Die Glocken von St. Marien

1944's "Going My Way" was a wispy-thin Oscar winner with only Barry Fitzgerald's adorable curmudgeon-ness to lift it out of sugary banality; this sequel drops Barry, so it shouldn't be of much use. However, director Leo McCarey actually pulls off a winner. Bing Crosby is back as Father O'Malley, and he's more human here than before, and his warm, witty battles with sister Ingrid Bergman are a delight (it helps that Bergman is possibly the most glowing, knowing, embraceable nun in Hollywood history!). Their smooth trials with the students and each other at St. Mary's have a seamless professionalism that, while not especially fresh, works the audience over with sheer good will. A sub-plot involving a troubled young girl (the excellent Joan Carroll) and her mother is a dandy heart-tugger, and the light music involved isn't such an obvious device as it was in "Going My Way"; the songs are there, but they're unobtrusive. A very good film, one that triumphs over its predecessor. Bing proves to be a solid actor here, not just a personality; he makes Father O'Malley a reachable character rather than just a holy rascal. Watch for his hesitation at the very end, and the thoughtfulness he gives to the scene. Admirably, Crosby gives back this time around. ***1/2 from ****

This is a classic old holiday favorite, and quite deservedly so. It tells the story of a dilapidated parochial school, St. Mary's, that is facing condemnation. Sister Bendict, the Mother Superior and school principal, is struggling not only to save the school but expand it, with dreams of annexing the neighboring property owned by a shrewd businessman named Mr. Bogardus. She frequently clashes with St. Mary's new pastor, Father O'Malley, who has his own ideas as to how the school should be run and its fate.

First of all, I may make some enemies, however...I love Bing Crosby, but the part of Father O'Malley is not merely to serve as a foil for Sister Benedict, but to act much of the time as a veritable idiot! Likable but possibly a tad too clueless to ever have become a priest. For example, his opening stunt where he declares a holiday, can you imagine any Catholic priest actually doing this without first consulting the sisters? He's unrealistically lenient, apparently seeing no need whatsoever for discipline, and disregards standards, encouraging (with no apparent misgivings at all) Sister Benedict to pass a student who has failed the exams. However, he is kind, well intended, and nonjudgmental, as shown by his touching behavior toward young Patsy and her mother, and does sometimes achieve the desired results, I admit, with his relaxed, easy going, laid back style. Wonderful singing as always, with Bing's magnificent, effortless voice. (I didn't see Going My Way, I confess.)

This is Ingrid Bergman's movie. She gives Sister Benedict a sparkling inner light here as she portrays the devout and dedicated nun, trying to save her school while also ensuring its daily operation with kindness, fairness, and genuine concern but also meaningful standards and expectations. She appears strict at times, but has a genuine love for her students and a concern that they truly learn. She glows with pride at her little first graders' Christmas pageant. I love her method for helping young Eddie protect himself against the school yard bullies! Suffice it to say, if I had a child in a parochial school, I would want it run by Sister Benedict and not Father O'Malley!

Unfortunately, these days it's all the negative tales that draw headlines, but my own husband grew up with nuns as teachers during most of his Catholic school years, and he can't sing their praises enough. This movie is a touching, entertaining, and uplifting tale, something of a tribute to all the hard working, dedicated nuns who have taught in parochial schools through the years.

This was a just a plain, nice story, one of those kind I tend favor simply they don't have any "bad guys" in them and still keep the story interesting.

I expected Ingrid Bergman's character, "Sister Mary," from what the liners notes on the video box said, to be a sort-of villain portraying a hard-line rigid nun but that wasn't the case at all. In fact, in her several philosophical disputes the priest "Father Chuck O'Malley" (Bing Crosby) I sided with her because Crosby was a little too liberal regarding punishment. (He never wanted to scold or punish any misbehaving kid., for example. No discipline is not a good idea, as parents know.)

The story is a little unrealistic in that a strong-willed business tycoon would not abandon all his business plans and hand over a brand-new million-dollar (today it would be many millions) building to a church. However, it's nice to see! These kind of old-fashioned films are almost collector's items today but they are pleasant to watch and pretty good entertainment.

At a big city Catholic school, Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby) and Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman) indulge in friendly rivalry, and succeed in extending the school through the gift of a building.

Although generally associated with Christmas, there is really only about five or ten minutes directly related to the holiday season. Of course, being a feel-good movie, it is appropriate to watch at that time of the year, just the same. Especially with Bing Crosby in the lead... who captured Christmas in the 1940s and 1950s more than he did? This is also a great performance from Ingrid Bergman during her Hollywood years. The boxing scene is incredible and make the whole film worth watching.

What has always attracted me to the oldest films starring Bing Crosby as a priest has been the ability he had to transfer to the viewer a tremendous warmth and tenderness. Certainly, his lines were written, but they were more than mere lines, for he embodied the attitude and intent of them so noticeably that it is hard not to end such a film without wanting to emulate such a man.

From his son, Gary, from his book "Going My Own Way," one can read a different story of his father. He claimed that Bing was cruel, cold, remote, and both physically and psychologically abusive -- such hard words to take in when one can be so deeply moved by his performances, especially as a priest.

His son, Philip, disputed his brother's claims, writing, " I loved him very much. He loved all of us too, including Gary. He was a great father." It is Philip's words I prefer to believe, for no man could give as much as his father did on the screen and it not come from his soul.

Ingrid Bergman's face in TBOSM was very beautiful, as though she came from heaven herself. Truly, she was one of the most gorgeous women that ever graced yesterday's films, and she too portrayed remarkably well the gentleness and kindness we envision God to be.

Watch this film and be blessed.