Simplest-shop.comonline shopping, the simple way |
Welcome | Help  |
| Search for |
|
Home > Dvds > Genres > Classics > General > Bishop s Wife
This website will be shutdown on 2008-04-01.
|
 Add to shopping cart |
The Bishop's Wife 
| 80% Recommended by our customers. Studio: GRANT,CARY Catalog: DVD Release date: 2001-03-06 Media: DVD released in theatres: 1948-02-16 Running time in minutes: 109 DVD aspect ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Picture format: Pan & Scan Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC DVD Region code: 1 released in theatres: 1948-02-16 Ean: 9780792849148 Book Isbn: 0792849140 Upc: 027616858917  Tip: compare prices with similar DVDsDirector:
|
|
| Top stores | Description | Price | Link to shop |
| amazon.com |
Availability: in 24 hours Current discount:33% off !!! |
$9.99 | |
| used | 19 used offers, as low as... | $6.94 | see more used offers |
| all new | 35 thirdParty new offers, as low as... | $7.95 | see more ThirdParty new offers |
| collectible | 2 collectible offers, as low as... | $25.95 | see more collectible new offers |
| User Reviews: |
 Written on December 20, 2008 Summary: The Bishop's Wife This is a great old time movie---it is right up there with its a Wonderful Life, Come to the Stables, etc. They don't make movies like this anymore. Written on December 19, 2008 Summary: A CHRISTMAS TREASURE FOR ALL TIME! During the Christmas season, Dudley, an angel in the guise of a mortal, strolls around a small town and notices Julia Brougham, the bishop's wife, gazing wistfully through a store window. Dudley follows Julia to a Christmas tree lot, where she meets her old friend, Professor Wutheridge, and expresses her sadness that her husband Henry is too busy worrying about fund raising for a new cathedral to enjoy the season with his parishioners. The professor offers Julia a contribution of an ancient Roman coin from his collection. After Julia leaves for home, Dudley purposely bumps into the professor and makes inquiries about the Broughams. When Julia arrives home, she finds Henry in a tense meeting with several important parishioners, including Mrs. Agnes Hamilton, a wealthy widow, who insists that her large contribution toward the cathedral's construction guarantee a proper memorial to her dead husband. Henry is upset by Julia's tardiness and the meeting breaks up after Mrs. Hamilton threatens to withdraw her support unless satisfied. Julia mentions seeing the professor and gives Henry the ancient coin, which he angrily dismisses as worthless. Trying to make amends for his curtness, Henry asks Julia to have lunch with him the following day as they used to do, and she delightedly agrees. After retiring to his study, however, Henry is beset by messages and demands on his time. Dismissing his assistant, Mildred Cassaway, Henry prays for guidance, and a few moments later, Dudley mysteriously arrives and informs Henry that he is an angel sent in answer to his prayer. Henry is immediately skeptical, and when Julia comes in a few moments later, Dudley introduces himself as Henry's assistant, which pleases her and upsets Henry. The next morning Henry is dismayed to see that Dudley has returned and ingratiated himself with Mildred Cassaway, the maid, Matilda, and even the family dog, Queenie. Julia is disappointed that Henry has broken their luncheon date and sadly takes their young daughter Debby to the park. After Henry departs, Dudley follows Julia and Debby to the park and helps the little girl build her confidence during a snowball fight. Dudley offers to take Julia to lunch just as Matilda inexplicably shows up to relieve her of Debby. Dudley takes Julia to Michel's, which she reveals is her favorite restaurant and is where Henry proposed to her. When they are spotted by several parish ladies, Dudley wards off gossip by inviting them to join him and Julia. Walking home later, Julia and Dudley run into the professor, who is suspicious of Dudley, yet invites them to his tiny apartment, where he admits that due to a lack of inspiration he has not worked for some time on his manuscript about ancient Rome. Dudley, who has retrieved the ancient coin from the Brougahms', returns it to the professor and piques his interest by informing him of the rare and valuable coin's unique history. Meanwhile, Henry has rescheduled his appointments so that he can make his lunch date with Julia and is annoyed to discover that she has gone out with Dudley. The next day, Dudley tells Debby the story of David, who is helped by an angel, which only vexes Henry further. Later, Henry accepts an appointment to meet with Mrs. Hamilton, knowing it will conflict with his promised appearance at choir practice at his old parish. Despite Julia's pleas, Henry insists on seeing Mrs. Hamilton, and Dudley accompanies Julia to the rehearsal. At Mrs. Hamilton's, Henry agrees to all her demands in exchange for her complete support of the cathedral but, while hastening to leave to meet Julia, finds himself stuck to a recently varnished chair. At the church, meanwhile, Rev. Miller is embarrassed by the poor turnout, but Dudley reassures him and asks the couple of boys present to begin singing. Gradually all the boys arrive and give an inspiring performance under Dudley's direction. As the still-stuck Henry fumes at Mrs. Hamilton's, Dudley and Julia catch a cab into town where Dudley purchases a hat for Julia he knows she admires. Then Dudley asks the cab