SimonJack "The Bishop's Wife" of 1947 is one of the best Christmas movies that combines comedy with drama. Like many of the early films, it also has faith overtones and a well-crafted moral woven throughout the script. It's based on a 1928 novel of the same title by Robert Nathan. All of the cast of this superb film give top performances. As this cast shows, early films of Christmas themes had many stars of the day and top supporting Hollywood casts. Few holiday films today have casts with the big stars of the day in leading roles. This film doesn't have just one, or even two top stars of the day, but three. Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven all were great box office draws and at the peak of their careers. Grant plays Dudley, Young is Julia Broughham, and Niven is Bishop Henry Brougham. All give wonderful performances. This movie also has a cast of leading Hollywood supporting actors of the day. Monty Woolley is superb as professor Wutheridge, James Gleason is very good as taxi driver, Sylvester. Elsa Lanchester and Sara Haden are very good as the bishop's maid and secretary, respectively – Matilda and Mildred. Gladys Cooper is excellent as Mrs. Hamilton, and Regis Toomey is very good as Mr. Miller. The film had production problems at the time. Samuel Goldwyn replaced the director and changed the screenplay. After a slow start, it caught on and received six Academy Award nominations, winning the Oscar for best sound. The direction, camera work, sets and special effects all are superb. A boys' choir (The Mitchell Boychoir) sings a couple of beautiful hymns. This is a Christmas movie with a story that's as timeless as Christmas itself. The whole family should enjoy "The Bishop's Wife."Here are a few of my favorite lines from the film.Julia, "I never know whether you're joking or serious." Dudley, "I'm at my most serious when I'm joking."Julia, "Well, you should have seen him with Professor Wutheridge. He knows more about history than the professor." Henry, "He's been at it longer."Mrs. Hamilton, "Now, that large window depicting St. George and the dragon …" Henry, "Yes?" Mrs. Hamilton, "I should very much like the countenance of St. George to suggest my late husband." Henry, "Uh, who do you see as the dragon?" Mrs. Hamilton, "Oh … oh, any dragon."Julia, "I am wicked." Dudley, "If you are, so am I. And that's impossible."Dudley, "Well, if you had sent me to represent you with Mrs. Hamilton, I would've gone. You didn't. So I represented you with your wife." Henry, "Is that part of the normal duties of a … of an angel?" Dudley, "Sometimes, Henry, angels must rush in where fools fear to tread." Henry, "I haven't the faintest idea what that means. I don't want it explained to me."Dudley, "When an immortal finds himself envying a mortal entrusted to his care, it's a danger signal… Take her in your arms and hold her tight."

utgard14 A delightful Christmas classic that ranks not only among my favorite Cary Grant films but my favorite films period. It's beautiful and funny and touching in ways movies seldom are anymore. The story is about an angel named Dudley (Cary Grant) sent to Earth to help Bishop Henry (David Niven), who's struggling with raising the money necessary to build a new cathedral, all the while neglecting his wife Julia (Loretta Young).Cary Grant is just perfect as Dudley, one of his best 1940s roles. He's charming and handsome and has great chemistry with all of his co-stars. David Niven does a fine job as the stressed and slightly neurotic Henry, who finds himself in the unenviable position (particularly for a Bishop) of being jealous of the very angel sent to help him. With good reason, too, as even angelic Dudley can't resist falling for the heavenly Loretta Young. For her part, lovely Loretta positively glows as the sweet and faithful Julia. Scene-stealing turn from the great Monty Woolley, but when did this guy not shine? Every movie of his I've seen is made better just by his presence. The rest of the wonderful supporting cast includes Elsa Lanchester, James Gleason, Regis Toomey, Sara Haden, and Gladys Cooper. Also of note to fans of another Christmas classic: Karolyn Grimes and Bobby Anderson (Zuzu and young George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life) are in this.It's a quality production with great direction and cinematography, and a witty and emotional script full of very human characters who are flawed but not in the same broken way that description is used today. It's a heartwarming seasonal fantasy film. Not to belabor a point I touched on before but it's the type of movie they don't really make anymore. It's the rare and magical movie you watch with a smile etched on your face the whole time. Definitely recommended for fans of the stars or those who love gentle, old-fashioned Christmas films.

HillstreetBunz I discovered this movie on TV many years ago, never having heard of it previously, but what a joy, being able to call on such talents as Niven, Grant and Loretta Young, not to mention stalwart supporting players such as Gladys Cooper, Monty Woolley and Elsa Lanchester, gave the studio a head start of course. The movie might be seen as sentimental nowadays (though why that's a pejorative I don't know). In fact I think a better word is sensitive. It's apparently simple tale of an Angel being sent down to help a misguided but essentially good Bishop who has lost sight of the real Christian way, is given a human edge and saved from schmaltz by having the Bishop become jealous of the Angels affections for the Bishops wife, and with reason, indeed the Angel does have human feelings for her! Sensitivity is the mark of its treatment of the characters and their flaws, the atheist, the rich widow etc. if even in our secular world Christmas encourages us to reevaluate our priorities in light if Christian teaching, it's a good checkpoint in our too busy and often misguided lives. This movie is a warm hearted and entertaining nudge in the same direction, and we need it. After all were only human!

Dimitri44 Rather than overwork the phrase Motion Picture, the word Film can be most appropriate here. Without offending anyone's philosophical sensibilities, could this film have been motivated by an entity out there, somewhere, such that the people in Hollywood created something intended to be singularly unique? For example, consider what the Director of this film did when he exactly provided for us the scene, frame by frame, when Cary Grant presents to us the Twenty-Third Psalm.Next, many may have also noticed that during the Golden Age, the cast for several films was selected in only one way that could have been possible. For example, can you imagine the roles in this film performed by anyone else other than Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven, Monty Woolley, and James Gleason? Concluding, you will know what the word inspiration means after this film instills your inner self with a feeling of complete, the kind words here are now almost endless.