyle

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Otto Preminger
Writers: Robert Dozier, Ring Lardner Jr.
Languages: German, English, Latin
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 185 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

63 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, English, Latin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Otto Preminger, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jerome Moross. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Louis R. Loeffler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tom Tryon and Romy Schneider and John Huston carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A motion picture that spans two decades of conflict and drama as it tells the story of a young American and his rise to prince of the church.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Otto Preminger directs. Leon Shamroy behind the camera. Jerome Moross scores. Louis R. Loeffler cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, English, Latin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 185 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
263 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, English, Latin.
4Directed by Otto Preminger, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jerome Moross. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Louis R. Loeffler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tom Tryon and Romy Schneider and John Huston carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A motion picture that spans two decades of conflict and drama as it tells the story of a young American and his rise to prince of the church.".
9IMDB entry: tt0056907 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 55 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "world war i", "faith", "world war ii", "priest".