''The Cardinal'' is a 1936 British historical drama film directed by

Sinclair Hill Sinclair Hill (10 June 1896 – 6 March 1945) was a British film director, producer and screenwriter. He directed nearly fifty films between 1920 and 1939. He was born as George Sinclair-Hill in London in 1894. He was awarded an OBE for his ser ...

and starring Matheson Lang, Eric Portman and June Duprez. The film depicts a power battle in sixteenth-century

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

between the leading church-statesman

Giuliano de' Medici Giuliano de' Medici (25 October 1453 – 26 April 1478) was the second son of Piero de' Medici (the Gouty) and Lucrezia Tornabuoni. As co-ruler of Florence, with his brother Lorenzo the Magnificent, he complemented his brother's image as the ...

and one of his rivals. Other themes in the film are the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

against France and the construction of the new St. Peter's Basilica to a design by

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was ins ...

. The film was based on the 1901 play '' The Cardinal'' by

Louis N. Parker Louis Napoleon Parker (21 October 1852 – 21 September 1944) was an English dramatist, composer and translator. Parker wrote many plays, developing a reputation for historical works. His 1911 play ''Disraeli'' is one of his best known, written a ...

. It was made at Welwyn Studios as an independent production, but released by a leading

distributor A distributor is an enclosed rotating switch used in spark-ignition internal combustion engines that have mechanically timed ignition. The distributor's main function is to route high voltage current from the ignition coil to the spark plug ...

Associated British Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...

Reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' considered the film to be weak apart from the performance of Matheson Lang in the title role. Questions have been raised about the historical accuracy of the film, which appears to borrow people and events from different time periods.Klossner p.61

Cast

* Matheson Lang as Cardinal de' Medici * Eric Portman as

* Robert Atkins as General Belmont *

O. B. Clarence Oliver Burchett Clarence (25 March 1870, Hampstead, London – 2 October 1955, Hove, Sussex) was an English actor. Following his education at Dover College and University College Hospital, he made his stage debut in 1890. His experience include ...

as Monterosa * Douglas Jefferies as Baglioni * F. B. J. Sharp as

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or t ...

* Wilfred Fletcher as

A. Bromley Davenport Arthur Henry Bromley-Davenport (29 October 1867 – 15 December 1946), better known as A. Bromley Davenport, was an English actor born in Baginton, Warwickshire, England, UK. Bromley-Davenport made appearances in at least 77 films for t ...

as Bramante * Rayner Barton as Cardinal Orelli * Edgar K. Bruce as Spini * David Horne as English Abbot * June Duprez as Francesca Monterosa * Henrietta Watson as Donna Claricia *

Dora Barton Dora Barton (''née'' Brockbank; 20 January 1880 – 13 September 1966) was an English actress who appeared in films between 1916 and 1938. She was the daughter of actress Mary Barton and the sister of actress Naomi Barton. She married actor ...

as Duenna

References

Bibliography

* Klossner, Michael. ''The Europe of 1500-1815 on Film and Television: A Worldwide Filmography of Over 2550 Works, 1895 Through 2000''. McFarland & Company, 2002. * Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* 1936 films British historical drama films 1930s historical drama films Films directed by Sinclair Hill Films set in Rome Films set in the 16th century Films shot at Welwyn Studios British black-and-white films 1936 drama films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{1930s-UK-film-stub