driver, Sylvester, to stop at a park where a crowd is ice skating and, with Dudley's guidance, both Julia and Sylvester skate enthusiastically. Dudley and Julia return home, where Henry angrily demands that Dudley leave for good. Henry's outburst depresses Julia, and the next day, Christmas Eve, the household wonders if Dudley will ever return. After Henry and Julia leave to make calls, Dudley arrives and rewrites Henry's Christmas sermon, dictating while the typewriter takes down the new speech. Dudley then transforms the Christmas tree over which Matilda has been laboring and departs to see Mrs. Hamilton. While waiting in the wealthy woman's drawing room, Dudley discovers a hidden piece of sheet music inscribed to Mrs. Hamilton from a man who is not her husband. Dudley plays the tune on Mrs. Hamilton's harp, and she confesses that in her youth she was in love with the tune's composer, but feared poverty and rejected him. In an effort to make up for not loving her wealthy husband, she has steadfastly tried to maintain his legacy. Later, when Henry and Julia arrive, Mrs. Hamilton thanks Henry for sending Dudley to her and tells them that he has inspired her to give her money to the needy rather than build the cathedral. Utterly dismayed, Henry tells Julia he will meet her at home and, wandering into town, stops by the professor's, where he confides that Dudley is an angel who has upset everything. He apologizes for rejecting the professor's coin, which the old scholar returns to him, declaring that it has inspired him and may help Henry too. When Henry sadly reveals he believes he has lost Julia to Dudley, the professor reminds him that he is human and Dudley is not and encourages him to fight for Julia. At the Broughams' home, while Dudley and Julia stand admiring the Christmas tree, Dudley tells her it is time for him to leave, but asks her to have him stay. Disturbed by his implication, Julia tells him that he must go and hastens upstairs just as Henry arrives to challenge Dudley. Dudley is pleased that Henry has finally acknowledged that Julia is the most important thing in his life and reminds the bishop that he never prayed for a cathedral, but for guidance. He wistfully adds that it is bad when an angel envies a mortal and informs Henry that after he goes, no one will have any memory of his existence. Henry then finds himself alone in his study praying before the painting of the cathedral, and abruptly races upstairs looking for Julia, who is putting Debby to bed. They embrace and then depart for St. Timothy's where Henry delivers Dudley's Christmas sermon. Dudley listens from the street, and satisfied, departs. The Bishop's Wife (1947) is a Samuel Goldwyn romantic comedy feature film starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven in a story about an angel who helps a bishop with his problems. It was released by RKO. The film was adapted by Leonardo Bercovici and Robert E. Sherwood from the novel of the same name by Robert Nathan, and was directed by Henry Koster. The film won the Academy Award for Sound, and was nominated for Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Best Picture. It was remade in 1996 as The Preacher's Wife starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. VancProduction was not without troubles. Producer Samuel Goldwyn replaced director William A. Seiter with Henry Koster to create a completely new film. Niven was originally cast as the angel and Dana Andrews as the bishop, but Koster brought in Cary Grant to play the angel and gave the role of the bishop to Niven. In early previews, audiences disliked the film, so Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett made uncredited rewrites. Although no denomination is mentioned in the film, the characters are clearly members of the Episcopal Church. Written on December 16, 2008 Summary: A Christmas Chestnut Will Warm the Cockles at the Very Least Released by producer Samuel Goldwyn as a feel-good follow-up to his postwar classic, The Best Years of Our Lives, this 1947 film amounts to nice, warm-hearted Christmas fare which takes a subtle jab at organized religion in face of pure faith. Written by Leonardo Bercovici and Robert E. Sherwood (who penned The Best Years of Our Lives), the plot concerns Henry Brougham, a young, well-intentioned bishop who has set the goal of building a big cathedral in his parish but cannot convince his rich patrons to give him the financial backing to build it. Praying for guidance, he is startled by the appearance of Dudley, who turns out to be an angel sent to lend Henry a helping hand in realizing his dream. The rest of the movie focuses on how Dudley teaches Henry and his put-upon wife Julia what happiness really means. Originally, Cary Grant and David Niven were cast as Henry and Dudley respectively, but they switched roles upon Goldwyn's insistence when he fired the original director. Under Henry Koster's direction, the film has the necessary whimsical tone, and the casting switch turns out to be fruitful. Grant is an uncomplicated charmer as Dudley, while Niven applies just the right amount of envy-driven starch and humility as Henry. As Julia, Loretta Young can be sweetly affecting, but as written, the character is rather dull considering how both men appear to vie for her affections. A strong supporting cast helps add texture to the story - Gladys Cooper (My Fair Lady) as rich, ruthless Mrs. Hamilton, the Scrooge figure who wants the