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The Cardinal (1936 film)

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The Cardinal
Directed bySinclair Hill
Written byD. B. Wyndham-Lewis
Based onThe Cardinal
by Louis N. Parker
Starring
CinematographyCyril Bristow
Edited byMax Brenner
Music byLeighton Lucas
Production
company
Grosvenor Films
Distributed byPathé Pictures
Release date
  • 26 March 1936 (1936-03-26)
Running time
70 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Cardinal is a 1936 British historical drama film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Matheson Lang, Eric Portman and June Duprez.[1] The film depicts a power battle in sixteenth-century Rome between the leading church-statesman Giuliano de' Medici and one of his rivals. Other themes in the film are the Italian Wars against France and the construction of the new St. Peter's Basilica to a design by Michelangelo.

The film was based on the 1901 play The Cardinal by Louis N. Parker. It was made at Welwyn Studios as an independent production, but released by a leading distributor Associated British.[2]

Reception

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Variety considered the film to be weak apart from the performance of Matheson Lang in the title role.[3] Questions have been raised about the historical accuracy of the film, which appears to borrow people and events from different time periods.[4]

Cast

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References

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  1. ^ BFI Database entry
  2. ^ Wood p.85
  3. ^ Klossner p.61
  4. ^ Klossner p.61

Bibliography

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  • 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.
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