UR, 126 min.
Director: Leo McCarey
Writers: Dudley Nichols, Leo
McCarey
Starring: Bing Crosby,
Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers, Martha Sleeper, Joan Carroll, William Gargan,
Rhys Williams, Dickie Tyler
As a movie buff, I often don’t
think I’ve seen enough older films. So in an effort to gain more knowledge of
the classics, I decided to watch what is often noted as a “holiday classic,”
but isn’t exactly a holiday movie or a classic. By that, I mean it isn’t one of
Bing Crosby’s best, and it’s far from one of Ingird Bergman’s best. But, “The
Bells of St. Mary’s” is good and is very appropriate for the holiday season.
I believe the reason it’s
often labeled as a holiday movie is because it has a scene in it where the
story of Christ’s birth is recounted by some five and six-year-olds. It is the
most memorable scene of the film. The kid who narrates the impromptu production
of the Christmas Story is quite brilliant in his uniquely un-smooth delivery.
The scene is endearing and certainly belongs in the echelon of great Christmas
scenes.
The rest of the movie deals
with a Catholic School that is in danger of being condemned. Crosby has been
newly assigned to the position of managing the school to determine whether it
should be salvaged or closed. Bergman is the Sister Superior. Her ridged ways
often come into conflict with Crosby’s more laid back approach, but both care
deeply for the children and don’t want to see St. Mary’s closed. A real estate
developer is chomping at the bit to get at the property so he can replace it
with a parking lot for his new office building. Crosby eventually realizes that
the man might be convinced to donate the building to the school if he sets
Bergman on him.
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