Holiday Films: The Bishop's Wife (1947)

It's that time again, the Christmas film season. There are so many beloved holiday films tat it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Many people have there own set of perennial favorites and I've always felt that people take their favorite Christmas movies more personally than any other type of film. The films that I will review with this header will be my personal favorites. That does not mean these are the definitive holiday films but are instead the movies that to me best express the Christmas spirit.

The Bishop's Wife is probably the ultimate feel-good Christmas movie. As a film it's not a masterpiece but as a warm bit of holiday cheer it's hard to beat. I mean who wouldn't want Cary Grant as their guardian angel? The film centers around a bishop and his attempt to build a cathedral. In the process of doing this he becomes less aware of the parts of life that truly matter and Cary Grant is sent as his angel to give him a little more perspective. The situation is really a very relatable one, especially around the holiday season when many people are so worried about things that don't really matter. It is this that the Bishop's Wife captures best of all. Cary Grant brings youth and joy to the household and demonstrates why we really love Christmas. This film also is more directly tied to the religious aspects of Christmas than most which I actually find refreshing. The film has great lessons and it's a lot of fun along the way.

The only complaint I might have is that it is a little bit too long but there are so many fun characters and sequences (especially one involving ice skating) that I really can't dock it that much. If you're looking for some holiday cheer then you can't do much better than this classic with it's superb cast. Along with Grant, David Niven plays the bishop and Loretta Young plays his wife. The film is also filled with the great character actors you could only find in classic Hollywood. I you haven't seen this gem my recommendation would be to pick it up, It's a fantastic film that works like a warm cup of cocoa on a snowy day, 4.5/5