The Bishop's Wife (DVD)

...is trying desperately to find the money for a new cathedral. With the weight of this responsibility on his shoulders, he fails to notice that his relationship with his wife Julia is changing - taken away from her friends when Henry became Bishop, Julia is lonely and longs for life to return to its former glory when Henry was a loving husband. Divine intervention is needed to save their relationship and one day, when Henry prays for help, it comes ...
...ulterior motives. Can Dudley save the Brougham's marriage? Or is his arrival just another nail in the coffin?

Many people will have heard of The Preacher's Wife, starring Whitney Houston, which is a modern re-make of this film. Made back in 1947, there is a lot in this film that is dated, but despite this, I think it is by far the better film. Although the premise of an angel coming to earth to help sort out a couple's marriage is ... more

It is coming up to Christmas, but Christmas cheer seems very far away for Bishop Henry Brougham, who is trying desperately to find the money for a new cathedral. With the weight of this responsibility on his shoulders, he fails to notice that his relationship with his wife Julia is changing - taken away from her friends when Henry became Bishop, Julia is lonely and longs for life to return to its former glory when Henry was a loving husband. Divine intervention is needed to save their relationship and one day, when Henry prays for help, it comes in the form of an angel called Dudley. Dudley immediately strikes up a rapport with Julia and her daughter, Debbie, but Henry thinks Dudley has ulterior motives. Can Dudley save the Brougham's marriage? Or is his arrival just another nail in the coffin?

Many people will have heard of The Preacher's Wife, starring Whitney Houston, which is a modern re-make of this film. Made back in 1947, there is a lot in this film that is dated, but despite this, I think it is by far the better film. Although the premise of an angel coming to earth to help sort out a couple's marriage is cheesy, Cary Grant and David Niven manage to carry it off so much better than their counterparts in the modern version, and, for me at least, the fact that it is in black and white is unimportant.

David Niven plays the Bishop. I was surprised at how young he looks; I tend to remember him for roles that he played later in life. However, once I had got over that, I was deeply impressed by his performance. Henry is a very serious man, seemingly with the weight of the world on his shoulders - very far from the slightly comic roles that I associate with David Niven - and he is completely believable as a man guilty of neglecting his wife. At the same time, he doesn't make the Bishop a dislikeable man - he plays it with enough charm to make the viewer realise that he does really love his wife and that he just needs a little guidance. This film reminded me what a fine actor Niven was, and I would very much like to catch up with some of his other work.

As Julia, a young women longing for some fun in her life, Loretta Young is also good. It took me a while to get used to her - as so often happens with films of this period, the hair and clothes seem strange and not a little off-putting - the way her hair is drawn back from her face makes her look a bit like a horse. This was probably the height of fashion at the time, but to my twenty-first century eyes, she looked weird. Again though, once I had become accustomed to her, she did give a really strong performance. Watching her face light up as she goes ice-skating with Dudley, something she hasn't done for some time with Henry, is a real treat. My only criticism is that Julia is just too perfect to be true, but I'm sure that this was as much the fault of the director and writers as it was Young's.

In many ways, Cary Grant, who plays Dudley, overshadows David Niven because of his screen presence. Whereas Henry is dull and quiet, Dudley is cuddly and fun and a little bit naughty. I was quite surprised to read on imdb.com that the director originally wanted Niven to be the angel and Grant to be the Bishop before deciding to get the actors to play the opposite roles - the role of Dudley just seems to be made for Cary Grant and I am grateful that the director managed to see sense in time. However, overall, I much preferred David Niven's performance, probably because he is so British and understated, whereas Cary Grant is loud and boisterous.

I think the setting of the film at Christmas time is ideal, not just because it added to my feeling of Christmas spirit, but also because somehow the cheesiness of an angel coming to earth to help a failing marriage seems to make more sense around this time of year. I am not usually one to fall for chick flicky fluffy romances, but this one was so well done that I couldn't help be charmed by it all, as I was by the superb It's a Wonderful Life, another film made in the nineteen forties about an angel.

The film was made in 1947 and, of course, is in black and white, which will put a lot of younger viewers off. I think this is a shame because I found it actually helped me to concentrate on the plot rather than be distracted by all the pretty colours. Plus the DVD that I have has clearly been digitally remastered - the picture is razor-sharp so someone has clearly done an excellent job of retouching it. Unfortunately, as so often happens with films from this period, there are no extras on the DVD.

Because The Preacher's Wife features Whitney Houston and her amazing vocal range, I was half expecting The Bishop's Wife to have a musical score, but apart from background music and the occasional carol singing by a choir, there is not much in the way of music to listen to. This didn't alter my liking for this film though - I found I was able to concentrate more on the story than be carried away by Houston's voice.

This film is perfect for anyone wanting a feel good film with a Christmas theme, although I think that it can be enjoyed at any time of the year. Please don't let the fact it is in black and white put you off - this film is much better than most of the dross churned out these days, and it is miles better than the modern re-make, which is pants compared to this - even with Whitney Houston in it. Highly recommended.

I bought the DVD from Amazon for £4.98.

Classification: U

Running time: 105 minutes 

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