Very Cool!!!

Excellent, a Must See

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Absolutely the worst movie.

I have always liked the late Richard Todd as an actor, he was very watchable and had real charisma and integrity. However this movie is just about the dullest biopic I have ever seen. From the very start it is less than convincing. Pure propaganda for the God squad who really should join the 21st century instead of living in the 13th century wracked with superstition and belief in miracles and magic. I had never seen this movie before and looked forward to becoming engrossed in a story about someone with whom I was totally unfamiliar. I tried, I honestly did, but my attention wandered and I could not stomach the holier than thou thread which pervaded this debacle. A pity it was not better written as I am sure there is an actual story to be told rather than this pap. Not a good movie to choose to see Richard Todd's talent.

Just caught this movie been shown on Film 4 in the UK. Brilliant - I being a Brit, and not Scottish, I had never heard of Peter Marshall. I saw the title in the on screen TV guide and assumed it may have been about Peter, Jesus' disciple - so being a Christian, I thought I would take a look - Well my assumption was sort of right - the man on the film was called Peter and he was definitely God's disciple - he just lived about 2000 years later than the 'original' I missed the start of the movie by about 15 mins and was sort of half watching it upto the point where Dr Marshall delivered his first sermon in Washington, where he referred to Jesus being a 'man of the people' - from that moment on I was hooked.What a great movie for its time - made by a major studio - where, arguably, the best scenes are when a Scottish Presbaterian minister is giving Christian sermons from the pulpit - I think that was a brave move on behalf of the director, even back in the more 'cosy' '50's - but what sermons - and how brilliantly delivered by Richard Todd - up to now I have always regarded him as a bit of a 'lightweight' but this performance totally has changed my view. A real study in biographical acting - apparently he looked nothing like Marshall but his vocals were spot on, according to his wife. The scene in the basement where he is questioning God about himself was truly moving, as was the simple scene where he is been taken to hospital for the last time and looks up from the stretcher to his wife and says "See you in the morning". You have to see that bit to understand why it is so touching - in writing here it looks nothing.I am writing this after seeing the movie for the first time this afternoon - I have since spent some time on the internet, learning about this man and will be ordering the DVD asap, just so I can hear his voice for real as a recording of one of his sermons comes as an 'extra'This film immediately comes into my 'Top Ten' as one of the best films I have ever seen.

It's refreshing to see a film about faith without all the dogmatic posturing and self-righteousness so prevalent among today's more evangelical "clergy".This is a good film biography of a remarkable man, whose true calling to the ministry influenced so many lives. His inclusive message of the all-encompassing love of God and the Christ spirit seems more meaningful today than in its own time.The best part of the film are Marshall's own concise and lucid sermons, lifted straight from the page and thrillingly delivered by the actor Richard Todd. The actor listened carefully to recordings of Marshall's speaking style and the memories others had of it and carefully replicated it. One doesn't hear public speaking like THIS anymore, without a microphone, the text delivered with style and passion.This film changed my life as a teenager, forty years ago, introducing me to the spiritual life. I then read the book from which it derives (even better than the picture), all the collections of Marshall's sermons and prayers then in print (the prayers even more wonderful than the sermons!) and these books carried me through many bleak times in my life, as did the subsequent books by Peter's wife.I hope this film can do the same for you.

In this particular time in history when we have so many obvious charlatans in pulpits, making good money and spewing out their own version of exclusive Christianity; Peter Marshall's life story stands as a stinging rebuke.This man certainly didn't make any money as a Christian, I think if he were alive today, he'd be embarrassed by a Pat Robertson or a Jerry Falwell. Peter Marshall(1902-1949) was a kid born in humble circumstances near Glasgow, Scotland. He had two loves, the sea and Christianity and in time the latter overtook the former.In Scotland to get the passage to come to America and then later in America he worked at a variety of very humble manual labor to get the money to go to seminary to fulfill what he conceived as his life's calling. Pastoring first in the Atlanta area and later at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC. his reputation as a moving speaker eventually went national.Marshall identified very strongly with Jesus the carpenter. He saw Jesus as a working class hero as relevant for his time as in biblical times. The film makes it very clear that Marshall's own efforts at humble labor made him think of Jesus in that way. His church in Washington, DC a place once for a few privileged dowagers became a place where all became welcome.The movie is based on Catherine Marshall's book about her life with her husband. Jean Peters narrates and gives a strong performance as Catherine Marshall. She meets Marshall while attending college in the Atlanta area. Her best scene in the film when she gives her own sermon at a youth rally to combat the effects of drinking that Prohibition era alcohol.Ironically Prohibition's biggest boosters were American fundamentalist preachers of that era. Marshall himself doesn't take a position on Prohibition, but the effects of drinking that bootleg product were certainly real enough, especially among the young people of the Twenties.Richard Todd first became known to American audiences playing a terminally ill Scotch soldier in The Hasty Heart. He was a natural to play Peter Marshall. His best scenes are in the pulpit, delivering sermons that were taken from the texts of Peter Marshall's own sermons.Todd certainly doesn't play Marshall as arrogant and smug as so many of our prominent Christian preachers of today are. Another wonderful scene of his is when Catherine Marshall is stricken with tuberculosis and on the basement stairs of his house as he prays for the recovery of his wife and asks God if in fact he's become arrogant and self- assured. It's his own Gethsemene experience.The film is directed by Henry Koster who did a whole lot of fine religious themed films like The Bishop's Wife, The Robe and The Singing Nun. I think this was his best effort.Certainly believers will find this an inspirational film. Non-believers will appreciate the care that went into this product, the quality of the performances and the fact that one certainly can proclaim Christianity and actually live it.