No detective or thriller can do without the participation of the gray cardinal. We will examine the meaning of a phraseological unit today in order to understand what kind of a figure it is.
Alexander Dumas father and Cardinal Richelieu
Everyone who read the novel The Three Musketeers is knownthat there was such a historical figure as Cardinal Richelieu (1585–1642), he was also called the Red Cardinal because of the color of his clothes. But few know that he had a right hand - the monk Joseph, who, according to historical sources, enjoyed the favor of the cardinal. That's exactly Assistant Richelieu and nicknamed the Gray Cardinal (the value of a phraseological unit will be a little later). Such a nickname Joseph received, because the color of his soutane was gray, and he himself kept in the shadows. Probably, this servant of the Lord was greatly pleased by the role that he consciously chose. The irony of fate is that, in turn, the Red Cardinal was considered gray, because he had a considerable influence on the King of France Louis XIII.
Value
Серый кардинал – это тот, кто не обладая official status or any legal, legitimate authority, nevertheless determines the events and phenomena of the world. The shrewd reader himself will easily and naturally recall examples even from recent Russian history.
Of course, the meaning of the phraseologism is "gray cardinal"applicable to the most part to the phenomena of political order, but not necessarily. In a broad sense, the gray cardinal is the puppeteer who pulls the strings, and such figures are eternal and international. If only the powers that be are not strong in spirit to manage something on their own.
Trilogy "The Godfather" and the expression "gray cardinal"
The Godfather trilogy is basically built onthat the main villain is not the one who seems to them at first glance. The films of the series are made in such a way that the characters act out very complex combinations of performance and dramaturgy, and all the force and gravity ultimately falls on the one whom the spectator does not suspect at the beginning of the action.
In the first part - this is Don Barzini.He can be called a gray cardinal. We already know the meaning of a phraseological unit, therefore we can safely use it. Here, of course, there is a certain slip in terms. You can't say that the powerful don mafia has no power. No, right, it is. But Don Tattaglia is pushed to the forefront, and Barzini himself goes into the shadows.
In the second part, Hyman plays the same role.Mouth. But we will not be here to paint all the moves of the film, because the writers have made it much more talented. We will keep silent about the third part so that the reader, if he watches the trilogy for the first time, gets at least some pleasure.
Our task is to explain the gray cardinal phraseologism, as it seems, we coped with it. How successful? Let the reader judge this.
