Heavens Above! (1963)

Directors:

John Boulting
Roy Boulting

Writers:

John Boulting (screenplay)
John Boulting (story)
(more)

Release Date:

25 November 1963 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A minister is accidentally appointed to a snobbish parish. |

Plot Keywords:

Anglican | Vicar | Salvation Army | Gypsy | Riot

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Peter Sellers	...	The Rev. John Smallwood
Cecil Parker	...	Archdeacon Aspinall
Isabel Jeans	...	Lady Despard
Ian Carmichael	...	The Other Smallwood
Bernard Miles	...	Simpson
Brock Peters	...	Matthew Robinson
Eric Sykes	...	Harry Smith
Irene Handl	...	Rene Smith
Miriam Karlin	...	Winnie Smith
Joan Miller	...	Mrs. Smith-Gould
Miles Malleson	...	Rockeby
Eric Barker	...	Bank Manager
William Hartnell	...	Major Fowler
Roy Kinnear	...	Fred Smith
Joan Hickson	...	Housewife
Kenneth Griffith	...	Rev. Owen Smith
Mark Eden	...	Sir Geoffrey Despard
John Comer	...	Butcher
Basil Dignam	...	Prisoner Governor
Franklyn Engelman	...	TV Commentator
Colin Gordon	...	Prime Minister
Geoffrey Hibbert	...	Council Official
Joan Heal	...	Disgruntled Housewife
Ludovic Kennedy	...	Himself
Marjie Lawrence	...	Quarrelling Housewife (as Margery Lawrence)
Harry Locke	...	Shop Steward
Henry B. Longhurst	...	Deaf Gentleman
Joan Matheson	...	Cast Member
Malcolm Muggeridge	...	Cleric
Derek Nimmo	...	Director-General's Assistant
Conrad Phillips	...	P.R.O.
Nicholas Phipps	...	Director-General
Cardew Robinson	...	Tramp
Gerald Sim	...	Self-Service Store Manager
Olive Sloane	...	Quarreling Housewife
Marianne Stone	...	Miss Palmer
Elsie Wagstaff	...	Lady on Parish Church Council
Thorley Walters	...	Tranquilax Executive
Ian Wilson	...	Salvation Army Major
George Woodbridge	...	Bishop
Josephine Woodford	...	Doris Smith
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ronald Adam	...	Cabinet Minister #1 (uncredited)
Rodney Bewes	...	Milkfloat Driver (uncredited)
Tim Brinton	...	TV Commentator (uncredited)
Peggy Ann Clifford	...	Bit Part, Crowd Scene (uncredited)
Ed Devereaux	...	Communications Officer (uncredited)
John Glyn-Jones	...	Professor (uncredited)
Fred Griffiths	...	Angry Man in Crowd Scene (uncredited)
John Harvey	...	Wilson, Prison Officer (uncredited)
Drewe Henley	...	Doris' Boy Friend (uncredited)
John Junkin	...	Reporter at Space Launch Site (uncredited)
Barry Keegan	...	Angry Man in Crowd Scene (uncredited)
Louis Mansi	...	Man Buying Groceries (uncredited)
Steve Marriott	...	Jack (uncredited)
Billy Milton	...	Fellowes (uncredited)
Arthur Mullard	...	Cast Member (uncredited)
Howard Pays	...	Astronaut (uncredited)
Frank Sieman	...	Baptist - Food Queue (uncredited)
Rita Tobin-Weske	...	Lady at Church Door (uncredited)
Russell Waters	...	Bit Part, Cabinet Office (uncredited)

Directed by
John Boulting
Roy Boulting

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Boulting		screenplay
John Boulting		story
Frank Harvey		screenplay
Frank Harvey		story
Malcolm Muggeridge		idea

Produced by
John Boulting	....	producer
Roy Boulting	....	producer

Original Music by
Richard Rodney Bennett

Cinematography by
Mutz Greenbaum		(as Max Greene)

Film Editing by
Teddy Darvas

Art Direction by
Albert Witherick

Costume Design by
David Ffolkes

Makeup Department
Gerry Fletcher	....	makeup artist
Stuart Freeborn	....	makeup artist
Barbara Ritchie	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Michael F. Johnson	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Derek Cracknell	....	assistant director
Henry Emery	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Malcolm Johnson	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Robert Cartwright	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Peter Childs	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Alan Evans	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Roy Walker	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Frank Willson	....	draughtsman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Chris Greenham	....	dubbing editor
Red Law	....	dubbing mixer
George Stephenson	....	sound recordist (as George Stevenson)
Jack Davies	....	boom operator (uncredited)
David Lenham	....	assistant boom operator (uncredited)
Brian Marshall	....	dubbing crew (uncredited)
Brian Paxton	....	sound maintenance (uncredited)
Vorke Scarlett	....	dubbing crew (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
John Mackey	....	model photography (uncredited)
John Mackey	....	travelling matte (uncredited)
George Samuels	....	model photography (uncredited)
George Samuels	....	travelling matte (uncredited)
Wally Veevers	....	model photography (uncredited)
Wally Veevers	....	travelling matte (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Allwork	....	camera operator
Geoff Meldrum	....	second camera operator (uncredited)
Laurie Ridley	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Ray Sieman	....	clapper loader (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Bill Garlic	....	second assistant editor (uncredited)
John Poyner	....	assembly cutter (uncredited)
David Woodward	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
John Hollingsworth	....	conductor

Other crew
Olga Brook	....	continuity
Harold Ironmonger	....	consultant (as Rev. Harold Ironmonger)
Theo Richmond	....	production assistant to producer
Derek Robbins	....	publicist (uncredited)
Dee Vaughan	....	production secretary (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Charter Film Productions (in association with)
• Romulus Films

Distributors

• British Lion Film Corporation (1963) (UK) (theatrical)
• Janus Films (1963) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinema V (1965) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (1989) (UK) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

118 min | USA:105 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Claremont House, Esher, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Charter Film Productions

Trivia:

At one point when Rev. Smallwood (Sellers) is preaching from the pulpit, a young boy is seen in the foreground reading a copy of Nabokov's "Lolita". Sellers played Quilty in Stanley Kubrick's film version of that book.

Quotes:

Simpson:Anytime you hear someone quoting from the bible - better watch out - it's probably the devil himself!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)

Soundtrack:

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Funny film, silly ending

Peter Sellers is great as the Brummie vicar whose gaucheness brings a small country town to its knees in this famous 60s satire. It's difficult to pin down the film's target; perhaps the film's so likeable because it seems to get a dig in at everybody at the same time. Among the targets are: religion, capitalism, communism, and British society and mores. The moral of the tale seems to be that no matter your efforts or intentions, you're unlikely to improve on the status quo (and could make things a lot worse). So in the last analysis maybe it's Conservative propaganda.

The film stomps merrily through all the issues with fun effect and should've quit when it was ahead. The final segment is crass and takes off some of the shine.