The Bells of St. Mary's

Rating:
Summary: A Sequel Better than the Original
Review: "Going My Way" won Oscars for Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald, and is still a pretty good movie by today's standards. But I have always felt that the sequel "The Bells of St. Mary's" is the better of the two movies.

For one thing, it is a lot more plausible. In the first film, it turns out Father O'Malley's old girlfriend is a famous diva at the Met Opera and he himself publishes a hit song--a little out of the ordinary, you might say. But "Bells" concerns itself with just events within the parish; these things could happen in your own community, to people you know without stretching your imagination too much.

And of course, the big advantage to "Bells" is the beguiling Ingrid Bergman as Sister Benedict, principal of St. Mary's School. Bergman was an asset to every film featuring her, with her radiant smile and charming manner. Here, she must learn how to deal with Bing's Father O'Malley, the new pastor who controls the pursestrings to her school. Their relationship develops well over the course of the picture, and the viewer may think to himself that in another set of circumstances these two would have made a good couple. However, as it is, theirs is a good platonic friendship between sister and priest without a breath of scandal. Yet there are problems to be overcome, because the relationship is not ultimately equal after all: the pastor has the final authority, and the sister must kowtow to him. There are several instances of this in the movie, and towards the end, the most serious one (which I'll not impart here for the sake of those who haven't viewed the movie) nearly ruptures their friendship for good when Father O'Malley does not tell Sister Benedict the Real Reason for his extreme action.

"The Bells of St. Mary's" is a great Christmas movie, but you don't have to wait until then to see this heartwarming film.

Rating:
Summary: Sequel to "Going My Way" with Crosby & Bergman now on DVD!
Review: "The Bells of St. Mary's" proved to be one of the most successful sequels of all time. With "Going My Way" (1944) sweeping the Oscars the year before, Bing Crosby reprises his Oscar winning character, Father O'Malley in this 1945 Republic Pictures Classic.

This installment has Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby - superb job) newest mission is to help the financially troubled prochial school "St Mary's". The strong willed Mother Superior, Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman - is fantastic) is desparately trying to save "St Mary's" from being puchased by a skinfint businessman (Henry Travers - perfectly played). (Henry Travers - most memorable role was to be the Angel "Clarence" in "It's a Wonderful Life" the very next year). If sold, "St. Mary's" would be torn down and made into a parking lot for the newly constructed Business Complex next to the school owned by that same skinflint. Father O'Malley's and Sister Benedicts strong personalities are in constant turmoil over the demise of "St. Mary's". Time and money become the main adversary in saving the school" Will they all get what they want? Well the great thing about old Hollywood movies is we always get a Happy Ending. So enjoy this stellar cast, the great direction of Leo McCarey and the emotional story of "The Bells of St Mary's".

Full Screen format (before WideScreen) and in Black & White. Digitally remastered. This is a very good transfer.

If you liked "Going My Way", you'll love "The Bells of St Mary's.

Rating:
Summary: A Sequel Better than the Original
Review: "Going My Way" won Oscars for Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald, and is still a pretty good movie by today's standards. But I have always felt that the sequel "The Bells of St. Mary's" is the better of the two movies.

For one thing, it is a lot more plausible. In the first film, it turns out Father O'Malley's old girlfriend is a famous diva at the Met Opera and he himself publishes a hit song--a little out of the ordinary, you might say. But "Bells" concerns itself with just events within the parish; these things could happen in your own community, to people you know without stretching your imagination too much.

And of course, the big advantage to "Bells" is the beguiling Ingrid Bergman as Sister Benedict, principal of St. Mary's School. Bergman was an asset to every film featuring her, with her radiant smile and charming manner. Here, she must learn how to deal with Bing's Father O'Malley, the new pastor who controls the pursestrings to her school. Their relationship develops well over the course of the picture, and the viewer may think to himself that in another set of circumstances these two would have made a good couple. However, as it is, theirs is a good platonic friendship between sister and priest without a breath of scandal. Yet there are problems to be overcome, because the relationship is not ultimately equal after all: the pastor has the final authority, and the sister must kowtow to him. There are several instances of this in the movie, and towards the end, the most serious one (which I'll not impart here for the sake of those who haven't viewed the movie) nearly ruptures their friendship for good when Father O'Malley does not tell Sister Benedict the Real Reason for his extreme action.

