I like this movie a lot, but have always felt there's a real melancholy underlying the redemptive parts. Dudley the angel accomplishes his mission, with the bishop and his wife rediscovering their love for each other, the rich woman donating her wealth to the poor, the bishop realizing how important his family is to him, etc.
But there's a very poignant feeling at the end, when the angel asks his heavenly superiors for just a few more moments on earth. He has experienced the love of a mortal woman and knows he can never be with her. He has touched the lives of those he came in contact with and made them happier, but at a cost to himself. Mortal happiness with a wife and family is not for him, and he must go back.
The final sequence is incredibly moving to me, when the angel smiles at the old professor on his way up the steps of the church on Christmas Eve, and the professor pauses for a moment, unsure if he recognizes the friendly greeter or not, and then goes into the church. The angel stands in the falling snow amid the Christmas crowds and then seems to gradually disappear into the night, going back home. It 's hard to describe the impact of that scene without risking sounding corny, but it works beautifully.
This movie could have been really cutesy and overly sentimental, but it really works as a thoughtful, serious film with some lighthearted moments, but it is not a comedy, as some have described it over the years. I think this ranks among the best things Cary Grant ever did, and all the cast are really fine.
I think perhaps there's something less obvious too, but sugested in the character of the professor and some of the other secondary characters; namely the theme of people being disappointed with how their lives have turned out, a vague sense of unfulfilled hopes and feelings of regret. It's subtle, but it's there. Notice how much the secretary brightens up just from a few friendly words from Dudley.
I hadn't intended to go on for so long, but I guess it shows how much this movie affects me. Everyone who loves old films should see this at least once.
And when he crossed the bridge, the phantoms came to meet him
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gayspiritwarrior
15 years ago
Very nice post. The scene between Dudley and Henry is one of my favorites in the film. Hugo Friedhofer's score is one of the miracles of the movie. The music at this point depicts both the call Dudley hears and his yearning to remain, a pure stroke of genius.
"The value of an idea has nothing to do with the honesty of the man expressing it."--Oscar Wilde
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whitcombjl
10 years ago
Almost six years later, I'd like to thank you for your post!
Yes, The Bishop's Wife does have a sense of melancholy about it. But as we become older, most of us do recognize the melancholic aspect of a joyous holiday at wintery year's end, the juxtaposed elements of both general celebration and personal introspection representing the ying and yang aspects of one's life.
The Bishop's Wife recognizes these truths and, with a deft sense of both humor and perspective, reminds us there is hope for change and redemption at whatever stage of life we are in.
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