The Worst Film Ever

One of my all time favorites.

Dreadfully Boring

Absolutely brilliant

In their fifth onscreen pairing, real-life friends David Niven and Loretta Young play husband and wife. He's the bishop, and she's The Bishop's Wife. Niven wants to build a cathedral, but in doing so, he's losing sight of his old ideals. He prays for help, and help is granted, though not in the form he wanted. Cary Grant, an angel, is sent down to Earth, but is he there to help ensure the cathedral is built, or is he trying to remind Niven of what's really important?It's easy to see why The Bishop's Wife is a Christmas classic in most households. The story is interesting, the acting is good, Hugo Friedhofer's music is delightful, and Robert E. Sherwood's and Leonardo Bercovici's script is memorable and wise. I often wondered why the film, and original novel, was entitled The Bishop's Wife, instead of perhaps The Bishop's Visit or even The Bishop's Cathedral. After watching it for probably the twenty-fifth time, I finally understood the title, and the true meaning of the story-just one of the reasons why this classic is so wonderful. Learning something new from the film after 25 viewings is incredible. I won't tell you my take on the story, because it's the type of story that could speak to everyone differently, but the next time you watch it, try really focusing on Cary Grant's purpose. The famous trivia from this movie is that the original male casting was reversed. David Niven was supposed to be the angel, and Cary Grant the bishop. Since I absolutely love The Niv, I think the original casting would have been fine; he would have been as charming and attractive as the angel role required. After all, I fell in love with David Niven in this movie! "Have a chair," Agnes Moorhead offers. "Thank you, I . . . have one," he answers with perfect British comic timing. That was it-my heart was his!I recently bought Robert Nathan's original novel, and after forcing myself through the very depressing, extremely different story, I was filled with even more admiration for the film! I know I'm not heaping quite enough praise on this movie, so I'll try to compliment it some more. In the book, the characters are completely different, and frankly, not who you'd want to waste your time caring about up on the big screen. Sherwood and Bercovici's adaptation of the very difficult novel is incredible. Agnes Moorhead's character, whom some would argue is the most important part of the movie, isn't even in the book! Monty Woolley's character only talks philosophy and history with the angel; he isn't given any other dimensions to his character. In the film, he banters with an old friend, accepts religion in others even though he has none of his own, describes his regret over losing the love of his life, and bolsters the bishop when needed. Some would argue he has the most important role in the film. The character of the angel is also completely different. Can you imagine Cary Grant moping around for two hours, losing his faith and depressing everyone around him? Of course not; it's Cary Grant! He's supposed to put people at ease instantly and make their burdens lighter. His famous smile plays an integral role in the movie, making the story better than Robert Nathan intended. The title character is the only one who's relatively similar to the story; Loretta Young has moments of unexplained depression and disappointment in her life because she either read the original novel or was told to act that way by someone who had. I don't understand how she could be unhappy being married to The Niv, but that's just me. And finally, the bishop. In the novel, he's barely in the story! He's cold and consumed by his work and barely talks to anyone. Bercovici wrote David Niven a wonderful and meaty part, one he plays wonderfully. No one can act out "I'm so frazzled I can't take it anymore!" like David Niven can. On the other side of his face is deep sorrow, one that isn't explained in the film but can be imagined by the audience. Perhaps his character was disappointed by aspects of his life, perhaps he inserted unwritten frustrations to back up his character's inner crisis, or perhaps he was completely unaware of that element of his performance. In real life, he'd just suffered a terrible tragedy, so it's possible his own sadness subconsciously added to his onscreen character.The Bishop's Wife holds a special place in my family's Christmas tradition, and not just an annual viewing of the film. David Niven gives a Christmas sermon, and he talks about the true spirit of the season, reminding his listeners that as they hang up everyone's stocking, there's one stocking that remains unhung. At our house, because of that speech, we hang up an extra stocking every year. Just another thing to think about as you watch this delightful Christmas staple, with a supporting cast of James Gleason, Elsa Lanchester, Sara Haden, Robert Keith, and two children also seen in It's a Wonderful Life, Bobby Anderson and Karolyn Grimes.

**SPOILERS** This is a small thing, and I'm almost sorry to think that I'd complain. However, complain I must, don't you know? The movie had three of my favorite actresses, of course Loretta Young is beautiful and charming as always (even when she plays a bad girl, she's charming), Sara Haden, and the delightful Elsa Lanchester. Niven obviously has a stick up his British bum, and Cary Grant simply can't make a mistake in this story. Being an angel, he better not. Monty Wooley is just as he is supposed to be, and all's right with everything else. The only problem I have, and keep in mind several small miracles, is that on Christmas Eve, the Bishop and his wife don't take their daughter to services with them. This is not only ridiculous, it's just insupportable. Everything else, no problems at all; a terrific movie. The end, without their beloved daughter? Sorry.. a 9.

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.