Jerome Moross' music for Otto Preminger's The Cardinal is represented somewhat unevenly on this very short soundtrack album. The composer is at his best when he is writing the impassioned, deeply lyrical and moving passages depicting the internal life of the movie's subject, a Catholic clergyman whose career route to the College of Cardinals is traced -- he is much less effective writing source and period "effect" music. It's not a bad soundtrack album as such releases go for this period, but also not special enough as a complete body of work to recommend it to anyone but serious fans of the composer or the subject of the movie. ~ Bruce Eder