cathedral to become a memorial to her dead husband; Monty Woolley (The Man Who Came to Dinner) as agnostic Professor Wutheridge; Elsa Lanchester (Witness For the Prosecution) as dotty housekeeper Matilda; and James Gleason (Here Comes Mr. Jordan) as kind-hearted cabbie Sylvester. Some scenes are intentionally fanciful, especially those that showcase Dudley's preternatural abilities on the ice rink and with a harp. However, you just have to let go of such contrivances for the sake of the fantasy aspects of the tale. That's why the movie plays much better during the holidays when wishful thinking becomes near-epidemic. It's also the type of movie that elicits warm chuckles rather than outright guffaws and as such, seems perilously long at 109 minutes. Also worth mentioning are the crisp black-and-white cinematography by Gregg Toland (Citizen Kane) and the stirring, inspirational score by composer Hugo Friedhofer. The 2001 DVD contains no significant extra features. Written on December 11, 2008 Summary: My all-time favorite film. When I was a kid, I dreamed of being able to watch this delightful film any time I wanted, never figuring that dream would actually come true. When we bought our first VCR, this was one of the first videos I played in it and I wore the tape out. Now having the movie on DVD is an added treat. Cary Grant at his most debonair and persuasive, Loretta Young at her most gracious and unsure, David Niven at his most sincere and perplexed -- and Monty Woolley is a delight. The Mitchell BoyChoir's "O, Sing To God" made me hunt high and low for the hard-to-find soundtrack and the harder-to-find sheet music. The harp scene in Mrs. Hamilton's mansion, the ice skating in the park, all everyone's favorites. It's old-fashioned, it's out of step, and it's a treasure beyond words.  Written on November 16, 2008 Summary: Can't Explain Why I like This So Much An angel comes to visit a bishop for Christmas, to guide him away from material things and toward a higher purpose. With Cary Grant as the angel, this should be a better movie. But poor direction from Henry Koster and a disappointing performance from Grant leave it lacking. There's so much room for magic in this movie, but instead we get a heavy dose of cheap special effects. Still, David Niven and Loretta Young bring the story back to its true message and that always leaves my eyes a little watery. Monty Woolley turns in a respectable performance, too. None of that explains why I find this movie so compelling. Maybe it's just that I'm a sap for the season. Maybe it's the small but lovely contributions of Elsa Lanchester and Sara Haden as the bishop's housekeeper and secretary. But it's probably the beautiful redemption of Gladys Cooper who turns the stereotype of the bitter, rich widow into something that resonates with the importance of memories and the real meaning of the Christmas spirit. Whatever it is -- and despite my criticisms -- give this one a chance. |
| Comparison map |
| Wondering how the DVD "The Bishop's Wife" relates to similar DVDs? Find out at a glance here: |
| Price comparison |
 The Bishop's Wife |
 Christmas in Connecticut |
 Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition) |
 It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition) |
 Holiday Inn (Special Edition) |
 The Bells of St. Mary's |
| Our price | $9.99 | $13.99 | $14.99 | $14.99 | $14.99 | $10.49 |
| List price | $14.98 | $19.98 | $19.98 | $19.99 | $19.98 | $14.98 |
| Lowest used price | $6.94 | $7.46 | $9.91 | $12.35 | $12.85 | $8.53 |
| Lowest new price | $7.95 | $7.49 | $9.92 | $12.25 | $13.29 | $8.54 |
| Collectible price | $25.95 | $19.98 | $24.98 | $24.98 | $22.98 | - |
| Catalog | DVD | DVD | DVD | DVD | DVD | DVD |
| Release date | 2001-03-06 | 2005-11-08 | 2006-11-21 | 2006-10-31 | 2006-10-10 | 2003-09-23 |
| Media | DVD | DVD | DVD | DVD | DVD | DVD |
| released in theatres | 1948-02-16 | 1945-08-11 | 1947-05-02 | 1947-01-07 | 1942 | 1945 |
| Running time in minutes | 109 | 101 | 96 | 130 | 101 | 126 |
| DVD aspect ratio | 1.33:1 | 1.33:1 | 1.33:1 | 1.33:1 | 1.33:1 | 1.33:1 |
| Audience Rating | NR (Not Rated) | NR (Not Rated) | NR (Not Rated) | NR (Not Rated) | NR (Not Rated) | NR (Not Rated) |
| Picture format | Pan & Scan | - | - | - | - | - |
| Format | Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC | Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC | AC-3, Black & White, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Special Edition, NTSC | Black & White, NTSC | Black & White, Dolby, Full Screen, Original recording remastered, Special Edition, Subtitled, NTSC | Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, NTSC |
| DVD Region code | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ean | 9780792849148 | 9781419818653 | 0024543381723 | 0097369600149 | 0025192148422 | 0017153147827 |
| Book Isbn | 0792849140 | 1419818651 | - | - | - | - |
| Upc | 027616858917 | 012569677166 | 024543381723 | 097369600149 | 025192148422 | 017153147827 |
| Link to shop* (opens in a new window) | BUY IT NOW* | BUY IT NOW* | BUY IT NOW* | BUY IT NOW* | BUY IT NOW* | BUY IT NOW* |
| take one out? |
|
I am here: Home > Dvds > Genres > Classics > General > Bishop s Wife
This website will be shutdown on 2008-04-01.
|
 E-mail this page |
|
About the Simplest Shop | Help | Term of Use | Privacy Policy
Home | Contact us | Bookmark us | get paid for writing |
|
Copyright Simplest-Shop.com 2004. All rights reserved |