The Bishop's Wife

1947 "Have you heard about Cary and the bishop's wife?"
7.6| 1h49m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 25 December 1947 Released
Producted By: RKO Radio Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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An Episcopal Bishop, Henry Brougham, has been working for months on the plans for an elaborate new cathedral which he hopes will be paid for primarily by a wealthy, stubborn widow. He is losing sight of his family and of why he became a churchman in the first place. Enter Dudley, an angel sent to help him. Dudley does help everyone he meets, but not necessarily in the way they would have preferred. With the exception of Henry, everyone loves him, but Henry begins to believe that Dudley is there to replace him, both at work and in his family's affections, as Christmas approaches.

Genre

Fantasy, Drama, Comedy

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Director

Henry Koster

Production Companies

RKO Radio Pictures

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The Bishop's Wife Audience Reviews

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
vincentlynch-moonoi Question 1: Is the new Blu Ray edition worth the upgrade? There is somewhat of an improvement; it's a good transfer.This is one of the most charming films ever made. It is a fine Christmas story which can be enjoyed anytime of the year. Its 3 stars do marvelously. This is one of those films where everything pretty much comes together almost perfectly.What I find most interesting about the film is how the story treads a thin line between a romance between the angel (Cary Grant) and the Bishop's wife (Loretta Young) and honest concern and compassion. In fact, the difference is the essence of the film.The skating sequence with Grant, Young, and James Gleason is one of the most delightful film sequences in any film I have ever seen. Of course we know the actors have doubles, but it's such a wonderful series of scenes that we are happily willing to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the joy! The cast here is nigh on perfect. Cary Grant is superb as the angel. He's just sparkling here; it would appear that he really enjoyed the role. I suppose some would think this was an easy role; I'm not so sure it was. He was treading on shifting sands here, and managed it perfectly well.Loretta Young does so nicely as the Bishop's wife, who loves life, loves her husband, but is nearly despondent over the way things are turning out for their marriage as her husband becomes more and more obsessed with his project.David Niven. Well, I'm less impressed with Niven's performance here than with Young's or Grant's, but I'm not sure I can fault him. His was a tough character to like...or dislike, so perhaps my hesitation is with the character, not the performance.In the supporting roles, James Gleason's small role as a taxi driver is, perhaps, the most charming of his career. Monty Woolley is good as "the professor". I always think of Gladys Cooper as one of the outstanding character actresses, and she does not disappoint here as the wealthy donor, although she had other more memorable roles. Elsa Lanchester is very likable as the housekeeper, as is Sara Haden (another one of those familiar faces) as the Bishop's secretary.It's difficult for me to imagine someone not liking this film, unless it's totally outside of their preferred genres. It could have been a much different result. In the beginning, Niven was cast as the angel, Dana Andrews as the bishop, and Teresa Wright as the wife. I can see the latter two working, but I can't see Niven as the angel. No, this one turned out just perfect the way that it finally ended up on screen.
Mikey I love this film! I usually watch this about 3 or 4 times during the Christmas season as it's in my rotation with Home for the Holidays, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, One Magic Christmas, If You Believe, Bell, Book, and Candle, A Diva's Christmas Carol, and The Family Stone. My roommates hate me during this time of year! I like to think there are people out there that believe in helping others unselfishly. I strive to be that kind of person.I like seeing some of the other character actors such as Elsa Lanchester who is in Bell Book and Candle, and Sara Haden who I only knew from the Shirley Temple movie Poor Little Rich Girl. Oh and two of the children from It's a Wonderful Life...Zuzu and young Harry Bailey. Definitely watch this one! I think it's way better than the remake, although Denzel and Whitney are great!
tavm After 20 years of only reading about this movie (I knew it was remade as The Preacher's Wife when that movie came out in 1996, a movie I remember enjoying), I finally got to watch this on Netflix disc. David Niven is a bishop who seems distant from not only his wife-Loretta Young-but also his pre-teen daughter and most of his staff and some neighbors. Cary Grant is an angel named Dudley who automatically charms everyone except Niven-the only one who even knows what he is. I'll stop there and just say this was quite a charming Christmas movie to watch with great scenes of both comedy and drama. I also loved the character turns of Monty Woolley and James Gleason. So on that note, I highly recommend The Bishop's Wife. P.S. Since It's a Wonderful Life is my favorite movie, I always like to cite when players from that one appear in other films. In this case, Karolyn Grimes-Zuzu in IAWL-plays the daughter Debby, Bobbie Anderson-Little George Bailey-plays one of the boys who torments Debby in the snowfight scene, and Sarah Edwards-Mary Hatch's mother-plays an organist.
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.