rmyersg There are not enough superlatives for this movie. First of all, the score by Friedholder beautifully underlines the scenes with great poinience. This is a triumph in ensemble acting. There are no minor characters. Everyone shines. Despite a few incongruities, this rates high on my list of favorites.

vincentlynch-moonoi Question 1: Is the new Blu Ray edition worth the upgrade? There is somewhat of an improvement; it's a good transfer.This is one of the most charming films ever made. It is a fine Christmas story which can be enjoyed anytime of the year. Its 3 stars do marvelously. This is one of those films where everything pretty much comes together almost perfectly.What I find most interesting about the film is how the story treads a thin line between a romance between the angel (Cary Grant) and the Bishop's wife (Loretta Young) and honest concern and compassion. In fact, the difference is the essence of the film.The skating sequence with Grant, Young, and James Gleason is one of the most delightful film sequences in any film I have ever seen. Of course we know the actors have doubles, but it's such a wonderful series of scenes that we are happily willing to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the joy! The cast here is nigh on perfect. Cary Grant is superb as the angel. He's just sparkling here; it would appear that he really enjoyed the role. I suppose some would think this was an easy role; I'm not so sure it was. He was treading on shifting sands here, and managed it perfectly well.Loretta Young does so nicely as the Bishop's wife, who loves life, loves her husband, but is nearly despondent over the way things are turning out for their marriage as her husband becomes more and more obsessed with his project.David Niven. Well, I'm less impressed with Niven's performance here than with Young's or Grant's, but I'm not sure I can fault him. His was a tough character to like...or dislike, so perhaps my hesitation is with the character, not the performance.In the supporting roles, James Gleason's small role as a taxi driver is, perhaps, the most charming of his career. Monty Woolley is good as "the professor". I always think of Gladys Cooper as one of the outstanding character actresses, and she does not disappoint here as the wealthy donor, although she had other more memorable roles. Elsa Lanchester is very likable as the housekeeper, as is Sara Haden (another one of those familiar faces) as the Bishop's secretary.It's difficult for me to imagine someone not liking this film, unless it's totally outside of their preferred genres. It could have been a much different result. In the beginning, Niven was cast as the angel, Dana Andrews as the bishop, and Teresa Wright as the wife. I can see the latter two working, but I can't see Niven as the angel. No, this one turned out just perfect the way that it finally ended up on screen.

Mikey I love this film! I usually watch this about 3 or 4 times during the Christmas season as it's in my rotation with Home for the Holidays, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, One Magic Christmas, If You Believe, Bell, Book, and Candle, A Diva's Christmas Carol, and The Family Stone. My roommates hate me during this time of year! I like to think there are people out there that believe in helping others unselfishly. I strive to be that kind of person.I like seeing some of the other character actors such as Elsa Lanchester who is in Bell Book and Candle, and Sara Haden who I only knew from the Shirley Temple movie Poor Little Rich Girl. Oh and two of the children from It's a Wonderful Life...Zuzu and young Harry Bailey. Definitely watch this one! I think it's way better than the remake, although Denzel and Whitney are great!

Charles Herold (cherold) I watched this movie on Christmas with a bunch of people who thought it was great, so apparently there are people for whom this odd mix of romance and religion works, but this movie doesn't connect with me at all.Cary Grant is quite good as a sly angel who comes to earth to help out a minister and his wife. He is, as usual, charming and likable. Loretta Young is okay as the rather bland wife, and David Niven is stuck playing a charmless minister who he can't do much with.The movie is full of moments that delighted my companions, like a cute ice-skating sequence and a choir performance, but for me these all felt like things that seemed like a good idea but that didn't effect me. The movie has clever ideas here and there, but it also has many moments of lead-footed religiosity, as when Grant tells a bible story to a small child while everyone else in the household watches, inexplicably rapt.For me, this movie has an *almost* quality. Grant is good, there are moments I like, and only a small percentage of scenes really grate on my nerves. I feel there is enough here that a good movie probably could have been built out of the pieces, but I've read that the movie went through rewrites already so perhaps this was ultimately as good as they could manage. Watchable, but that's about it.