Interesteg What makes it different from others?

Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Christmas-Reviewer BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM VERY HONEST ABOUT THESE FILMS. The unconventional Father Charles "Chuck" O'Malley (Bing Crosby) is assigned to St. Mary's parish, which includes a run-down inner-city school building on the verge of being condemned. O'Malley is to recommend whether or not the school should be closed and the children sent to another school with modern facilities; but the sisters feel that God will provide for them.They put their hopes in Horace P. Bogardus (Henry Travers), a businessman who has built a modern building next door to the school which they hope he will donate to them. Father O'Malley and the dedicated but stubborn Sister Superior, Mary Benedict (Ingrid Bergman), both wish to save the school, but their different views and methods often lead to disagreements. One disagreement involves a student (Richard Tyler) who is being bullied by another. A more serious one regards the promotion of an eighth-grade student, Patsy (Joan Carroll), whom the parish has taken in while her mother (Martha Sleeper) attempts to get back on her feet.This film is exceptional. I just saw this for the first time last year and I was floored. I loved everything about this film. From the story itself to the casting. The is a little long and people with short attention spans will most likely be bored. If you love Christmas movies and Old Hollywood Movies then put this on your "Must See List"

SnoopyStyle Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby) arrives at St. Mary's. The building is run-down and part of the property had been sold to businessman Horace P. Bogardus (Henry Travers). The nuns are led by Sister Mary Benedict (Ingrid Bergman). She and O'Malley don't always agree on things especially when two boys get into a fight. O'Malley takes Patsy into the school. Her mother is a fallen woman after Patsy's father left her. Sister Benedict prays for Bogardus to donate his building to the school.Bing Crosby sings a few songs and does the perfect saint. There is an overwhelming amount of goodness. In that, I mean it is almost hokey in its sincerity. That's not a dig. It served its purpose back in its day. There is also Ingrid Bergman. She is utterly charming. She's fun and full of heart. With Henry Travers, this has the flavor of 'It's a Wonderful Life' but it doesn't have the Capra touch. This is very much a movie of its times.

Steffi_P Sequels were not as common in classic Hollywood as they are in the modern era, and when sequels were made it was not to continue an action blockbuster franchise, as now, but usually to resurrect a popular character or set of characters. The 1944 hit Going My Way had created a wonderful character in Father Chuck O'Malley – the young in-touch priest who has unconventional ideas which always prove correct; an ostensibly religious figure yet one who manages to transcend all religious barriers.And of course there could be no Father O'Malley without Bing Crosby. His performance is a kind of melding of this concept of the perfect priest and Crosby's own laidback, instantly likable persona. This is all done in the tiniest, most introverted gestures and expressions. It's the little moments that bring out his personality, such as the fleeting glance skywards when he tells a little white lie to Ingrid Bergman. Bergman herself is excellent as usual, and this role in particular seems to draw something very natural out of her. Two examples in particular stand out. First is the boxing lesson she gives, which looks as if she is really teaching the young lad. Second is when she sings Varvindar Friska, presumably a song she knew in real life before making the picture, and the final high note turns into a little laugh as Crosby walks in – an endearing and revealing moment. The only problem I have with this cast is seeing sweet old Henry Travers playing the curmudgeonly antagonist. Admittedly, Travers later has a change of heart, but there is still something about his being a baddie in the first place that I find troubling.The other link in the Going My Way chain to return for The Bells of St Mary's is director Leo McCarey. McCarey again brings his gentle and apparently simple touch to the proceedings. There are some nice examples of here how he will keep two or more characters in the frame at once, rather than cutting between them. Sometimes this becomes fairly elaborate, such as when Bergman is watching the fight going on in the background, and Crosby appears in the doorway behind her. It keeps the scene balanced to just two set-ups back and forth between the fight and the watchers, but still lets us know Crosby is watching without Bergman knowing he's watching. All this means that when McCarey does give us a close-up it really means something, and connects us intimately with that character in that moment.So really, The Bells of St Mary's ought to be just as good as its predecessor, right? Well, not exactly. The problem lies in its screenplay. Going My Way featured so many charming characters, solid and well-written down to the smallest parts. Good as Ingrid Bergman is, the dynamic her character has with Crosby's is no match for the one of Barry Fitzgerald. Going My Way had many different subplots, but they all seemed of a piece, each flowing naturally into each other. The Bells of St Mary's has far fewer strands, yet seems more disjointed. Character arcs – such as Travers's transition from self-centred businessman to altruistic cheerful chappy – are trite and facile. The result is that, on the surface, The Bells of St Mary's is every bit the gem that Going My Way was, but as a whole experience, it is almost everything the previous picture was not.

wes-connors Singing Priest Bing Crosby (returning as Chuck O'Malley, from "Going My Way") is transferred to "St. Mary's" parochial school, where he is immediately warned about serving with a group of nuns; they're hinted at being responsible for sending the previous Pastor to the nuthouse. "They took him away mumbling to himself, in a wheelchair," reveals gossipy housekeeper Una O'Connor (as Mrs. Breen).Apparently, the departing Priest lost a fight with the nuns over philosophies of education. Quickly, Father Crosby learns "what it means to be up to your neck in nuns." He clashes with Swedish Sister Ingrid Bergman (as Mary Benedict) when the pair catch two boys in a fist fight. Crosby treats the conflict humorously (though, he does stop it), irking Sister Bergman.Bergman has been teaching young Richard "Dickie" Tyler (as Eddie Breen), the loser, to "turn the other cheek." Crosby fears this may turn the boy into a sissy. Bergman sees the error of her ways, and uses her "tomboy" experience to teach the boy how to box. As a girl, Bergman played baseball and football with the boys, and had an impressive 300 batting average. Later, Bergman excitedly watches her ward handily score a TKO.Crosby teaches Bergman another lesson, involving young Joan Carroll (as Patsy Gallagher), a girl Crosby accepts at the school, despite her troubled family background; her mother ran away with a musician, who deserted after the baby arrived. Crosby uses finesse to get Bergman to give the girl a second chance. Although Crosby's "O'Malley" is usually a good person, he informs Bergman of some "bad news" in a cruel, parsing way.The main plot concerns "St. Mary's" being threatened with closure, due to its decrepit condition; however nice it looks on camera, the school is close to being condemned. Wealthy neighbor Henry Travers (as Horace P. Bogardus) wants "St. Mary's" turned into a parking lot for his new office building. The nuns are praying for a miracle, which Crosby's appearance may turn out "to be, or not to be." "The Bells of St. Mary's" received several awards and nominations, including top consideration for "Best Picture", Leo McCarey ("Best Director"), Crosby ("Best Actor"), and Bergman ("Best Actor"). While likable, the film doesn't not reach the levels of excellence you'd expect from looking at its impressive list of honors. Still, the production is very good.The younger performers - Ms. Carroll, Mr. Tyler, and Bobby Dolan Jr. ("Joseph" in the nativity play) - really help make it credible; Carroll's "Patsy" is especially noteworthy. Crosby's accompanying hit single was "Aren't You Glad You're You?" (#8) / "In the Land of Beginning Again" (#18). The topside is a pale re-write of the superb "Swinging on a Star" (from "Going My Way"), but the flipside is quietly sublime.****** The Bells of St. Mary's (12/6/45) Leo McCarey ~ Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Carroll