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The Bishop's Wife

  • 1947
  • Approved
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
22K
YOUR RATING
Cary Grant, David Niven, and Loretta Young in The Bishop's Wife (1947)
Theatrical Trailer from Samuel Goldwyn
Play trailer2:38
1 Video
74 Photos
Holiday ComedyHoliday RomanceComedyDramaFantasyHolidayRomance

A debonair angel comes to Earth to help an Episcopalian bishop and his wife in their quest to raise money for the new church.A debonair angel comes to Earth to help an Episcopalian bishop and his wife in their quest to raise money for the new church.A debonair angel comes to Earth to help an Episcopalian bishop and his wife in their quest to raise money for the new church.

  • Director
    • Henry Koster
  • Writers
    • Robert E. Sherwood
    • Leonardo Bercovici
    • Robert Nathan
  • Stars
    • Cary Grant
    • Loretta Young
    • David Niven
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    22K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Henry Koster
    • Writers
      • Robert E. Sherwood
      • Leonardo Bercovici
      • Robert Nathan
    • Stars
      • Cary Grant
      • Loretta Young
      • David Niven
    • 208User reviews
    • 43Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Bishop's Wife
    Trailer 2:38
    The Bishop's Wife

    Photos74

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    Top cast38

    Edit
    Cary Grant
    Cary Grant
    • Dudley
    Loretta Young
    Loretta Young
    • Julia Brougham
    David Niven
    David Niven
    • Henry Brougham
    Monty Woolley
    Monty Woolley
    • Professor Wutheridge
    James Gleason
    James Gleason
    • Sylvester
    Gladys Cooper
    Gladys Cooper
    • Mrs. Hamilton
    Elsa Lanchester
    Elsa Lanchester
    • Matilda
    Sara Haden
    Sara Haden
    • Mildred Cassaway
    Karolyn Grimes
    Karolyn Grimes
    • Debby Brougham
    Tito Vuolo
    Tito Vuolo
    • Maggenti
    Regis Toomey
    Regis Toomey
    • Mr. Miller
    Sarah Edwards
    Sarah Edwards
    • Mrs. Duffy
    Margaret McWade
    Margaret McWade
    • Miss Trumbull
    Anne O'Neal
    • Mrs. Ward
    • (as Ann O'Neal)
    Ben Erway
    Ben Erway
    • Mr. Perry
    Erville Alderson
    Erville Alderson
    • Stevens
    Robert J. Anderson
    Robert J. Anderson
    • Defense Captain
    • (as Bobby Anderson)
    Teddy Infuhr
    Teddy Infuhr
    • Attack Captain
    • Director
      • Henry Koster
    • Writers
      • Robert E. Sherwood
      • Leonardo Bercovici
      • Robert Nathan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews208

    7.622.4K
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    Featured reviews

    9aimless-46

    Another Gregg Toland Visual Masterpiece

    At last here is an angel who really has fun just doing his job. Dudley (Cary Grant) brings a subtle joy to his interventions and interactions. The enjoyment factor is what makes "The Bishop's Wife" special. This charming and seemingly simple film that has been a Christmas holiday staple since its release in 1947.

    But like "Groundhog Day", the surface simplicity is misleading, as this is an allegorical tale about the importance of getting outside ourselves and taking steps to escape the ruts of our day-to-day lives; i.e. finding a better way of living. Dudley works a few minor heavenly miracles but his real power is as a cheerleader and personal guide. No need to be an angel to exercise this kind of positive influence on others.

    Dudley the angel comes to earth to help a Bishop (David Niven) juggle his professional and marital commitments, the conflict being that his priorities have changed since his promotion from the priest of a struggling parish. Only the bishop knows that Dudley is other than human and it takes most of the film before he is totally convinced. Meanwhile his wife and many others in the town are swept up by Dudley's charms. The Bishop is pre-occupied with securing funding for constructing a new cathedral but begins to catch on that Dudley and his wife are getting along so well that the unimaginable could occur-the angel stealing his wife.

    If only one word could be used to describe "The Bishop's Wife" it would be subtle. The special effects are minimalist but effective, the careful framing and lighting of Gregg Toland's ("Citizen Kane") black and white cinematography, the tentative steps title character Julia (Loretta Young) takes as she starts to experience happiness again, and the slow realization by Bishop Henry of how far he has drifted from what matters the most.

