The Bishop's Wife
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Movie Reviews of The Bishop's Wife
Movie Review: Comments on Audio Quality
Summary: 5 Stars
Noise suppressors have been applied to the default soundtrack with the usual, highly predictable results: clipped, abrupt speech (the noise suppressors accelerate the natural decline in volume of spoken words); loss of low-level audio detail and background ambience; and background sounds which increase and decrease depending on the volume of the foreground. I have described these defects more fully in other reviews and they're all on display in the default soundtrack of this title.
What makes "The Bishop's Wife" more interesting than the usual classic DVD with damaged audio is that an unaltered original track is included as a choice. In that track, the dynamic range is less, of course, but speech is natural and easy to understand, and normal background sounds are intact and make an effective setting for the foreground action.
The side effects of noise suppressors are glaringly obvious but I suspect many people have the mistaken impression that the problems are in the original soundtracks of classic films because of their age. Not so. Older films had excellent audio despite lacking the dynamic range of modern films. My personal choice is for an intelligible soundtrack presented as the film's creators intended it to be. In this DVD of "The Bishop's Wife," those in charge at least had the good sense to provide the original, unmangled soundtrack as an option. I wish this were a feature of every classic film DVD.
As for the film itself, all such comments are subjective and of questionable value but for the record I find this film very enjoyable and one that wears well over time.
Movie Review: Another overlooked Sleeper Xmas Classic comes to DVD!
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Bishop's Wife" is a very Vintage Classic from the Metro Goldwyn Mayer movie vault. This 1948 Christmas film has all the yuletide spirit & joy for the family during the holidays. This sleeper classic belongs among the "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) & "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947) movies also of the fabulous post World War II forties. The nation and the world were experiencing renewed family life, church reunions and joyous faith. Hollywood provided us with wholesome family entertainment.This Black / White movie is presented with a clear digital picture and sound. Standard size (before WideScreen), modified to fit your standard tv. The movie is 1 hour and 49 minutes in length. (this was quite long for the 1940 double feature) Extra Feature: an original movie trailer.
Summary: The Bishop (David Niven) & "The Bishop's Wife" (Loretta Young) are aided by a mysterious stranger (Cary Grant) during the Christmas Holidays. The Bishop has reached a very difficult crossroad in his religious career. Actually he becomes obsessed with building a new cathedral while abandoning all his basic roots & beliefs. He prays for spiritual guidance and a stranger appears to assist him in his quest. This stranger tells the Bishop he is an angel & he has answered his prayer. While "The Bishop's Wife" has the faith & believes, the Bishop has doubt. Will all be solved? This is Hollywood. Cary Grant is an Angel. It is Christmas in the 1940's!!! What do you think?
The cast is perfect and the story is absolutely wonderful.
This movie is a wonderful holiday addition to the family Christmas DVD library! Enjoy.
Movie Review: Cary Grant is great in what may be my favorite Christmas movie
Summary: 5 Stars
In some ways, the late 1940s were more of a Hollywood Golden Age than were the 1930s. This film was made in 1947, just a couple of years before the explosive growth of television and the federal government's antitrust suit against the big studios combined to change Hollywood forever. Cary Grant was, of course, one of Hollywood's biggest stars and to my mind this is one of his top two or three films. Although not a typical role in that he is playing an angel, he is still very much the suave, debonair leading man. In fact, if you know someone too young to have seen Cary, this film would be a great way to introduce him. The plot is imaginative and the acting is excellent. This film makes for wonderful Christmas Eve viewing. If there is one problem, the special effects are a bit crude, even for the late 1940s. In particular, the extended scene at the skating rink employs obvious doubles for Grant, Loretta Young, and James Gleason. Grant's double is clearly too short. It's rather surprising that this scene is allowed to go on so long given how unconvincing it is.
It's disappointing that this film is no longer available as a single DVD, although it is included in a three-pack (packaged with two much weaker films). Interestingly, the Robert Nathan novel on which the film is based is also out of print. Nathan wrote a number of similar fantasies -- including the book on which the Joseph Cotton/Jennifer Jones film "A Portrait of Jenny" is based -- but seems to have fallen completely out of fashion. Perhaps someone will bring his books back in Kindle editions.
Movie Review: When is this 5 star movie going to get it's 5 star release?
Summary: 5 Stars
I truly love this classic Christmas film, it ranks only second to "It's a Wonderful Life", for me. I've seen both the original B&W version (which I love), and the colorized version (which is good, but could use a retouch). We've seen 2 of the all time great Christmas films "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), and "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947), get released on magnificent quality editions, featuring both the B&W and colorized versions, on 2 disc DVD sets (which I like very much), as sometimes I like the option to watch either, or. It's a wonderful life has had 3, 2 disc editions issued already, and though it's a great film, why make so many and keep all in print at the same time, kind of a waste to me. I would love to see this film get it's just, and overdue release. I'm just putting it out there, but I'm for 2 disc, colorized, and B&W, release of this film, in time for Christmas of 2011! Also, another beautiful Christmas film to check out, "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" (1984), though a TV-movie, a lot of the old Christmas, and TV-movies in general need DVD release. I'm tired of paying outrageous prices for OOP VHS titles. I'm boycotting all unnecessary duplicate releases, no matter how much prettier they keep making boxes, which is another studio gimmick. I was so use to this film being in print, and seeing it every year in the "superstore", with other great Christmas classics. Now they are carrying what I call the lower-end Christmas films; "Jingle All The Way", "Deck the Halls", etc...Movie Review: An underappreciated Christmas classic
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Bishop's Wife" is not unlike "It's a Wonderful Life" -- a man who thinks he's in trouble is the recipient of divine intervention that reveals what _he_ thinks is right for his life, or the lives of others, isn't necessarily for the best.
"Wife" is not nearly as dark as "Life" (though it does have one unpleasant sequence that counterbalances the "cuteness" of the film's conceit), nor does it attack the materialism of American society quite so forcefully. There is, however, a terse sermon at the end reminding the viewer of the spiritual significance of the holiday. And while Clarence does not actively interfere in human affairs, Dudley does.
The trailer for "The Bishop's Wife" is unusual, because it shows nothing from the film, in an attempt to hide the storyline and who the characters are. Given the way the film starts, with the angelic Grant walking unharmed among moving cars -- I find it odd that the director did not have him coatless in the outdoor scenes.
Regardless, this is an outstanding film that reminds viewers that money is not the source of happiness, and that the highest monuments to God are not made from stone. As if we'll ever learn.
Please avoid, at all costs, the remake, "The Preacher's Wife". I've seen only the first 15 minutes, but it is an atrocity.