Peppermint Friday Review #15: The Bishop's Wife

Before I begin talking about this gem of a film, I will be doing a special Christmas Eve film review (which is tomorrow!) as it is Christmas and the time of giving I thought why not, and they are both gorgeous films.

Anyway, this film is just beautiful not because it has Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young but it has a such a beautiful sentimental element to it. Its about a bishop called Henry who is played by David Niven, and he is finding hard to get the funding for the new cathedral being built. He prays for some guidance, and an angel appears called Dudley, played by Cary Grant everyone is wooed by Dudley especially the Bishop's wife Julia.

I loved this film, as well its set in the 1940's and that to me just oozes with brilliance. It has David Niven playing a character entirely different from 'A Matter of Life and Death' he is not charming, and dashingly poetic in this film, he's the opposite which I love because he is just incredible. Cary Grant is as charming and handsome as always, the chemistry and the scenes with Henry and Dudley were so much fun to watch as they are just opposites from each other. During Dudley's visit Henry gets very focused on the cathedral, and forgets momentarily about his wife and daughter. 

The message of this film is very important, and wonderful it tells a tale of a man who wants to good by his wife and daughter, and the whole church community. He gets an angel who wants to give him guidance, he then becomes so obsessed with finishing this cathedral, he realises he's abandoned his wife for this angel and thinks he'll never get her back and loses the true meaning of Christmas that it doesn't really matter how amazing a job is family and the people you love is very important and remember where they are. 

The witt aswell is just perfect to this film, David Niven stuck in a chair is the funniest and best thing you'll ever see, and Cary Grant getting the little girl to play with the boys in the park is one of the sweetest things you'll ever see, I mean I don't condom to cheating but in fiction and when its Cary Grant a girl can't resist. I also love the fact that Cary Grant's character is this suave, sophisticated angel and his name is Dudley.

The fact that this film was made 2 years into World War II and its such a heartwarming story, is so beautiful I mean I've noticed alot of films during this time have a gorgeous sentimental message and output to them all. Loretta Young is an actress whom I'm not familiar with yet, and I'm certain I will be watching much more of her very soon! She is just fantastic in this film, the bit where they're ice skating will just melt your heart she is elegant and a pleasure to watch.

This film is a beautiful film to watch and a perfect story, If you love Cary Grant or David Niven, or like me both! Then you need to watch it, it's so pretty and I'd like to say one of my favorite films of all time. Tomorrow the review will be very similar to this film, but not the same I won't tell you just yet you'll have to watch but it is one of my favorite films ever. 

Review: A Matter Of Life and Death

This week I wanna do a War themed film week, So I thought I'd talk about about one of my favorite 40s films. 

This film is about a war pilot who gets a call from a radio operator, and they end up falling in love. The war pilot's plane was about to crash and die, and he should of died but he didn't and the guide, who is like an angel is told by headquarters (heaven) that he needs to die, you know go back to how he should of died. 

Its such a modern film, David Niven stars in it along with Kim Hunter, and he is just amazing in it. He's probably your grandmother's favorite actor, but he is seriously good in this part. He plays it with such Britishness I know that sounds weird, but I have a feeling if this was played by an American this would have been a very different film, where I believe it would have been more of a heroic guy, rather than a heroic gentleman. I also love the French Conductor as he is more of the comedy side of it, where when he leaves you have a stench of onions. He also asks, who do you want to take your place, and its just fantastic, as they discuss who's worth it and isn't.

Kim Hunter is also amazing, because they could of used someone like Elizabeth Taylor or Lauren Bacall I love those actresses, but they didn't they used someone her, and she was amazing. She wasn't a breathtaking beauty she was a very pretty girl, with a giant heart. Plus they have such good chemistry together, they look good aswell. 

They used colour and black and white in a really nice way aswell, where they had for heaven headquarters they put it in black and white, then for back to earth it was in colour. Which isn't strange for 1930s-40s films as Wizard of Oz did it. 

The dialogue though it amazing, I love the whole court case kinda style during the end. It is a love story evidently but its also, a political story aswell in a way, the poetic dialouge particularly from Niven is just beautiful, he speaks the words with such warmth. Its funny aswell, as this film came out in 1946, just a year after World War II ended. Its amazing how brilliantly they showed a War film, but at the same time it wasn't it was soo much more than that. It had real intelligence about humanity, and life it is a really deep film but it needs to be. Its just amazing how after a horrific time they're not gonna bitch or slag anyone off, or make it too in your face about war or about politics, or life, its just a very simple complex. Its just a very modern film for its time. So overall I give this film 10 peppermints out of 10!.