Bishop's Wife, The (1947)
Director: Henry Koster
Honors:
Frank Capra’s holiday picture It’s a Wonderful Life may be the best known Christmas movie out of
the later half of the 1940s featuring an angel sent to comfort a man with
distressed faith, but the Cary Grant headlined feature The Bishop’s Wife garners its special following as a yuletide
cinematic classic. With a mix of Christmas cheer, some comedy, a message about
the spirit of giving, and a slightly askew romance, this picture contains its
own special heart that would attract returning audiences for numerous future
holiday viewings. What was initially a troubled production for producer Samuel
Goldwyn would eventually turn into a feel good picture that would be passed
down through the generations.
The Bishop’s Wife
is a romantic comedy about an angel tasked to help a clergyman fraught with
troubles at work and in his marriage. Troubled with financing his new cathedral
Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven) prays for guidance only to be surprised
that his answer in an angel who takes form in a suave gentleman named Dudley
(Cary Grant) to serve as his assistant. Initially distrusting of Dudley who
forbids him from sharing angelic stature, Henry takes his advice to help him
raise the funds to he needs for his new structure while Dudley handles his matters
in the office and entertaining his neglected wife Julia (Loretta Young) during Henry’s
busy schedule. Dudley’s relationship builds into an attraction with Julia,
which the angel uses to remind her of her commitment to her busy, yet loving
husband. In the end Dudley teaches Henry the power of giving as he persuades
Henry to redirected raised funds to help the needy. Despite the cathedral not
being built, Dudley reminds Henry his prayer for guidance was answered. With
prayers answered Dudley leaves the couple, erasing their memories of his
existance in their minds with a rejuvenated Henry and Julia.
The film is a lighthearted picture with touches of holiday
sentiment, a sprinkle of comedy, and a core built around reminding audiences to
not kissing track of love and values in life. I do not want to compare this
picture with 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life,
but at times I find it difficult with its similarities and intersections, which
I will mention a few later. For now I will
attempt to refrain.
The Bishop’s Wife
has heart, good acting, a good message, and stays for the most part away from
religion despite the tale centering on a bishop and his church. The result is a
satisfactory picture with few sentimental moments, yet can fall into the realm
of silly fantasy with is comedy, along with an awkwardly romantic between an
angel and a married woman. For some the strange romance takes the film in a
strange direction at times, but ultimate concludes tied up with a nice little
bow with a reinvigorated marriage between bishop and wife.
The cinematography and set decoration in the opening scenes evokes
the heart of Christmas nostalgia for audiences from the period just following
WWII. Through the picture the winter settings which would be perceived as cold
are set in a manner that would only warm the heart, including a scene with
children participating in a rousing snowball battle and another scene featuring
ice skating on a frozen pond in Central Park. This is a film that aims for the
heart of audiences with all things good as the plot centers on matters of life
distracting one from the things that make us most happy, and the need to refocuse.
Based on the novel of the same name, The Bishop’s Wife was sent into production initially under the
direction of William A Seiter. A veteran director who tended to stick strictly
to scripts with very little imagination added, Seiter was two weeks into
production when producer Samuel Goldwyn halted the picture after greatly
disliking the dailies he had been seeing. Goldwyn would replace Deiter with
German-born director Henry Koster who had more of a feel for comedy, helping to
set the picture on a better track. All previous work and shots were scrapped, essentially
washing away nearly one million spent prior to the production restart.
The initial cast of the picture contained David Niven as
Dudley with Teresa Wright and Dana Andrews as Julia and Henry, but when Wright
left the production due to a pregnancy RKO lent out Andrews to acquire the use
of Young as her replacement. Cary Grant, one of Hollywood’s biggest leading men
in the years leading up to the production, would be brought abound to replace
Andrews, but it was decided that he should play Dudley, moving Niven to the
role of the bishop. Despite the plot’s focus on the Bishop, Cary Grant’s star
power would make the film appear to more revolve around Dudley as he becomes
attracted to Julia.
The film failed to find good reviews with preview audiences,
prompting a series of rewrites at the hands of the uncredited Billy Wilder and
Charles Brackett, leading to additional shooting and editing before the
picture’s premiere. To further boost the appeal, production hired market
research fearing audiences would be turned away by religious connotations from
the tile saw some promotional material retitle the picture select regions to “Cary
and the Bishop’s Wife.” This was done
purely on posters, with no official name changes in the picture itself. Upon
release critics and audiences would generally praise the picture, but due could
not be called a commercial success with the film’s balky production and special
attention to advertising.
The Bishop’s Wife’s
critical praise earned the film five Academy Award nominations, including for
Best Director and Best Picture, but would only come away with the award for
Best Sound. The film’s short and somewhat cheap special effects have not dated
well, but with time it actual can add to the charm of this now classic picture.
Through the generations the picture gained holiday classic status with the aid
of television airings around the season, banking of the Christmas season’s
charm that is captured. Keen eyes will spot appearances by members of the cast
from It’s a Wonderful Life, including
Karolyn Grimes, and Bobby Anderson, who portrayed Zuzu and the young George
Bailey respectfully, here appearing in minor roles as Julia and Henry’s
daughter and a local boy whom she joins in a neighborhood snowball fight.
Nearly fifty years later the movie would see itself remade
with 1996’s The Preacher’s Wife starring
Denzel Washington and Whitney Huston which brought the story up to date for
1990s audiences. It too would live as a holiday movie adored by a new
generation, however it would be difficult to say it is as well remember as the
original. It may not be the biggest, brightest, or most well recalled Christmas
movie from the period, but The Bishop’s
Wife remains a solid holiday picture that continues to be reminisced generations
later.
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