"The Bells of St. Mary's" is a great Christmas movie, but you don't have to wait until then to see this heartwarming film.

Rating:
Summary: Sequel to "Going My Way" with Crosby & Bergman now on DVD!
Review: "The Bells of St. Mary's" proved to be one of the most successful sequels of all time. With "Going My Way" (1944) sweeping the Oscars the year before, Bing Crosby reprises his Oscar winning character, Father O'Malley in this 1945 Republic Pictures Classic.

This installment has Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby - superb job) newest mission is to help the financially troubled prochial school "St Mary's". The strong willed Mother Superior, Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman - is fantastic) is desparately trying to save "St Mary's" from being puchased by a skinfint businessman (Henry Travers - perfectly played). (Henry Travers - most memorable role was to be the Angel "Clarence" in "It's a Wonderful Life" the very next year). If sold, "St. Mary's" would be torn down and made into a parking lot for the newly constructed Business Complex next to the school owned by that same skinflint. Father O'Malley's and Sister Benedicts strong personalities are in constant turmoil over the demise of "St. Mary's". Time and money become the main adversary in saving the school" Will they all get what they want? Well the great thing about old Hollywood movies is we always get a Happy Ending. So enjoy this stellar cast, the great direction of Leo McCarey and the emotional story of "The Bells of St Mary's".

Full Screen format (before WideScreen) and in Black & White. Digitally remastered. This is a very good transfer.

If you liked "Going My Way", you'll love "The Bells of St Mary's.

Rating:
Summary: It has Bing Crosby
Review: And for that reason is a good film. As a sequel to the
hit, " Going My Way ", this movie disappoints. Taken
solely on its own merit, it is a good and entertaining
film. This is not a movie for action buffs, or for those
with short attention spans. This is a movie for people
who enjoy classic movies with great actors, and who do
not mind a slower paced film. Just seeing the dog follow
Mr. Bogardis into church is worth the purchase price.

Rating:
Summary: Bells of St Mary's Beware
Review: Bing Crosby continues his tour-de-force in this sequel to the film, Going My Way (1944). This time Father O'Malley must help the nuns at St. Mary's. Father Fogerty has been sent to the rest home, so O'Malley will be taking his place as the Pastor. Although he does get upstaged by a kitten or two, now and then. Sister Superior, Sister Mary Benedict (Ingrid Bergman) will use him as an educator. The children use to have a playground across the way, but the church needed to sell the ground to fix the church before it could be condemned. With the money, they reinforced the foundation, put in a new sprinkler system and fire escapes. Now a construction company is building a grand building right in front of them. Meanwhile St. Mary's is still in the worst way. The roof is being repaired, but there is still overcrowding. Sister Superior has a prayer, that the big new building will be given to them. She prays that one day, the owner of the new building, Mr. Bogardus (Henry Travers) would wake up one morning and just "give" them the building. A new St. Mary's church would have been on this site, but they sold the land, so seeing a building there tugs at their heart. With the nun's prayers and the help of Father O'Malley, maybe faith can move a mountain. On VHS, available in original black & white or the computer-colored version. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Actor--Bing Crosby, Best Actress--Ingrid bergman, Best Dircetor, Best Song--"Aren't You Gald You're You", Best Scoring and Best Flm Editing. But only Sound Recording won the Academy Award. Trivia Note: In the "Pledge Of Allegiance", the children say, "...to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible..." If you notice, the words, "under God" was not said. "under God" was not added until 1954 by act of Congress.

