Okay, it's not surprising I liked this movie. It's by Otto Preminger, one of my favoirte directors, and is about one of my favorite subjects, Roman Catholicism. But I think it is a defensiable position that the movie will offer something to non-Preminger fans or spirtual afficianadoes.
The movie is a three hour epic, typical of this period in the director's carreer. Beginning with his ordinaration and ending with his promotion to Cardinal (I'm not giving it away, it's told in flashback), the movie recoutns the rise of Father Stephen Fermore, an American priest from Boston. Told in an episodic strucutre, Father Fermore goes from one assignment to another, becoming a little wiser and more mature in each location. He has frequent conflicts with his superiors, Cardinal Glennon (a great character performance from John Huston) and Cardinal Quarenghi (Raf Vallone).
The movie makes several arguements about what a "good" priest is or what the proper role of the Church should be. Preminger argues that the Church must get involved in political and social issues. He argues that the alternative is to merely mouth theology with nothing to back it up. Another theme of the film is that often to do good is not always easy. This is not, of course, an original concept, but the film does not give the characters easy solutions or easy ways out. Sometimes, the morality must be followed, even at the expense of everything else.
The acting is generally very good, with Tom Tryon very strong in the lead. We really get the impression that Father Fermoyle is changing and growing. There are some problems with actors in bit or small parts. One actor playing a doctor is unintentionally histerical.
Technically, like all Preminger films, the movie is great to look at. The movie was shot all over the world with excellent widescreen photography. Like Ben-Hur, part of the pleasure of watching the film is just looking at the sets and costumes. Unlike that film, this one actually has some intelligent ideas behind it.
I realize that this may not sound like a white-hot exciting film from the way I described it, but there are some really suspenseful scenes towards the end of the movie. Allthough the characters at first seem to be ciphers, they grow on you as the movie progresses, even if they are never quiet three demensional. (I should say that they are two and three quarters deminsional). The sequence set in Vienna drags a little, and the music is a little cheesey. But this is an good film, an entertaining film, an intellegent film. It's also yet another movie I can use to argue why Otto Preminger is was perhaps the most underrated American filmmaker of his era. See this and his others. You'll agree with me.
The Cardinal (1963)