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The Bishop’s Wife itself wasn’t much of a success either, at least not until producer Samuel Goldwyn added Cary Grant’s name to the very title by dubbing it “Cary and the Bishop’s Wife”, a marketing move so stupid and condescending, that it absolutely worked on the American public of 1947. The issue seemed to be that the title as was implied an overt religious nature to the film, an implication not entirely unfounded in the films content. That aside though, I was genuinely surprised how charmed I was by this movie, especially given my experience with Christmas movies of this era has been largely disappointing (apart from the aforementioned classic and Miracle on 34th Street).
It’s about a Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven) struggling to fund a new cathedral during the holiday season. His concern with this has caused him to neglect his household, his daughter, and his wife Julia (Loretta Young). In answer to a prayer for guidance, Dudley (Cary Grant) shows up, claiming to be an angel, and in the next few days spends time with Brougham’s family, getting to know Julia especially and trying to help the Bishop see what’s really important.
The smartest choice this movie made was not making Dudley the protagonist, despite being played by Cary Grant. Being played by Cary Grant, he does have the most screen-time, but the story arc and character journey belongs to Henry. He’s the one walking in the path of Ebenezer Scrooge and George Bailey, needing to learn the important lesson of the story. Despite the films’ structure designed to showcase Dudley more, Henry remains the heart; it’s him we’re invested in and his growth comes about in a believable way. Okay, the possibility of losing one’s wife to an angel would make anyone think twice about how they’ve been living their life, but David Niven does a great job making this feel like part of a larger whole. I don’t think we appreciate enough how good of an actor David Niven was, because he’s never in the conversation with the other greats of his era (Cary Grant among them). But this was the same year he did A Matter of Life and Death, and he is likewise exemplary here. As much as he may be written that way at times, he never comes off as unlikeable or overly pious. Niven plays the character with conviction and a genuine desire to do good in a big picture sense, though naïve to the needs of his own household and the spirit he purports to be doing this in.
Dudley, in as much as he’s meant to be a guide for Henry, is also a great foil. The conversations between the two are some of the movies’ best moments, both for the principles and the banter. I like that there’s no obvious supernatural presence to Dudley, leaving the audience to wonder for a time if he really is an angel as he claims. And Dudley is no Clarence, he knows exactly what he’s doing and is aware of the necessary propriety to keep his true nature a secret. Playing all of this with both his usual sophistication and a welcome aura of wisdom is Cary Grant in one of his most unique roles. It’s one of the few times the story isn’t centred on him and he doesn’t pair off with his leading lady in the end. In a way this makes it feel like a more mature performance from Grant, and it says a lot that he was offered the part of the Bishop but chose the Angel instead. The way he uses his magic, whether to give someone a spark of inspiration, just to show off, or to make a point to Henry, it has a particular quality to it -reminiscent of the Ghost of Christmas Present. Grant is so naturally charming and endearing as he does this too, and has great chemistry with Niven. But of course a lot of the movie is given over to Dudley being with Julia in the community, meeting people and occasionally undermining Henry -such as when he persuades the wealthy Mrs. Hamilton (Gladys Cooper) into donating her money to a charity rather than the Cathedral project. And all the while he’s accidentally falling in love with the wife of the man he’s supposed to be helping.
The relationship between Dudley and Julia is fine, though the latter isn’t a particularly strong character. It should be noted that Loretta Young had a tough job for this movie though, having to be charmed, curious, and elated by Dudley without coming across as falling in love with him (even if this does appear the case at times). The Production Code refused to allow a married woman to, even in feeling, commit adultery, and that likewise seems to be the reason why Dudley couldn’t romance her by the end. This made the movie better overall (one of the few times the Code actually did good), but it leaves the thinness of Julia’s character more transparent -and she’s the title figure. Young does work well as an audience surrogate and a few of her romantic scenes with Dudley are really good, most of all that skating sequence that the films’ poster emphasized. The supporting cast is generally quite good, featuring in addition to Cooper and Monty Woolley as the non-religious writer, a delightful Elsa Lanchester as the Brougham’s housekeeper Matilda. And you can’t get much more perfect an example of typecasting as two kids from It’s a Wonderful Life showing up in this Christmas movie just a year later in pretty much the same parts. Karolyn Grimes, famous as Zuzu Bailey, having uttered arguably the most famous line from the earlier film, is the Broughams’ daughter, while Bobby Anderson, who played the young George Bailey, is once again an outspoken ice-skating youth.
The Bishop’s Wife is a Christmas movie despite my having not mentioned the holiday much until now. Christmas may not be a direct part of the plot but this is more than a movie merely set at the festive time of year. Its themes of valuing people more than material goals is undoubtedly tied to Christmas and the holiday imagery is all over this movie from the snowy streets to the lavish Christmas tree Dudley magically decorates. And though obviously there is a lot of religion in the movie, what with a clergyman and an angel being the protagonists, it’s not a vessel for preaching and keeps its story relatively secular. It remains grounded in more universal morals and notions. Dudley doesn’t even talk to God, being certainly much less reliant on his boss than Clarence. Most importantly, the construction of a cathedral is the major roadblock in Henry’s morality lesson. Essentially the movie says such buildings are not important.
And the movie is right in saying that. Henry is right for heeding Dudley’s advice and Dudley is right for leaving their lives without a word (erasing their memories in the process). And Cary Grant exits a movie in one of his most meaningful ways. The Bishop’s Wife may be regurgitating a common Christmas message but it’s one that works nicely in this particular story. The existence of a remake made in 1996 by the recently late Penny Marshall starring Denzel Washington shows that the story has some staying power. It’s not a great Christmas movie by any means, but it is a warm one, a genially entertaining movie that reminds us that family, love and generosity are more important than the business of building monuments to those things.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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