“The Bishop’s Wife” (1947)

The Bishop’s Wife 

Also known as Cary & the Bishop’s Wife and Honni soit qui mal y pense

Brief Description:

Bishop Henry Brougham is obsessed with his project of building a new cathedral, and finds himself completely without any time for his family, and in danger of losing his principles for the sake of a wealthy widow’s patronage. When he exclaims a prayer for guidance, he is startled to find Dudley standing in his office, claiming to be an angel and here to help. Henry remains skeptical, and his dislike of Dudley is not improved by the fact that the whole rest of the household, unaware of Dudley’s celestial origins, fall completely under his spell and give him the place Henry lost in their hearts. As Henry’s jealousy and anger mount, he works harder than ever to accomplish his cathedral goal in order to get rid of Dudley. But apparently an angel is not easily dispensed with...

(written by me)

Date: 1947

Genre: American romantic Christmas comedy

Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes

Cast: 

Cary Grant (Dudley)

Loretta Young (Julia)

David Niven (Henry)

Monty Woolley (Prof. Wutheridge)

James Gleason (Sylvester)

Gladys Cooper (Mrs. Hamilton)

Elsa Lanchester (Matilda)

Sara Haden (Mildred)

Karolyn Grimes (Debby)

Regis Toomey (Rev. Miller)

Sarah Edwards (Mrs. Duffy)

Margaret McWade (Miss Trumbull)

Anne O'Neal (Mrs. Ward)

The Robert Mitchell Boys Choir (Vocal Ensemble)

Director: Henry Koster

Production company: Samuel Goldwyn Productions

Based on: The Bishop’s Wife by Robert Nathan

Wikipedia page

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Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 5/5

Okay, so we all know I adore 1940s aesthetics. Of course I was enchanted with this one! I also love small-city setting—it wasn’t something I’ve seen before and I really enjoyed it. 

Characters: 4/5

I didn’t like Henry, but that was kind of the point, so I guess kudos for that. He was very blind, bad-tempered, and weak—I couldn’t respect him. Julia was very, very sweet, and I really liked her except she basically flirted with Dudley and kept doing stuff she knew better than to do—or I thought she should anyways. Dudley was quite nice, but he was also a little too manipulative or insistent on his own way, and didn’t act very angelically… but he was super cute with Debby, who was a dear. So were Matilda and Miss Cassaway.

Plot: 3.5/5

I wasn’t aware this was a comedy and assumed it was a heartwarming Christmas film like It’s a Wonderful Life. Hence my confusion at the plot. It was pretty evenly divided between what I liked and didn’t like. I wasn’t a fan of Julia & Dudley going off together alone, especially when it started rumours and Henry began to have legitimate reasons to be suspicious. I mean, going off on a date, riding around in a taxi, and skating at night with your husband’s assistant doesn’t make for a great reputation, especially if said assistant is devastatingly young, handsome, and dashing. And as a bishop’s wife—and an ‘angel’—I expected more from J & D. Speaking of angels—that whole part was bogus, of course, and I wasn't a fan, even less than in It’s a Wonderful Life. Dudley just kept pulling magic stunts and it felt ridiculous. An angel could do better than wave his fingers to get cards to organize themselves in the air, or wave at a box to make it open so he could get secret information.

However, the message was great (see category below) and I liked the glimpse into normal daily life in 1947. Also I very much enjoyed the twist with Mrs. H. and Professor W. And the choir music was splendid! Oh, and it was super cool to see how Henry’s reverend outfit was created. Finally, Cary Grant does not speak French beautifully. His accent is quite brutal.

Romance: 2/5

Sort of mentioned above—I wasn’t a fan of the flirtation but H & J were very cute together.

Theme/Message/Topics: 4/5

I really appreciated the message about not letting work, even praiseworthy work, take you from your loved ones and change you. I liked how the film presented the idea that Henry needed to take care of Julia more, as well as spend time with Debby. (It really was awesome how sweetly she supported him. A model wife in that respect.) And the message about the value of a beautiful building vs. the value of giving to those in need was good. I really like the sermon, actually. ;)

Content: 4/5 (low)

I don’t remember any real kisses but there was some romance between the married couple, also mild euphemisms and some drinking. 

Overall: 3/5

I enjoyed it, in spite of it’s being the opposite of what I expected. I don’t know if I will watch it again, but I am glad I did and it was a fun ~2 hours, angelic nonsense to the contrary notwithstanding.