This week is Thanksgiving and that means we\u2019ve reached the Holiday season.\u00a0 And going hand in hand with that is my annual holiday movie watching and reviewing ritual.\u00a0 In years past I\u2019ve especially concentrated on versions of \u201cA Christmas Carol.\u201d\u00a0 And rightly so.\u00a0 It is almost a transfiguration of the generosity of the Christmas holiday into a mythic experience.\u00a0 There is an actual catharsis associated with experiencing Scrooge\u2019s repentance and rebirth.\u00a0 So, without a doubt I will have something new to say about Dicken\u2019s classic again this year.<\/p>\n
But let\u2019s return to the task at hand.<\/p>\n
Tonight, I watched again \u201cThe Bells of St. Mary\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen it many times before.\u00a0 First off, it\u2019s not actually a Christmas movie.\u00a0 The movie begins in the Fall and ends in the late Spring.\u00a0 There is indeed a scene or two associated with Christmas as it relates to the eponymous Catholic grammar school that is the focus of the film.\u00a0 But it is incidental, not central to the plot.\u00a0 Strictly speaking, there is no holiday theme to the movie at all.\u00a0 What there is, is a representation of an American Roman Catholic parish grammar school from the middle of the twentieth century.\u00a0 And when I say it is a representation and not an actual reflection, I can speak with all the assurance of thirteen years of Catholic school experience to back it up.\u00a0 Without a doubt, the priests and nuns that I encountered in school and church bore not the faintest resemblance to the kind, patient, loving and wise religious figures that exist in the film.\u00a0 Quite the contrary, I know without a doubt that some of the priests, brothers and nuns that I knew were truly evil and committed atrocities for which they can never be forgiven.\u00a0 So, I have no illusions as to the reality of Catholic education and those administering it.<\/p>\n
Also, this is a movie from 1945.\u00a0 America was close to defeating the Axis powers in World War II when the movie was being made.\u00a0 The populace was united and determined and looking forward to winning the war and returning to normal life including marriage and children.\u00a0 Everything about the movie reflects a societal view that was carefully orchestrated by Hollywood and the Federal government to maintain morale for the civilians at home and the troops abroad.\u00a0 Wholesome entertainment and Christian values were the coin of the realm.\u00a0 And they were especially important around Christmas time.\u00a0 So, what we see is the Hollywood idealization of Catholic grammar school life.<\/p>\n
Put all that together and you have to conclude that this movie is a lie.\u00a0 A deliberate fabrication.\u00a0 Shouldn\u2019t it be derided for deluding the public?\u00a0 Maybe.\u00a0 After all, if the Catholic Church has been enabling predatory pedophiles for decades maybe movies like the present one are part of the front that allowed this practice to exist.\u00a0 That may be true.<\/p>\n
But if you watch this movie you see a story about people working together to raise children not only by educating their minds but also by nurturing their spirits.\u00a0 The pastor and the nuns spend the time to find out what problems the children are experiencing and giving them practical advice and help to overcome their problems and face the real world they will soon be joining.<\/p>\n
The portrayals by Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman are extremely enjoyable.\u00a0 Both of them radiate warmth, intelligence, humor and vitality.\u00a0 Bergman especially shows us a sensitive woman enduring an extremely confusing and demoralizing reversal in her life.\u00a0 Some of the other characters and circumstances have some predictable tropes and stereotypes painted on but these do not greatly distract us from the central plot lines and some are quaint in and of themselves.<\/p>\n
Overall, I found this movie to be a beautiful story.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s classified as a story, a fantasy or propaganda it is emotionally powerful and very enjoyable.\u00a0 For the Christmas season it provides an idealized version of what the Christian religious community is supposed to be.\u00a0 If only it truly were like the movie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This week is Thanksgiving and that means we\u2019ve reached the Holiday season.\u00a0 And going hand in hand with that is my annual holiday movie watching<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,238,237],"tags":[1499,1303,1237,86,1498],"class_list":["post-5217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie-reviews","category-classic-movie-reviews","category-reviews","tag-bing-crosby","tag-catholic-church","tag-ingrid-bergman","tag-religion","tag-the-bells-of-st-marys"],"yoast_head":"\n