    The unity and subtlety is best illustrated in the scene of Henry walking up the sidewalk towards the Professor's (Monty Wooley) apartment. Although a few minutes from the end, this is actually the film's climax as Henry is finally confronting himself. As he walks forward the dark screen begins to get brighter; in step with his progress toward spiritual change and discovery is the end of his physical journey. He moves symbolically (and literally) toward the light.

    Rounding out the strong cast are James Gleason (Max Corkle in "Here Comes Mr. Jordan") Elsa Lanchester, and Gladys Cooper. Henry and Julia's young daughter is played by Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu in "It's a Wonderful Life").

    A nice thing is that while the film's "little" miracles are done on screen they are interwoven into the fabric of the story instead of dominating a scene. This casualness fits the tone of the film as does the occasional satirical line. The most memorable conversation is Cooper's demand (she is pledging money for the new cathedral) that the George figure in the proposed "St. George and the Dragon" stained glass window be made to resemble her late husband. Then Niven (deadpan) asks her whom she wants the dragon to resemble.

    There will be a few who do not enjoy this film but I recommend it to anyone who wants a nice holiday film, or who is interested in a relatively deep allegorical tale of one's capacity to be a positive influence on others, or who just wants to see a truly awesome example of technical film-making.

    Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
    9jotix100

    Touched by an angel

    Dudley, the angel, comes to earth to teach a thing or two to the people of this town, or so it seems. He touches everyone he encounters in a positive way. The message is how we humans get so involved in things that are so unimportant that we miss the big picture.

    This film, directed by Henry Koster, is a classic. In fact, I am surprised it doesn't play more during Christmas, or maybe I have missed seeing it around that time of the year that is the setting for the angel's appearance. It seems as though Dudley is pointing to the arrival of Christmas at a time, perhaps, when the season had still a non-commercial aspect and it was, after all, a family affair.

    The cast was exceptional. Cary Grant is Dudley, the man/angel who turns everything he touches into a lesson on how to be kind. Julia, the bishop's wife, plays the neglected woman with conviction. David Niven plays the preoccupied bishop who is trying to bring the moneyed people of town to his side in order to erect his monument to his own ego.

    Gladys Cooper is also a distinguished face in the film. She is Mrs. Hamilton who learns a thing or two about humility. Elsa Lanchester was a happy figure in whatever film she appeared. Monty Woolley, as the professor is also effective. James Gleason was one of the most prolific character actors of his generation. He is excellent as Sylvester, the taxi driver who befriends Julia and Dudley. Their ice skating sequence is one of the best things of the film.

    This is a film to treasure.
    7lasttimeisaw

    small wonders that save the day in Henry Koster's vintage heart-warmer ensconced as a go-to holiday classic with wholesome contentment.

    Silver-screen glamor oozes from this vestigially cloying but devilishly feel-good Hollywood fable about an angel, descending from heaven in the physical form of Cary Grant, is assigned by the Almighty to answer the prayer of an Episcopal bishop Henry Brougham (Niven), who is preoccupied with his imminent fund-raising of a cathedral which puts a strain on his family life.

    The angel Dudley, a choir-conducting, ice-skating, harp-thrumming omnipotent being, comes clean with a dubious Henry of his mission and poses as his new assistant, squires Henry's neglected wife Julia (Young) to recollect her fondest memory, charms the entire household including the high-pitched housekeeper Matilda (Lanchester), Henry's prim secretary Mildred (Haden), and the Brougham's small daughter Debby (Grimes), also, convinces an atheist professor Wutheridge (Woolley) to finally knuckle down to write the history book he has been stalling ever since. Eventually, Dudley's mission is not to build a cathedral, the fund can be wisely disbursed to a more exigent need of its time, but to set Henry's derailed life back on track, right before the advert of Christmas.

    But there is a hitch, predictably, Dudley develops a feeling for Julia, which raises the tension between him and Henry, who runs away with jealousy (no sagacious scribe to inject him with any scintilla of trust in his devoted wife), and it is all up to a virtuous Julia to pull the plug with a lachrymose face to adumbrate that Dudley's feeling is not unrequited, but bound by a wife's duty, however tempted, it is too sacrosanct for her to shuck that off, a moral lesson inculcated with a beguiling pretense of cinematic illusion.