Rating:
Summary: Bing Crosby helps an order of nuns at St. Mary's.
Review: Bing Crosby continues his tour-de-force in this sequel to the film, Going My Way (1944). This time Father O'Malley must help the nuns at St. Mary's. Father Fogerty has been sent to the rest home, so O'Malley will be taking his place as the Pastor. Although he does get upstaged by a kitten or two, now and then. Sister Superior, Sister Mary Benedict (Ingrid Bergman) will use him as an educator. The children use to have a playground across the way, but the church needed to sell the ground to fix the church before it could be condemned. With the money, they reinforced the foundation, put in a new sprinkler system and fire escapes. Now a construction company is building a grand building right in front of them. Meanwhile St. Mary's is still in the worst way. The roof is being repaired, but there is still overcrowding. Sister Superior has a prayer, that the big new building will be given to them. She prays that one day, the owner of the new building, Mr. Bogardus (Henry Travers) would wake up one morning and just "give" them the building. A new St. Mary's church would have been on this site, but they sold the land, so seeing a building there tugs at their heart. With the nun's prayers and the help of Father O'Malley, maybe faith can move a mountain. On VHS, available in original black & white or the computer-colored version. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Actor--Bing Crosby, Best Actress--Ingrid bergman, Best Dircetor, Best Song--"Aren't You Gald You're You", Best Scoring and Best Flm Editing. But only Sound Recording won the Academy Award. Trivia Note: In the "Pledge Of Allegiance", the children say, "...to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible..." If you notice, the words, "under God" was not said. "under God" was not added until 1954 by act of Congress.

Rating:
Summary: An often underrated classic
Review: Don't believe the Amazon reviewer, whoever she is. Crosby's performance in this picture is astonishing; the fact that he holds the screen with the great Ingrid scene after scene, as he did with Barry Fitzgerald in Going My Way, tells you that; very often he steals their scenes, not with any two-bit mugging but with the forcefulness he brings to the character. Also, that's nonsense about it being an ode to sentimentality; there is a difference between sentimentality and sentiment, and the latter is what makes this film to compelling no matter how many times you watch it. Leo McCarey and Bing Crosby were both schooled by the Jesuits and they incorporate incidents and characters they knew in their youths. Also, McCarey was THE master of improvisation before John Casavetes and some of the finest sequences--Bergman teaching a boy to box; the children's pageant; Bing and the cat in the hat--have the timeless enchantment of spontaneous invention. And if there is a musical scene in any movie that is more quietly potent than Bing singing In the Land of Beginning Again (one of Louis Armstrong's favorite songs, incidentally), I haven't scene it. A lot of people think they are too sophisticated for the O'Malley films. Pity. I've been an admirer for over 10 years and their craftsmanship and candor never cease to amaze me. I wish they would put some of the rarer Crosby films (like the Universal gems, East Side of Heaven and If I Had My Way)and McCarey gems like The Awful Truth and Love Affair) on DVD.

Rating:
Summary: A visit to the age of innocence
Review: First, note that this is the original black & white version, far better than the colorized version. Each detail in a major movie is carefully tailored to enhance the film, and since this movie was filmed in black & white, the photography and cinematography was based on that. If it had been made as a Technicolor movie, the use of color would have become a factor and would have been done as skillfully as the technical skills of the time would permit. However, when a movie is colorized, the technicians just don't seem to be in tune with the original creators, and the color hardly ever seems right in a colorized film.

Leo McCarey had a style and a gentle humor of his own which was a trademark, and it certainly shows here. He created a movie which has humorous scenes, has sentimentality, and makes a statement. St. Mary's is presented as an important force in the community. It's being torn down and replaced by a parking lot
would be a significant loss. Henry Travers as the hard nosed businessman puts his personal financial interests ahead of needs of the community. At the same time, you have the conflict between the new priest and the nun, a conflict between tradition and discipline contrasted to compassion and spiritual love.

Awareness of the present problems and challenges facing the Catholic Church might keep a viewer from completely appreciating what the movie is saying. And of course, there are those who will be opposed to the movie's viewpoint.

However, many will find this movie a breath of fresh air, and indeed a look at a more innocent time.

Rating:
Summary: "Bells" Doesn't Resound Like "Going My Way"
Review: Good, but not great sequel to "Going My Way". Director Leo McCarey seems less surehanded in this effort. The film at times seems draggy. The script by Dudley Nichols, though great in capturing everyday parochial school life, is at times maudlin even saccharine. The saving grace of the film is the towering performances of Bing Crosby returning as Father O'Malley and Ingrid Bergman as Sister Benedict. Crosby may even be better than he was in "Going My Way" because there are less musical interludes and more opportunities to grapple the drama. Bergman just shines here. Her character is simultaneously funny yet tough, ultimately endearing. It is a credit to the skills of both Crosby and Bergman that they navigate the schmaltzier elements of the film. If there is one set piece that you take away from the film it's the first-grade production of the nativity. Those kids are just so darn cute.