The Bells of St. Mary's
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bing Crosby, Henry Travers, Ingrid Bergman, Ruth Donnelly, William GarganBrand: Republic Pictures
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 126 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-09-23
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Republic Pictures
Movie Reviews of The Bells of St. Mary's
Movie Review: A Feel Good Film With Interesting Psychological Conflict
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Bells of St. Mary's" was a shrewd move by Paramount Studios and director Leo McCarey, whose successful prequel film about the likable and practical Catholic priest Father O'Malley, "Going My Way", spawned the 1945 release, which included an additional element that provided the basis for an interesting psychological conflict. Irish Catholic McCarey was impressed by letters he received from movie fans who enjoyed "Going My Way" and suggested that he do a similar film showcasing the role that nuns played in the Catholic world inhabited by Father O'Malley.
Bing Crosby had garnered a Best Actor Oscar for "Going My Way" and McCarey secured the services of the beautiful Ingrid Bergman to play Sister Benedict, the Mother Superior of St. Mary's School. Crosby found himself immediately clashing with Bergman on certain points relating to the parish, but through it all a mutual respect existed between them. Each realized that the other was committed to the best interests of St. Mary's.
Dudley Nichols, a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winner a decade earlier for the John Ford film about the Irish political conflict starring Victor McLaglen, "The Informer", directed his effort in the script toward presenting Crosby and Bergman in periodic conflict, but learning from those experiences. Much of the contrast, they realize, stems from the way that men and women view situations. One phase of the film showing this difference is when Bergman teaches a young student who has been victimized by a bully how to box as a means of restoring order. She feels a tinge of guilt since the youngster's failure to fight back and receipt of a beating in the process stemmed from his obedience to her stricture against fighting at St. Mary's.
When Crosby pursues a conventional macho posture in extolling the need for protecting oneself and praises the fighting skills of the bully, the nun has had enough. She purchases a boxing instructional book written by former heavyweight champion Gene Tunney and adeptly instructs the obedient youngster in the manly art of self-defense as he ultimately teaches the bully a lesson. Crosby recognizes her teaching skill and becomes cognizant of the strength of her feminine viewpoint.
An area where Crosby and Bergman cooperate is in seeking the answer to the nun's fervent prayer. She believes that of the mortgage holder of their property, Henry Travers, who has built a modern building next door and seeks to use the church property for an employee parking lot, may through prayer and proper persuasion be convinced to give them his modern structure. The result would be a new school and no further need to use the tired current facility.
The effectiveness of Crosby and Bergman stems from their soft sell technique with just the right pinch of Christian charitable thought thrown into the mix. Travers, who cannot sleep nights and experiences heart problems, confides to the priest and nun separately that he wishes he was better liked.
Their soft sell approach in advancing the "It is more blessed to give than to receive" precept along with the accompanying feel good element of charity prompts Travers to see things in a light more favorable to the interests of St. Mary's.
Crosby and Bergman are delights to behold in this feel good film. They provide challenges to each other through disagreement and an effective front when they team up on the issue of greatest importance to them, the welfare of St. Mary's parish.
Summary of The Bells of St. Mary's
Features include:
?MPAA Rating: NR
?Format: DVD
?Runtime: 126 minutes
After watching director Leo McCarey's 1945, black-and-white ode to sentimentality, it's intriguing to note how everything old becomes new again. As evidenced by 1998 box-office fare such as Stepmom and One True Thing, the "disease of the week" mentality has been tugging at filmgoers' hearts for decades. The Bells of St. Mary's is the "sequel" to McCarey's Oscar-winning Going My Way, for which star Bing Crosby incredulously took home a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the paternal priest, Father O'Malley. But in The Bells of St. Mary's, Crosby's undernourished, laconic technique barely registers against the luminous, playful gravity of Ingrid Bergman, who embodies the heart of a faith-abiding but forward-thinking nun named Sister Benedict. O'Malley is transferred to her poverty-stricken school, and the two square off, ultimately forming a respect and liking for each other despite the fact that the good Sister has taken ill with tuberculosis and Father O'Malley must send her away from her beloved parish to save her life. Sure, The Bells of St. Mary's feels outdated and even trivial in light of the successors to its throne, but it's still a contender. McCarey had the touch for striking a chord that hearkens back to everything we didn't get as kids. He fills a need, as it were, with his ability to reveal our human frailties. Too, he's got Ingrid Bergman, who makes us fondly remember every teacher who lovingly and patiently made a difference in our lives. The Bells of St. Mary's recalls better days and romanticizes a gentler way of being, as suggested when Sister Benedict, after overhearing Father O'Malley remark that sometimes a man must fight his way through life, offers simply in response, "Why not make him think his way through instead?" --Paula Nechak
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