Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- solemn
- melancholic
- emotionally intense
- classic cinema marathon
- historical drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as an ambitious but uneven historical religious epic, with strong production values and performances offset by its ponderous length and melodramatic treatment.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Stephen Fermoyle repeatedly confronts conflicts involving his sister's pregnancy, romantic love, racial bigotry, and the church's response to fascism.
Stephen's career unfolds through distinct episodes in Boston, Georgia, and Austria shaped by abortion, racism, and the Third Reich.
The 185-minute running time, international settings, period costumes, and Oscar-nominated color cinematography support an epic historical scale.
The plot directly confronts Rome's indifference to racial bigotry and the church's dealings with Nazi Germany.
Films like The Cardinal, and why
The Shoes of the Fisherman
sweeping historical drama about faith, institutional power, and moral compromise across major political crises
The Mission
prestige historical drama centered on a Catholic cleric confronting conscience, authority, and twentieth-century upheaval
A Man for All Seasons
long-form religious epic examining vocation, sacrifice, and personal conviction against institutional pressure
Becket
period drama about an ambitious spiritual figure whose ideals are tested by politics and moral crisis
Movie Details
- Director
- Otto Preminger
- Release Date
- 1963-12-12
- Runtime
- 185 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (54)
Cast
- Tom Tryon
- Romy Schneider
- John Huston
- Carol Lynley
- Dorothy Gish
- Maggie McNamara
- Bill Hayes
- Cameron Prud'Homme
- John Saxon
- Loring Smith
Common questions
- What is The Cardinal about?
- An ambitious Catholic priest navigates love, family crisis, racism, and fascism while struggling to reconcile conscience with obedience.
- What is The Cardinal like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Cardinal as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Cardinal violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Cardinal as mild.
- What did critics think of The Cardinal?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as an ambitious but uneven historical religious epic, with strong production values and performances offset by its ponderous length and melodramatic treatment.
- Which films are like The Cardinal?
- Films with a similar feel include The Shoes of the Fisherman, The Mission, A Man for All Seasons, and Becket.
- How long is The Cardinal?
- The Cardinal runs 185 minutes.
