The Jewish Cardinal (2013)

Overrated

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

An outstanding masterpiece detailing the story of Cardinal Lustiger, who at age 14 converted to Catholicism to escape the horrors of the holocaust which claimed his mother and left a bitter father.Despite his conversion, the Cardinal, who rose rapidly in the church, always wanted to continue his cultural identity as a Jew, even pointing out that he was still a Jew and using Jesus as an example. He rose rapidly in the church hierarchy and tries to strengthen Catholicism to adopt to the modern world by use of the media.It shows his relations with his family and the second part of the film deals with the nuns living at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp which caused much controversy in the late 1980s. Lustiger fought on principle for the removal of the nuns, even in the face of an intransigent church.In the title role, Laurent Lucas is magnificent as the conflicted Cardinal. A totally under-rated film which needs much more widespread distribution.

Viewed at the Third Jewish Film Festival of Budapest, November 20-23, 2014."Le Métis de Dieu" or "The Jewish Cardinal" is a most poignant docudrama based on the actual biography of Jean-Marie Lustiger, the Archbishop of Orléans from 1981 to 2005. NOTE: The French word "métis" means Half-breed" so a direct translation of the French title would be "God's Half-breed" -- not inappropriate! The Jewish catch of this film -- and what a catch it is -- is that Lustiger was actually a Polish born Jew who was made to convert to Catholicism early in life and then rose through the ranks of the French Catholic hierarchy in an unstoppable arc. Always aware of his Jewish background he suffers all kinds of conflicts, internal and external, but eventually becomes buddies with Polish Pope John Paul II -- so friendly in fact that he calls the Pope by his secular first name, Karol, (originally Karol Wojtyla) at the dinner table. The portrayal of Pope Jean- Paul II by actor Aurélien Recoing is so off-the-wall that this aspect of the film alone would be well worth the price of admission to any self-respecting Polak. It is known that Jean Paul was athletic, but here we see him plunging into his private swimming pool, driving a car, and generally cavorting about like a rather ribald ordinary citizen. Obviously a point director Ilan Duran Cohen (Obviously Jewish) wanted to make in passing. The climax is reached when at The Pope's behest Lustiger is called upon to act as an intermediary negotiator at the gates of Auschwitz between Christian proponents of a Carmelite Convent Which has popped up next to the former Concentration Camp, and vehemently protesting Jews who consider it an outrage to erect a Christian monument on the very ground where so many Jews were murdered -- (by Christian! -- even if not in the name of religion.). This is a gripping drama straight through with complex psychological repercussions at every turn. Originally made for French TV but reads far more like an in situ cinema film. Laurent Lucas is Lustiger in a role to remember. Great picture, and not only for the obviously Jewish content. BRAVO, Ilan D. Cohen, Regisseur!

I just saw this film at a Jewish film festival, and found it very thought-provoking and emotionally disquieting-- which I mean in a GOOD sense. I am neither Catholic nor Jewish, and so when I saw that the French title, "Le Metis de Dieu" points to a more universal phenomenon than the English title "The Jewish Cardinal," my cinephile self had more reason to regret the difficulty of procuring a broader distribution.The psychological, historical, cultural, and philosophical complexities of this make the 90- something minute running time something of a marvel, and indeed leave the viewer wanting more, while already feeling treated to an experience that goes far beyond the genre of "biopic," or "docudrama" would lead one to expect. The eccentric, often petulant man, navigating between the different cultural identities within himself while confronting the real- world challenges that history has set in his path is a full-blooded, multidimensional character and not an object of reverence.Meanwhile, as the camera travels from Orleans to Paris to Rome to Auschwitz and returning again to scenes of childhood and family, we witness a visual feast that surpasses our "made- for-TV" expectations.

I know very little about the real life Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger. I am not Catholic nor am I French--so it isn't surprising I don't know much about the man. So, in light of this, I cannot say that the film "Le Métis de Dieu" is accurate or not in its portrayal of the career and personality of the Cardinal. However, I assume it was pretty accurate because the film neither portrayed him as a saint or as a jerk. It gave many examples where he was a strong and admirable man and a few where he was pushy and less than perfect...hence their mentioning his unflattering nickname 'the Bulldozer'. For me, the best bio-pics are ones that neither strive to destroy nor canonize the subject of the film--and this movie seems to do this.When the film begins, Jean-Marie is about to become a Bishop in 1979. This move was made by the new Pope, John Paul II, and it seemed to take Lustiger by surprise, as this Jewish-born priest seemed content to remain at his post in a local church. However, he very quickly rose through the ranks of the church--becoming a Cardinal by the mid-1980s (a VERY fast rise to this position). The remainder of the film is about this period and immediately after. In particular, the focus is on how Lustiger managed to reconcile his Jewish heritage with his faith-- particularly in light of opposition from many sides, including his own family as well as both Jews and Catholics! This all comes to a head when the world's Jews are outraged when a Carmelite nunnery is started on the grounds of Auschwitz--and the Cardinal is called upon to help mediate. This isn't easy, however, as his own mother was murdered there and many of the Poles aren't particularly concerned about offending the Jews. And, in an odd twist, the Pope, for once, seems less than cordial towards Lustiger and his appeals to get these nuns off the property. See the film and see how all this works out.This is a film that starts relatively slowly and works to an exciting and very well-acted finale. Overall, this is a fascinating film for anyone--Jewish, Christian or whatever.