Best movies like The Cardinal
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Naziism, and his own personal conflicts as he rises to the office of cardinal.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 175 min
Plot tags: religious drama, epic, sincere, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic
Best tv shows and movies like The Cardinal (1963):
Similar in 84%
Satan Never Sleeps (1962)
Plot Summary:
A priest (William Holden) arrives at a mission-post in China accompanied by a young native girl who has joined him along the way. His job is to relieve the existing priest (Clifton Webb), who is now too old and weak to continue with the upkeep of the church. However, Communist soldiers arrive at the mission and seize it as a command post. Their leader rapes the native girl and impregnates her, only later to realise that Communism is no good for him. In the end, the foursome flee to the border, but are pursued by Communist forces along the way.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 843
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 81%
Leon Morin, Priest (1961)
Plot Summary:
In World War II, the widow Barny sees the Italian soldiers arriving in occupied Saint Bernard while walking to her job. Barny lives with her daughter and works correcting tests and feels a great attraction toward her boss Sabine. When the Germans arrive, Barny sends her half-Jewish daughter to live in a farm in the countryside and finds that Sabine's brother has been arrested and sent to a concentration camp. The atheist Barny decides to baptize her daughter to protect her and chooses priest Léon Morin to discuss with him themes related to religion and Catholicism and Léon lends books to her. Barny converts to the Catholicism and becomes closer to Léon, feeling an unrequited desire for him.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, sincere, bleak, serious, christian film, spiritual, art house, contemplative, talky
Similar in 83%
The Third Miracle (1999)
Plot Summary:
The Vatican sends a priest to verify some miracles, performed by a woman who has been nominated for sainthood.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: biblical, controversial, sincere, thought provoking, serious, realistic, contemplative, independent film, psychological, sentimental
Similar in 81%
The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)
Plot Summary:
Metropolitan Archbishop Lakota of L'viv, freed after twenty years in the Soviet Gulag, travels to Rome where circumstances conspire to see him elevated to the Papacy. Inspired by the life story of Ukrainian Catholic Cardinal Josyf Slipyj,.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 162 min
Plot tags: tense, epic, serious, realistic, christian film, retro, spiritual
Similar in 78%
Monsignor (1982)
Plot Summary:
The vows of an ambitious young American priest are tested during World War II. Not only does Father John Flaherty get involved with the black market to raise money for the Vatican, he also falls in love with a young French nun.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic
Similar in 75%
Pieces of Dreams (1970)
Plot Summary:
A young priest (Robert Forster) questions his faith after he falls in love with a social worker.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 345
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: uplifting, thought provoking, touching, serious, realistic, sexual, sexy
Similar in 80%
The Assisi Underground (1985)
Plot Summary:
This film sheds light on the role of the Catholic Church and the people of Assisi in rescuing Italian Jews from the Nazis in 1943.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 433
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Italy, USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, independent film
Similar in 90%
To Kill a Priest (1988)
Plot Summary:
A young priest speaks out against the Communist regime in Poland and is killed for it.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, rough, suspenseful, captivating
Similar in 83%
Karol: A Man Who Became Pope (2005)
Plot Summary:
The life of the pope John-Paul II, from his youth as a writer, actor, and athlete in war-torn occupied Poland to his election as Pope at the age of 58.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Poland, Italy
Duration: 186 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, factual, psychological, touching, crying, christian film
Similar in 79%
Pope Joan (2009)
Plot Summary:
A 9th century woman of English extraction born in the German city of Ingelheim disguises herself as a man and rises through the Vatican ranks.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: Germany, UK, Italy, Spain
Duration: 149 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, costume drama, epic, historical drama, spiritual, sad, realistic
Similar in 85%
The Battle of Canudos (1997)
Plot Summary:
The film adaptation of Nobel Prize winning author, Mario Vargas Llosa's epic, The War At The End Of the World (La guerra del fin del mundo).
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 786
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Brazil
Duration: 170 min
Plot tags: political, sincere, epic, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic
Similar in 81%
For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada (2012)
Plot Summary:
A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, History, War, Western
Country: Mexico
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: serious, sincere, realistic, epic, christian film, stylized
Similar in 78%
Little Boy (2015)
Plot Summary:
An eight-year-old boy is willing to do whatever it takes to end World War II so he can bring his father home. The story reveals the indescribable love a father has for his little boy and the love a son has for his father.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Mexico, USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: sentimental, emotional, touching, sweet, sad, semi serious, fairy tale, christian film, spiritual, scenic
Similar in 87%
Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace (2000)
Plot Summary:
The story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German clergyman of great distinction, who actively opposed Hitler and the Nazis. His convictions cost him his life. What is a moral person to do in a time of savage immorality? That question tormented Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German clergyman of great distinction who actively opposed Hitler and the Nazis. His convictions cost him his life. The Nazis hanged him on April 9, 1945, less than a month before the end of the war. Bonhoeffer's last years, his participation in the German resistance and his moral struggle are dramatized in this film. More than just a biographical portrait, Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace sheds light on the little-known efforts of the German resistance. It brings to a wide audience the heroic rebellion of Bonhoeffer, a highly regarded Lutheran minister who could have kept his peace and saved his life on several occasions but instead paid the ultimate price for his beliefs.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 790
Genere: Crime, Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: Canada, Germany, USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, captivating, emotional, christian film, suspense, bleak, serious, realistic, contemplative, political thriller
Similar in 85%
Haven (2001)
Plot Summary:
This is the true story of a woman named Ruth Gruber who travels to Europe to help escort 1000 Jewish War victims to the United States. She comes to love and feel sorry for them all, and fights for their rights to live in America.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 514
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: emotional, sincere, disturbing, serious, captivating, realistic, crying, uplifting
Similar in 87%
Spring of Life (2000)
