The Bishop's Wife (1947)

That was an excellent one.

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

I'm lying on the Motel 6 bed. Middle of the night, and the TV had been left on TMC. It's 11 below outside, so half the room is a meat locker. Wife is snoring. I'm shivering because I came down with a cold, mistook it for allergies, and got a flu shot at Walmart while building up a good case of snotty pressure in my head. So, I'm cold. I'm in a Motel 6. I'm awake at three in the morning. And I see what's on the tube. The Bishop's Wife, with Cary Grant and David Niven and Loretta Young. I'm thinking that I've seen this movie before, maybe in the last two or three years. All I remember is that Young looked too movie-star, Cary Grant didn't seem like an angel, and David Niven was unpleasant enough for me to give up on his character. That's it. Not much of a recommendation, huh?But you have to cut me some slack--I gawd a code id by doze.

Only Cary Grant could have played the part of Dudley in this charming film. It is a difficult part to get right. He has to be alluring and sexy, most attractive to women of all types and Grant achieves this effortlessly. As the bishop's wife of the title Loretta Young strikes just the right note - she is attracted to him but in what seems like an innocent way. It was a hard call, writing this movie, there are a lot of pitfalls which the writers managed to avoid. The peripheral characters like Sylvester played by James Gleason and the professor played by Monte Woolley and Gladys Cooper as the domineering matriarch of the town help to make the town real and believable. David Niven has a hard task in making the bishop less attractive than Dudley without the viewer rooting for Dudley to "win " the heart of the bishop's wife. Why Cary Grant did not win Oscars for this and other films is,I think, because he made it look so easy to be "Cary Grant". I think he said as much when interviewed once. He was a consummate performer in all his movies and because of the ease he displayed he was severely underrated.

This film is slowly becoming a holiday classic but you never hear it mentioned among the very best "must-see" Christmas films and it should be. Perhaps not quite a "10" like Alistair Sim's Scrooge, it's still one of the very best movies ever made (holiday film or no).It's got a touching character transformation much like Scrooge. And it's got perhaps the most unusual romantic comedy twist ever - with the wife reborn with ghostly Cary Grant's presence even as he informs the husband (a curmudgeonly MINISTER!) about the true ways of Goodness.Grant's performance here is solid, brilliant and very touching. The depth of his humanity is on great display - and how many actors could pull off this role as Cary does?And is Loretta Young more endearing in any other film? Her performance here alone makes this film worth watching.There are so many funny, charming and moving scenes in this movie it'd be hard to list them all...If you haven't seen this yet, please give it a try. You'll be surprised to find it becoming one of those films you have to see every Christmas.

The years following World War II brought an influx of angels (or Heavenly Conductors) to the movie screen in films such as Stairway to Heaven, It's a Wonderful Life, and the 1947 The Bishop's Wife starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven. Though it is hardly a perennial Christmas favorite in the same league as Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life, The Bishop's Wife has its advocates and is generally considered one of the best Christmas films for a general audience. Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, original score, and film editing, the only Oscar the film won, however, was that for Best Sound and the performances by Grant, Young, and Niven, considered to be among their best, were overlooked.In the film, Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven) asks for divine guidance to help raise the money to build a cathedral, a project to which he is so single-minded about that his values, marriage, and family are put in jeopardy. The answer to his prayer comes in the form of the angel Dudley (well, I guess it's a better name for an angel than Clarence). This particular angel (Cary Grant) is rather handsome and charming and takes particular notice of Henry's wife Julia (Loretta Young) who is under the impression that he is Henry's new assistant. Daughter Debby (Karolyn Grimes) is also not immune to his charms. The bishop also feels that this angel has picked up some rather strange tendencies and has become quite jealous of the time he is spending with his wife, though Julia seems (or pretends to be) oblivious to his "angelic" qualities.Dudley's heart is in the right place, however, and he steers the dour Henry towards the values that are most important in life and in the process transforms everyone whose lives he touches. These include the guilt-ridden dowager Agnes Hamilton (Gladys Cooper), Monte Wooley as a skeptical History professor who has given up writing a book about Roman history because he doesn't think anyone will read it, and James Gleason as Sylvester, a cynical taxi driver who rediscovers that life has some pleasures. He even brings the flirty housekeeper (Elsa Lanchester) back to life. The film has some memorable set pieces that are worth the price of admission by themselves.Dudley, Julia, and Sylvester performing a sparkling skating routine (with the help of professional doubles), Sherry glasses that keep filling up by themselves, Dudley miraculously rounding up a group of forgetful boys to perform the beautiful hymn O Sing to God (Noel) by Gounod at St. Timothy's church, and Dudley "finding" a harp to play in Agnes' living room.The Bishop's Wife has a good message, brilliant performances especially from Cary Grant, and a joyous feel to it, though it is somewhat dampened by the humorless and aloof Henry who doesn't seem to get the message of humility and love that Dudley is trying to convey (well, at least not right away). In essence, however, The Bishop's Wife is a beautiful film that is done with a minimum of sap and should be seen more often. At least you don't have to wonder whether or not Dudley will get his wings.