The Bishop's Wife
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| The Bishop's Wife | |
|---|---|
 original film poster |
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| Directed by | Henry Koster |
| Produced by | Samuel Goldwyn |
| Starring | Cary Grant Loretta Young David Niven |
| Music by | Hugo Friedhofer |
| Cinematography | Gregg Toland |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures Inc. |
| Release date(s) | December 9, 1947 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 109 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Bishop's Wife is a 1947 romantic comedy film which tells the story of an angel who comes to Earth to help a bishop with his problems. It stars Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven and Monty Woolley, supported by James Gleason, Gladys Cooper and Elsa Lanchester.
The movie was adapted by Leonardo Bercovici, Charles Brackett (uncredited), Robert E. Sherwood and Billy Wilder (uncredited) from the book by Robert Nathan. It was directed by Henry Koster.
It won the Academy Award for Sound, and was nominated for Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Best Picture.
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[edit] Plot
Bishop Henry Brogham (David Niven) prays for divine guidance with the troubled building of a new cathedral. His plea is seemingly answered by a suave angel named Dudley (Cary Grant), who reveals his identity initially only to the clergyman.
However, Dudley's mission isn't to help with the construction. He is there for Henry and the people around him. Henry has become obsessed with the new church, to the detriment of his duties and his relationship with his neglected, unhappy wife, Julia (Loretta Young). Everyone, except for Henry, is charmed by the newcomer, even the non-religious Professor Wutheridge (Monty Woolley). Dudley easily persuades the wealthy parishioners, particularly Mrs Hamilton (Gladys Cooper), to contribute the needed funds.
When Dudley spends time cheering up Julia, there is an unexpected development: he falls in love with her. Sensing this, Henry becomes jealous and anxious for his unwelcome guest to finish and depart. Eventually, he stands up to the less-than-perfect angel. Dudley however has already failed to win Julia's affections and, with his mission completed, departs, promising never to return.
[edit] Production
The film was originally directed by William A. Seiter, but producer Samuel Goldwyn did not like the result, so he asked Henry Koster for a completely new film. The preview audience disliked the new version, forcing Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett to rewrite a couple of scenes without credit.
Niven was originally cast as the angel and Grant as the bishop, but Koster had them switch parts.
[edit] Remake
The Bishop's Wife was remade in 1996 as The Preacher's Wife. The 1996 version stars Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, Courtney B. Vance, Gregory Hines, Loretta Devine and Lionel Richie. It was a remaking of the original script, and was directed by Penny Marshall for Touchstone Pictures and The Samuel Goldwyn Company. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score.
[edit] Trivia
- Although no denomination is mentioned in the film, the characters are intended to be Episcopalians.
[edit] External links
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