The Bishop’s Wife (1947) - film review

Bishop Henry Brougham has become so preoccupied with raising funds to build his dream cathedral that he has neglected his wife and his more important clerical duties.  In a moment of desperation, he offers a prayer for divine intervention.  The bishop can hardly believe his eyes when a dapper young man suddenly appears behind him and introduces himself as Dudley, an angel sent from Heaven to give him a helping hand.  Brougham is uncertain what to make of the stranger but hastily adopts him as his clerical assistant.  His suspicions over Dudley’s real motives grow as the so-called angel takes an all too earthly interest in his wife Julia...

Although it ultimately ended up as a polished and highly enjoyable picture, The Bishop’s Wife was one of Samuel Goldwyn’s more troubled productions.  Right from the start, the three lead actors were unhappy with their roles, particularly David Niven, who was under the misapprehension that he would play the angel when he signed his contract.  Loretta Young was a last-minute replacement for Teresa Wright, who was noticeably pregnant by the time filming was due to commence.  Cary Grant was merely filling in after another project had fallen through and felt he was underpaid and woefully miscast.  Hampered with three disgruntled actors and a mediocre screenplay, it is no wonder that director William Seiter failed to deliver the goods.  When Goldwyn previewed Seiter’s work, he sacked him immediately and put the filming on hold for six weeks whilst he went looking for a new director and writing team – something that did little for the morale of the three star players.

With director Henry Koster at the helm and with the benefit of a completely revised script, The Bishop’s Wife began to resemble a half-decent picture, but preview audiences still disliked the middle part of the film.  Consequently, Goldwyn roped in Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett (at great cost) to make additional re-writes and, eventually, he ended up with a film that he approved of and which he knew audiences would like.  As ever, Goldwyn’s instincts were right and the film was a hit, well-received by critics and public alike.  It received five Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture, although it only won the award for Best Sound.

Today, The Bishop’s Wife feels like an inferior version of the Frank Capra classic It’s a Wonderful Life (1946).  It has basically the same story – an implausible-looking angel comes to Earth to help a troubled man out of a hole he has made for himself – and has a similar anti-materialistic message.  Whilst the film undoubtedly has a great deal of charm and has stood the test of time (thanks mainly to Cary Grant’s presence as the Devil-may-care angel), it lacks the substance and visceral emotional bite of Capra’s film.

© Steve Chandler 2010

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