The Cardinal Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

The Cardinal Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 23, 2014

Nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and Best Cinematography, Otto Preminger's "The Cardinal" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Concorde Home Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on the disc is an original English-language trailer for the film. In English, with optional German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Father Stephen Fermoyle

This lavish film directed by the great Otto Preminger chronicles the life of a working-class Irishman from Boston who becomes a Cardinal. It was adapted from Henry Morton Robinson‘s popular novel, which is based on the life of Cardinal Francis Spellman.

The film begins in 1917 in Boston, where Father Stephen Fermoyle (Tom Tryon, In Harm's Way) is forced to make a very difficult decision after his sister reveals to him that she has fallen in love with a young Jewish soldier (John Saxon, Enter the Dragon) and plans to marry him. Soon after, Father Stephen meets Cardinal Glennon (John Huston), who determines that he has become too ambitious. Stephen is then promptly sent to a remote parish to assist the seriously ill Rev. Halley (Burgess Meredith, Rocky), who is expected to help him regain his humility. Eventually, the Cardinal recognizes the quality of Stephen’s scholarly work and offers to send him to the Vatican. Much to his surprise, however, the young man asks for some time to make a decision and takes a two-year leave of absence to teach in Europe.

In Vienna, Stephen meets the young and beautiful Annemarie (Romy Schneider, Cesar et Rosalie) and they fall madly in love. But Annemarie quickly realizes that they cannot have a future together and the two part ways. Around the same time Stephen befriends Cardinal Quarenghi (Raf Vallone, Harlow), a great diplomat with many important friends, who helps him reach Cardinal Giacobbi (Tullio Carminati, Roman Holiday) when a black American priest (Ossie Davis, A Man Called Adam) arrives in Rome looking for help. When Cardinal Giacobbi refuses to help the priest, Stephen travels to Georgia and ends up confronting the local KKK leaders. After a controversial trial, he returns to Rome and is appointed Bishop. Eventually, Stephen is sent to Vienna, where Cardinal Innitzer (Josef Meinrad, Sissi) is faced with a number of very difficult dilemmas while Hitler is reshaping his country. Stephen attempts to work closely with Cardinal Innitzer but begins to realize that their priorities are drastically different.

The Cardinal is very easy to criticize because it covers an enormous amount of material and in the process produces all sorts of different politically correct observations about sensitive issues that simply cheapen the film. In other words, it lines up all the familiar controversial issues the Catholic Church has faced since WW2 but instead of offering some serious analysis it simply rehashes old and safe truths and half-truths.

Seen strictly as a lavish melodrama, The Cardinal is a lot easier to enjoy. Stephen’s journey allows the viewer to get a glimpse at historic places and possibly even a good feel of the atmosphere that might have existed during crucial events. The street clashes in Vienna and the raid of the church seem like the best ones, but even they have awkward moments where politically correct statements are delivered.

Generally speaking, the acting is good. Tryon is certainly believable as the progressive Irishman, but there are numerous sequences where he seems somewhat uncomfortable in front of the camera. The large ceremony at the end of the film where he is supposedly surprised to see the black priest is a prime example. Schneider is wonderful, but her character appears in the most melodramatic sequences. Vallone and Meredith are both excellent.

The Cardinal was lensed by Oscar winning cinematographer Leon Shamroy (Joseph L. Mankiewicz's Cleopatra, Franklin J. Schaffner’s Planet of the Apes). The film’s wonderful soundtrack was created by Jerome Moross (Melvin Frank’s The Jayhawkers, Paul Newman’s Rachel, Rachel).

The Cardinal Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.44:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Otto Preminger's The Cardinal arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Concorde Home Entertainment.

I don't have any credits to include with our review, but it is obvious to me that The Cardinal has been very carefully restored for this new German Blu-ray release of the film. A quick comparison with Warner's R1 DVD release of the film reveals various improvements in terms of detail and clarity, as well as important stability enhancements. There are potions of the film where contrast fluctuations are present, but they are inherited. Additionally, there are minor color balance and alignment issues, but they are also inherited and more than likely impossible to fully address with current digital tools (see screencapture #8). The best news is that grain is retained as best as possible and excluding some sporadic deteriorations it is fairly evenly resolved. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Finally, it is easy to see that large debris, scratches, cuts, and damage marks have been removed as best as possible. To sum it all up, even though it may appear that there is some room for substantial improvements, to me it is clear that important work has been done to restore The Cardinal and deliver a solid presentation which respects the integrity of the film. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Cardinal Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. For the record, Concorde Home Entertainment have provided optional German subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, the subtitles split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The original English lossless track is excellent. Both depth and clarity are far better when compared to the lossy track from the R1 DVD release of the film Warner Brothers produced. Additionally, the music is crisper and there is a wider ranger of nuanced dynamics. (Listen to Cardinal Glennon's piano playing to hear the improvements in clarity and crispness). The dialog is stable, well balanced with the music, and easy to follow. It is also free of problematic background hiss and distortions.

The Cardinal Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Trailer - original English-language trailer for The Cardinal. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Trailers - trailers for other Concorde Home Entertainment releases.

The Cardinal Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Otto Preminger's The Cardinal is undoubtedly a flawed film, but I think that it is a very interesting time capsule worth revisiting. This German release of The Cardinal was one of my Top 10 international picks in 2013 because it features a new and, in my opinion, very strong restoration of the film. In fact, it is the best presentation of the film that I have seen to date on the home video market. RECOMMENDED.