How The Preacher's Wife (1996) improves on The Bishop's Wife (1947)
The Preacher's Wife (1996) is available On Demand on cable TVs Freeform channel through 21 December 2021. Penny Marshall directed an adaptation of Robert Nathan 1928 novel The Bishop’s Wife, previously made into the Cary Grant-David Niven-Loretta Young 1947 film, The Bishop’s Wife. Both films received Academy Award nominations. The 1996 film's album became a top best selling gospel album.
The Preacher's Wife has an all-black cast. Henry (Courtney B. Vance) is a minister in an inner city church with a failing boiler, in financial distress. He lives in a small urban home with wife Julia (Whitney Houston) and son, Jeremiah. His son's best friend Hakim is living with them, but is later taken to a foster home by social services. Henry's mother-in-law is usually helping out her daughter, Julia, who runs a church choir and sings like...Whitney Houston.
In the all-white The Bishop's Wife, Dudley (Cary Grant) appears and walks around on the city streets. He mentions the name Julia (Henry's wife) and smiles in anticipation. He helps a blind man cross the street and exhibits supernatural powers. Henry is a bishop with a big church and lives in a mansion with a cook and a maid. He has a daughter, Debby, who has one scene with Dudley. Henry wants a wealthy old woman to give him lots of money to build a great cathedral. We never see Henry doing anything else for his church. When Henry prays for help, Dudley walks into his mansion and tells him that he is an angel.
In The Preacher's Wife, minister Henry is exhausted and neglects his wife. He runs a soup kitchen for the needy, visits congregation members in the hospital, and helps a teenage boy wrongfully accused of a crime. A member of his board wants him to move to the suburbs and run a rich, fancy TV church. Henry does not want to do this. He won't abandon his poor but loyal city congregants. On his way to one of his many duties, Henry's old car won't start, and he asks God for help. Angel Dudley (Denzel Washington) appears lying on the grass next to Henry's son and friend, Dudley is a former human and is hungry to eat pizza and hot dogs. He appears at Henry's stalled car and tells him he's an angel. He is not believed, but uses supernatural power to start the car... and is left on the street.
Which of these two Henrys really needs the help of an angel? The rich bishop with servants, who is lobbying for a big fancy cathedral? Or the inner city black minister trying to avoid financial failure, who just wants his church boiler fixed, to provide heat in the winter?
In The Bishop's Wife, Cary Grant's Dudley is lusting after Henry's wife all through the film. He keeps suggesting things for them to do together, since Henry won't let him go with him to lobby the rich old woman. In The Preacher's Wife, Henry actually ASKS Dudley to take his wife to some of the same places in the earlier film, since he is so busy. Whitney Houston's Julia sings a song in the married couple's favorite restaurant. Denzel's Dudley repeatedly states that one of the reasons he is there is to save Henry's marriage. He clearly grows to like her, the more time he spends with her.
The role of the family friend was toned down (this time played by Lionel Richie). Way too much time was spent with this character in The Bishop's Wife. Both films have happy endings, although they are much different. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote that “Denzel Washington is able to project love without lust, and goodness without corniness.” Cary Grant's Dudley ignores the commandment, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.” That is why I disliked The Bishop's Wife (1947) and liked The Preacher's Wife (1996).