Xmas in Film: The Bishop's Wife

Films that feature characters who wear their religious beliefs on their sleeves (or in this film's case their collar), often fall into the dangerous territory of turning into overly sweetened tripe.  When angels are involved that tripe can become a diabetic coma inducing goo.  Shockingly though, The Bishop's Wife (1947) directed by Henry Koster, manages to sidestep that pitfall, in spite of starring a Bishop and the angel sent down from heaven to help him.  Mind you, it helps that the Bishop is played by the debonair David Niven, and the angel is played the equally suave and endlessly charming Cary Grant.  No Clarence Oddbody types for this movie.

It's Christmas time, and David Niven's Bishop Henry Brougham is trying to finalize the funding for the grand new cathedral that he and his congregation endeavour to build.  Unfortunately, all his efforts are at the expense of his relationship with his wife, Julia(played by Loretta Young).  The trouble is that our Bishop is so focused on the funding issues that he does not even realize the toll it is taking on his marriage.  After praying to god to send him help for his cathedral, Dudley the angel appears in his office claiming to be the answer to the Bishop's prayers. Everyone is charmed by Dudley and he soon inspires a wealthy old woman to donate her large fortune to the needy rather than to the cathedral; helps the community rediscover the old community church, and pretty much thwart all of the Bishop's, attempts to get the funding for his cathedral.  He also helps break Julia out of her sadness, further angering the Bishop.  Things get really sticky when Dudley realizes that he is deeply attracted to Julia. 

The Bishop's Wife is imbued with an incredible amount of wit and sophistication which acts as a safety net ensuring that the film never get too treacly.  When you have to lead actors who both perfectly embody the stereotype of the rarefied English gentleman playing against each other, there's not a lot of room for cheap sentimentality.  Representing the female side of the equation you have an actress like Loretta Young who brings a warm, down-to-earth honesty to Julia.  She is never a victim or a whiner, she puts on a brave face for her husband but her eyes give away the pain she feels at the increasing distance between she and her husband.  When she does start to experience happiness again, the feeling is so infectious that you can't help but smile.  The unusual triangle that springs up between the three never goes into crass territory, and feels original in spite of having a fairly obvious outcome.

Other than three great performances by three greats leads, this film features a wonderful supporting cast, beautiful black and white cinematography, and a merry dose of Christmas cheer.  Here's a most unusual trailer for the film.

Xmas in Film: Christmas in Connecticut

All right... this is the last time I talk about Barbara Stanwyck for a while.  Promise!  As I previous mentioned, Stanwyck made multiple films that occur around the Christmas holiday.  Today, I'll be speaking about the most obvious of these films 1945's Christmas in Connecticut, directed by Peter Godfrey.  There's Christmas in the title and a Christmas movie is what you get, which is actually not as common as you would think with many of these classic films.  Don't believe me?  Just look at TCM's annual Christmas offerings - many with a single scene devoted to something Christmasy to tie it in with the theme (speaking of TCM, I'm rather disappointed that they have elected to leave Christmas in Connecticut off their schedule this year).

Christmas in Connecticut features Stanwyck as Elizabeth Lane, a Martha Stewart type columnist for a popular House and Home magazine.  To her publisher and loyal audience she owns a farm in Connecticut, has a husband and baby, and is an expert cook and homemaker.  In reality though she is a bachelor girl who lives in a small New York apartment who doesn't even know how to boil water.  With the help of her dear friend Felix (played by the ever-endearing S.Z. 'Cuddles' Skall) and would be man (he wants to marry her, but she doesn't love him) John Sloan's own farm as inspiration she has managed to keep her ruse under wraps (up until this this point).  Everything changes when her publisher Alexander Yardley (played by another great character actor Sydney Greenstreet) demands that she invites a war hero to her Connecticut farm for a traditional Christmas.  Things get worse when Yardley decides that he would also like to come to Elizabeth's farm.  To keep the truth from coming out, Elizabeth agrees to marry John Sloan and with the help of Felix, create the illusion that she is the woman that inhabits the world of her column.  The scheme is perfect until she falls in love with the war hero (played by Dennis Morgan).  Hijinks ensue as Elizabeth and Felix jump through hoops to save her job and avoid marrying John Sloan.

This film is a novelty in Stanwyck's filmography, being one of the few roles where she doesn't have it all together.  In fact, she's kind of a passive character who allows much of the action to happen around her, especially when being pushed around by her publisher.  Part of the reason Stanwyck agreed to play the role of Elizabeth Lane was because the film she completed right before this movie was Double Indemnity, where she plays a cold-blooded seductress and murderer.  Due to the dark nature of the role, Stanwyck really needed a nice light role, which she found in Christmas in Connecticut.  You know what, she makes it work, and in the end we get to see a little bit of the strong independent Stanwyck that we know and love.

Ultimately, this film is completely charming.  It really deserves to be put on the same pedestal as It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol as a perennial Christmas classic.  Here's the trailer to whet
your appetite.