Plot Summary:
The film, 'The Spring Of Life', brings to light a little-known operation of the Nazi SS, started just before the outbreak of World War II. Through the careful selection and re-education of young women, it was the Nazi's mad dream to create an Aryan 'master race'.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 355
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Czech Republic
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, disturbing, bleak, rough
Similar in 75%
Francesco (1989)
Plot Summary:
The life of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) as related by followers who gather after his death to tell stories so that Leone can record them: a privileged and virile youth, a prisoner of war, an heir who turns away from his father and gives all to the poor, a beggar for others, and an inspiration to friends who accept the Gospels' life of poverty. He seeks the Pope's blessing, and he endures persecution at the hands of the family of Chiara Offreduccio (1194-1253), who becomes St. Clare. Many join the order he has established and then rebel at his expectations. In near despair - and ill - he writes a Rule to take to the Pope; then, the Lord sends him a message. He dies smiling.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy, West Germany
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: emotional, bleak, serious, factual, cult classic, christian film, sincere, captivating, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 82%
The Radicals (1989)
Plot Summary:
The story of the Anabaptist movement and two of its first leaders, Michael and Margaretha Sattler.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 104
Genere: Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: biblical, independent film, bleak, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 81%
Francis of Assisi (1961)
Plot Summary:
The story of a lusty, fighting young adventurer who exchanged his sword for a cross.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: christian film, biblical, serious, captivating, realistic, crying, vintage
Similar in 77%
Thérèse (2004)
Plot Summary:
The mesmerizing story of a young girl's romance with God. Her faith, trials, and sacrifices reveal a way of life based on love and simplicity. A contemplative film based on the true story of Saint Therese of Lisieux, the most popular saint of modern times.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 539
Genere: Biography, Drama, Family, History
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: uplifting, emotional, realistic, contemplative, spiritual, serious, captivating, stylized
Similar in 90%
The Empty Mirror (1996)
Plot Summary:
Adolf Hitler faces himself and must come to terms with his infamous career in an imaginary post-war subterranean bunker where he reviews historical films, dictates his memoirs and encounters Eva Braun, Josef Goebbels, Hermann Göring and Sigmund Freud.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 351
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: independent film, psychological, sincere, thought provoking, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, surreal, contemplative
Similar in 75%
The Viceroys (2007)
Plot Summary:
No overview found.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 386
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Italy, Spain, Germany, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: captivating, psychological, atmospheric, epic, serious, emotional, realistic, saga
Similar in 78%
Shooting Dogs (2005)
Plot Summary:
Two westerners, a priest and a teacher find themselves in the middle of the Rwandan genocide and face a moral dilemna. Do they place themselves in danger and protect the refugees, or escape the country with their lives? Based on a true story.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK, Germany
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: disturbing, bleak, sad, emotional, sincere, christian film, breathtaking, inspirational, depressing, epic
Similar in 85%
The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
Plot Summary:
Fr. Hugh O'Flaherty is a Vatican official in 1943-45 who has been hiding downed pilots, escaped prisoners of war, and Italian resistance families. His diplomatic status in a Catholic country prevents Colonel Kappler from openly arresting him, but O'Flaherty's activities become so large that the Nazi's decide to assassinate him the next time he leaves the Vatican. O'Flaherty continues his work in a variety of disguises. Based on a true story. Written by John Vogel.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: USA, UK, Italy
Duration: 143 min
Plot tags: realistic, factual, tense, serious, suspenseful, christian film, psychological, captivating, period piece, spiritual
Similar in 83%
Massacre in Rome (1973)
Plot Summary:
In the Nazi occupied city of Rome, an assault on an SS brigade draws retaliation from the military governship. "Massacre in Rome" is the true story of how this partisan attack led to the mass execution of Italian nationals under the orders of SS-Lieutenant Colonel Kappler.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: rough, thought provoking, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing, contemplative
Similar in 85%
Varian's War: The Forgotten Hero (2001)
Plot Summary:
Varian Fry rescues more than 2,000 artists from Nazi persecution during World War II.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 896
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK, USA, Canada
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: tense, sincere, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 83%
Luther (2003)
Plot Summary:
During the early 16th Century idealistic German monk Martin Luther, disgusted by the materialism in the church, begins the dialogue that will lead to the Protestant Reformation.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Germany, USA, Czech Republic, Italy
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: uplifting, political, biblical, christian film, sincere, touching, intellectual, inspirational, costume drama, intense
Similar in 79%
The Hiding Place (1975)
Plot Summary:
The Hiding Place is an account of a Dutch family who risk their lives by offering a safe haven for Jews during World War II.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: christian film, bleak, spiritual, independent film, sincere, uplifting, serious, emotional, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 87%
The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank (1988)
Plot Summary:
During the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, Otto Frank decides to hide his family, who are Jewish, after his daughter Margot is called to appear for transport to a Nazi labour camp. Miep Gies, Otto Frank's office assistant hides them in the attic above the office. The film tells the true story of Gies' struggle to keep the family hidden and safe, as the Nazis turn Amsterdam upside-down. Based upon Gies' memoirs and Anne Frank's famous diary.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 483
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, bleak, serious, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 83%
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
Plot Summary:
Charlton Heston stars as Renaissance artist Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), who begrudgingly paints the Sistine Chapel for imperious Pope Julius II in this epic adaptation of Irvine Stone's novel directed by Carol Reed. While the novel covers Michelangelo's life from birth to death, the film focuses on the battle of wills between the perfectionist artist and the impatient Pope who commissions (and eventually commands) him to paint the famed chapel.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: epic, inspirational, uplifting, serious, biblical, christian film, psychedelic, art film, technicolor, sincere