The Bishop's Wife

Silver-screen glamor oozes from this vestigially cloying but devilishly feel-good Hollywood fable about an angel, descending from heaven in the physical form of Cary Grant, is assigned by the Almighty to answer the prayer of an Episcopal bishop Henry Brougham (Niven), who is preoccupied with his imminent fund-raising of a cathedral which puts a strain on his family life.

The angel Dudley, a choir-conducting, ice-skating, harp-thrumming omnipotent being, comes clean with a dubious Henry of his mission and poses as his new assistant, squires Henry's neglected wife Julia (Young) to recollect her fondest memory, charms the entire household including the high-pitched housekeeper Matilda (Lanchester), Henry's prim secretary Mildred (Haden), and the Brougham's small daughter Debby (Grimes), also, convinces an atheist professor Wutheridge (Woolley) to finally knuckle down to write the history book he has been stalling ever since. Eventually, Dudley's mission is not to build a cathedral, the fund can be wisely disbursed to a more exigent need of its time, but to set Henry's derailed life back on track, right before the advert of Christmas.

But there is a hitch, predictably, Dudley develops a feeling for Julia, which raises the tension between him and Henry, who runs away with jealousy (no sagacious scribe to inject him with any scintilla of trust in his devoted wife), and it is all up to a virtuous Julia to pull the plug with a lachrymose face to adumbrate that Dudley's feeling is not unrequited, but bound by a wife's duty, however tempted, it is too sacrosanct for her to shuck that off, a moral lesson inculcated with a beguiling pretense of cinematic illusion.

While the three leads are deftly treading their designated paths with admirable expertise: Grant is particularly jaunty in Dudley's backhanded magickal tricks with an understated poker-face, Young radiates incredible bonhomie and saintliness and Niven, taking everything with a pinch of salt, perfectly offsets Grant's exuding charisma in his own sizzling pique, it is the witty special effects that mostly, gives the movie an endearing quality that weathers with the age and shifting ethos, a self-typing typewriter, a self-replenishing bottle of sherry and a fully-bedecked Christmas tree, it is indeed, small wonders that save the day in Henry Koster's vintage heart-warmer ensconced as a go-to holiday classic with wholesome contentment.

What a pleasure to revisit this Henry Koster little gem. Everything works in the most unexpected way. The mystic magic of the story is utterly contagious. The unexpected musical number on ice skates by Cary Grant, Loretta Young and James Gleason made me want to see it again straight away and thanks to the new technologies I was able to do it on the spot. There was a remake of this movie a few years ago, remember? No, probably not. Denzel Washington in the Cary Grant part and Whitney Huston in Loretta Young's. To see both films back to back should be a masterclass in film anthropology that proves without a doubt that with the passing of time we have lost something invaluable. I don't know what it is. Maybe there isn't a word for it yet. What I would love to share with all of you is the joy that "The Bishop's Wife" borough to me. Even Gladys Cooper's upper class monster has a moment of exquisite redemption. Not to be missed.

Another movie I only discovered a few years ago which I decided to add to this Christmas' rewatching. This is a great script which reminds us to reassess what is most important in life. Cary Grant may seem a strange choice for an angel and a formidable challenge to David Niven's leading man status but the tension works and the finish raises the whole story to a different level. A shout out to the creative vision of Samuel Goldwyn. Great performances, great chemistry, great storytelling. It's not surprising I would rate this an 8 (great) out of 10. {Christmas Fantasy Drama}

This is a classic. Several years ago I got weary of waiting for it to be shown on TV (to offer some relief from the non-stop "It's a Wonderful Life"), so bought my own copy. Now, every year, I sit down before Christmas and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. It gets better with every viewing. All the performances are excellent - even the dog. Highly recommend it.

This is a fine movie--the sort of nice old fashioned film that Hollywood did so well decades ago. A delightful script, excellent acting, along with beautiful sets and deft direction make this simple movie stand up so well even today.

Cary Grant plays an angel that comes to assist the extremely controlling and obsessed Bishop, played by David Niven. While Niven prayed for divine help, he struggled throughout the film with accepting the help on anything but his own terms. He soon learns of Grant's mission, but others are unaware of his Heavenly origins. Grant plays his angelic role in a very deliberately paced and casual manner--almost like combining TV's Mister Rogers with the usual Grant persona! In addition to these two wonderful actors, the film also features Loretta Young, Monty Woolley, James Gleason, Elsa Lanchester and Gladys Cooper. All did a great job of providing color and support in the film.

Perhaps the biggest star of this film, though, were the sets, cinematography and direction. They created a really nostalgic sense to the film that seemed almost better than real life. The snow, the frozen pond and all the other aspects of the film just set the perfect mood. About the only negative at all (and it's a small one) is the skating sequence. While it was nice to see Grant and Young really ice skating in the beginning, using doubles for them as well as James Gleason wasn't very seamless. Having these doubles skating with darkened faces just seemed pretty cheesy but forgivable.

All-in-all, this is a nice fantasy film that should be enjoyed by most anyone except the most cynical viewers.