    While the three leads are deftly treading their designated paths with admirable expertise: Grant is particularly jaunty in Dudley's backhanded magickal tricks with an understated poker-face, Young radiates incredible bonhomie and saintliness and Niven, taking everything with a pinch of salt, perfectly offsets Grant's exuding charisma in his own sizzling pique, it is the witty special effects that mostly, gives the movie an endearing quality that weathers with the age and shifting ethos, a self-typing typewriter, a self-replenishing bottle of sherry and a fully-bedecked Christmas tree, it is indeed, small wonders that save the day in Henry Koster's vintage heart-warmer ensconced as a go-to holiday classic with wholesome contentment.
    8planktonrules

    Light and sweet

    This is a fine movie--the sort of nice old fashioned film that Hollywood did so well decades ago. A delightful script, excellent acting, along with beautiful sets and deft direction make this simple movie stand up so well even today.

    Cary Grant plays an angel that comes to assist the extremely controlling and obsessed Bishop, played by David Niven. While Niven prayed for divine help, he struggled throughout the film with accepting the help on anything but his own terms. He soon learns of Grant's mission, but others are unaware of his Heavenly origins. Grant plays his angelic role in a very deliberately paced and casual manner--almost like combining TV's Mister Rogers with the usual Grant persona! In addition to these two wonderful actors, the film also features Loretta Young, Monty Woolley, James Gleason, Elsa Lanchester and Gladys Cooper. All did a great job of providing color and support in the film.

    Perhaps the biggest star of this film, though, were the sets, cinematography and direction. They created a really nostalgic sense to the film that seemed almost better than real life. The snow, the frozen pond and all the other aspects of the film just set the perfect mood. About the only negative at all (and it's a small one) is the skating sequence. While it was nice to see Grant and Young really ice skating in the beginning, using doubles for them as well as James Gleason wasn't very seamless. Having these doubles skating with darkened faces just seemed pretty cheesy but forgivable.

    All-in-all, this is a nice fantasy film that should be enjoyed by most anyone except the most cynical viewers.
    9marcosaguado

    An Angel For All Seasons

    What a pleasure to revisit this Henry Koster little gem. Everything works in the most unexpected way. The mystic magic of the story is utterly contagious. The unexpected musical number on ice skates by Cary Grant, Loretta Young and James Gleason made me want to see it again straight away and thanks to the new technologies I was able to do it on the spot. There was a remake of this movie a few years ago, remember? No, probably not. Denzel Washington in the Cary Grant part and Whitney Huston in Loretta Young's. To see both films back to back should be a masterclass in film anthropology that proves without a doubt that with the passing of time we have lost something invaluable. I don't know what it is. Maybe there isn't a word for it yet. What I would love to share with all of you is the joy that "The Bishop's Wife" borough to me. Even Gladys Cooper's upper class monster has a moment of exquisite redemption. Not to be missed.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Originally Cary Grant played the bishop and David Niven the angel. When original director William A. Seiter left the film, Henry Koster replaced him and viewed what had been shot so far. He realized that the two were in the wrong roles. It took some convincing because Grant wanted the title role of the Bishop. He eventually accepted the change and his role as the angel was one of the most widely praised of his career.
    • Goofs
      Obvious stunt double when Dudley shows Julia how he can spin on the ice; he appears shorter and seems to be wearing dark-rimmed glasses.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Henry Brougham: Tonight I want to tell you the story of an empty stocking. Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child's cry. A blazing star hung over a stable and wise men came with birthday gifts. We haven't forgotten that night down the centuries; we celebrate it with stars on Christmas trees, the sound of bells and with gifts. But especially with gifts. You give me a book; I give you a tie. Aunt Martha has always wanted an orange squeezer and Uncle Henry could do with a new pipe. We forget nobody, adult or child. All the stockings are filled... all that is, except one. And we have even forgotten to hang it up. The stocking for the child born in a manger. It's his birthday we are celebrating. Don't ever let us forget that. Let us ask ourselves what he would wish for most... and then let each put in his share. Loving kindness, warm hearts and the stretched out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth.

    • Alternate versions
      Also available in a computer colorized version.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Soundman (1950)
    • Soundtracks
      Lost April
      (uncredited)

      Music by Emil Newman and Herbert W. Spencer (as Herbert Spencer)

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    FAQ24

    • How long is The Bishop's Wife?Powered by Alexa
    • Is "The Bishop's Wife" based on a book?
    • Whose prayer does Dudley answer -- the bishop's or the bishop's wife's?
    • To what denomination does the bishop belong?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 16, 1948 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Un enviado del cielo
    • Filming locations
      • Loring Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA(snowball fight scene)
    • Production company
      • Samuel Goldwyn Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $44
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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