THE BISHOP’S WIFE

I hadn’t heard of this film until it cropped up in the Screen Drafts list of best Classic Christmas films (i.e. those made before 1960).  

The setup sounds very much like a repeat of 'It’s A Wonderful Life', released the previous year - an angel comes down to earth to save someone at crisis point at Christmas.

Except in this case the crisis is far less compelling than that of Jimmy Stewart on the verge of suicide - here we have David Niven as the eponymous bishop (Henry) struggling to raise money for the building of a cathedral without compromising his principles.  Although his real problem is that he is neglecting his wife (Julia) as a result. 

Given that Julia is played by Loretta Young, a fine actress but one lacking charisma, this film could have been very forgettable. 

Except thankfully the angel (Dudley!) is played by Cary Grant of all people.

How he is going to help Henry get the cathedral built seems low on his priority list since he spends most of the film enjoying Julia's company.  This eventually makes Henry so jealous that he comes to his senses and realises that saving his marriage is all that matters.  

As a bonus Dudley is then able to quickly sort out the cathedral issue, in a way satisfyingly consistent with the Christmas message.

There is no hint of any romance between Dudley and Julia but at the end of the film Dudley is clearly reluctant to leave and he confesses to her of being weary of his eternal existence helping mere mortals when he could be enjoying the kind of simple pleasures he has been having with her.  

Cary Grant here once again demonstrates his acting range.  His performance is necessarily more subdued than we are used to yet he does a great job of conveying goodness whilst not being at all dull. 

Initially the film wasn’t pulling in the crowds because the title led people to think it was going to be heavy on the religion, so the studio had the bright idea of changing the marketing so as to stress Cary Grant’s presence.  This succeeded but I wonder whether people felt cheated by the lack of romance?

Or did they, like me, find it all quite charming in a low-key kind of way?  Dudley throughout pulls off little miracles which amuse and there are several delightful scenes such as one involving a boys choir or one of Dudley and Julia ice skating.

The film also benefits from a strong supporting cast including Monty Woolley, Gladys Cooper and Elsa Lanchester.

This seems like the kind of film that doesn't get made anymore so I was surprised to learn that it was in fact remade in 1996 as 'The Preacher's Wife, which starred Denzel Washington, but it seems to have been designed more as a vehicle for Whitney Houston.  I won't be rushing to check it out any time soon.

RATING: ✓ If You've Nothing Better To Do