The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)
Directed by Leo McCarey
Genres - Drama, Music, Comedy, Spirituality & Philosophy |
Sub-Genres - Melodrama, Religious Drama |
Release Date - Dec 6, 1945 (USA - Unknown), Dec 27, 1945 (USA) |
Run Time - 126 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
In this follow-up to director Leo McCarey's Going My Way (1944), Bing Crosby repeats his Oscar-winning characterization of happy-go-lucky priest Father O'Malley. The good father is sent to help out financially strapped St. Mary's Academy, a parochial school presided over by lovely nun Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman). The film is constructed in anecdotal fashion: Nun and priest gently quarrel over teaching methods; they help patch up the tottering marriage of William Gargan and Martha Sleeper; Sister Benedict plays baseball and teaches a student how to box; Father O'Malley softens the heart of the man who holds the mortgage (Henry Travers) by convincing the poor fellow that he's only got a few months to live; and the kids of St. Mary's put on a much-revised stage version of the Nativity, complete with a chorus of "Happy Birthday" on the occasion of the Virgin Birth. A huge hit at the box office, Bells of St. Mary's was nominated for nine Academy Awards.
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Keywords
bankruptcy, battle [war], career, finances, Mother-Superior, priest, religion, school