Movie · 1947 · Comedy, Fantasy, Drama, Romance · 1h 49m · NR · English
Curator score: 7.0/10 (24K ratings)
Have you heard about Cary and the bishop's wife?
Overview
An Episcopal Bishop, Henry Brougham, has been working for months on the plans for an elaborate new cathedral which he hopes will be paid for primarily by a wealthy, stubborn widow. He is losing sight of his family and of why he became a churchman in the first place. Enter Dudley, an angel sent to help him. Dudley does help everyone he meets, but not necessarily in the way they would have preferred. With the exception of Henry, everyone loves him, but Henry begins to believe that Dudley is there to replace him, both at work and in his family's affections, as Christmas approaches.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.0/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 73
TMDB: 7.1/10
Director
Henry Koster
Production
Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Cast
Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven, Monty Woolley, James Gleason, Gladys Cooper, Elsa Lanchester, Sara Haden, Karolyn Grimes, Tito Vuolo, Regis Toomey, Sarah Edwards, Margaret McWade, Anne O'Neal, Ben Erway, Erville Alderson, Robert J. Anderson, Teddy Infuhr, Eugene Borden, Almira Sessions
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A charming, lightly mischievous Christmas fantasy that pairs old-Hollywood polish with a surprisingly sly romantic triangle. Cary Grant’s angelic charisma, the film’s warmth, and its gentle critique of ambition versus devotion make it an easy seasonal watch.
Best for
classic Christmas movie fans
viewers who like romantic fantasy with wit
fans of Cary Grant and polished studio-era charm
people who enjoy sentimental films with a playful edge
Skip if
you want a modern pace or contemporary sensibility
you dislike old-fashioned gender roles and 1940s melodrama
you want a purely religious or purely comic Christmas film
you prefer fantasy with bigger spectacle or darker stakes
Overview
The Bishop’s Wife is one of those studio-era holiday films that feels both comforting and a little impish. It starts as a domestic and spiritual crisis, then lets Cary Grant’s angel turn the whole thing into a lesson in grace, attention, and the danger of becoming so busy with good works that you forget the people right in front of you.
Worth noting
What gives it its staying power is the tone: soft, elegant, and just sly enough to keep the sentiment from curdling. Grant is impossibly smooth, Loretta Young brings warmth and poise, and David Niven makes the bishop’s frustration feel human rather than merely comic. The movie is less interested in doctrine than in kindness, marriage, and the rediscovery of purpose.
Bottom line
It’s also very much a product of its era, which means some viewers will find the emotional dynamics old-fashioned. But if you’re in the mood for a Christmas film with wit, glamour, and a genuinely affectionate heart, this remains an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
eely (2.5★) · 1151 likes
a woman describes meeting cary grant as “the greatest spiritual experience of my life” and by god if that ain’t a mood
Clarisse Loughrey (5★) · 1135 likes
“be nice to your wife otherwise cary grant’s gonna fuck her” is the greatest plotline ever conceived
Jade (4★) · 969 likes
You vs the angel she tells you not to worry about.
Laura Parker-Saladino (3★) · 706 likes
There is such a great dog in this. The biggest, fluffiest St. Bernard, lumbering around. He was the best.
nora (3★) · 623 likes
waiting for bisexual christmas angel cary grant to come down and teach me how to ice skate and try to steal me from my husband 😌🙏
1947 · Comedy, Drama, Family · 1h 36m · NR · Curator 8.2/10 (140.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Another 1947 holiday classic that balances skepticism and belief with a gentle, heartening tone.