VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Forumrxes Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

mike48128 Made first but released after "Going My Way"! An episodic story about a failing Catholic Elementary School. Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby) again comes to the rescue as the tireless and optimistic priest, sent from the "home office" to access the situation and get things right. Ingrid plays the "tomboyish" head sister that runs the school, which curiously, doesn't appear to be attached directly to a church. It stands alone. All the lower grade Catholic schools I have ever known were always attached or next to a church, nearby. The "villain" in the piece is played by none-other than the actor that played the "Angel Clarence" in "It's a Wonderful Life." He owns the new office building next door and wants to tear down the old, crumbling school for his parking lot. The sisters are praying for a miracle that the new building will become their new school. Of course, that is exactly what happens when he literally has a change of heart. Very well written, but not very different from "Going My Way." No real blockbuster songs, except that "The Bells of St.Mary's" was recorded by Bing with entirely different lyrics and became a "standard" in it's time. Some of the events remind my a lot of other similar films like "The Trouble with Angels" made decades later. Like "Going My Way" a bit long but worth it. The ending is a real "tear-jerker" as Ingrid finds out that she is being transferred out not because she failed or upset Father O'Malley, but because she is sick and needs to get better. Almost out-of-print. It was public-domain for a while and even colorized, but it's just fine in black and white.

Steffi_P Sequels were not as common in classic Hollywood as they are in the modern era, and when sequels were made it was not to continue an action blockbuster franchise, as now, but usually to resurrect a popular character or set of characters. The 1944 hit Going My Way had created a wonderful character in Father Chuck O'Malley – the young in-touch priest who has unconventional ideas which always prove correct; an ostensibly religious figure yet one who manages to transcend all religious barriers.And of course there could be no Father O'Malley without Bing Crosby. His performance is a kind of melding of this concept of the perfect priest and Crosby's own laidback, instantly likable persona. This is all done in the tiniest, most introverted gestures and expressions. It's the little moments that bring out his personality, such as the fleeting glance skywards when he tells a little white lie to Ingrid Bergman. Bergman herself is excellent as usual, and this role in particular seems to draw something very natural out of her. Two examples in particular stand out. First is the boxing lesson she gives, which looks as if she is really teaching the young lad. Second is when she sings Varvindar Friska, presumably a song she knew in real life before making the picture, and the final high note turns into a little laugh as Crosby walks in – an endearing and revealing moment. The only problem I have with this cast is seeing sweet old Henry Travers playing the curmudgeonly antagonist. Admittedly, Travers later has a change of heart, but there is still something about his being a baddie in the first place that I find troubling.The other link in the Going My Way chain to return for The Bells of St Mary's is director Leo McCarey. McCarey again brings his gentle and apparently simple touch to the proceedings. There are some nice examples of here how he will keep two or more characters in the frame at once, rather than cutting between them. Sometimes this becomes fairly elaborate, such as when Bergman is watching the fight going on in the background, and Crosby appears in the doorway behind her. It keeps the scene balanced to just two set-ups back and forth between the fight and the watchers, but still lets us know Crosby is watching without Bergman knowing he's watching. All this means that when McCarey does give us a close-up it really means something, and connects us intimately with that character in that moment.So really, The Bells of St Mary's ought to be just as good as its predecessor, right? Well, not exactly. The problem lies in its screenplay. Going My Way featured so many charming characters, solid and well-written down to the smallest parts. Good as Ingrid Bergman is, the dynamic her character has with Crosby's is no match for the one of Barry Fitzgerald. Going My Way had many different subplots, but they all seemed of a piece, each flowing naturally into each other. The Bells of St Mary's has far fewer strands, yet seems more disjointed. Character arcs – such as Travers's transition from self-centred businessman to altruistic cheerful chappy – are trite and facile. The result is that, on the surface, The Bells of St Mary's is every bit the gem that Going My Way was, but as a whole experience, it is almost everything the previous picture was not.

Maddyclassicfilms The Bells of St Mary's is the sequel to Going My Way(1944), it is directed by Leo McCarey, has a screenplay by Dudley Nichols and a story by McCarey himself. The film stars Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Carroll and Henry Travers.Father O'Malley(Bing Crosby)takes up the position of priest at St Mary's school. He finds himself at odds with the head nun Sister Benedict(Ingrid Bergman), gradually they become friends and both agree that the children need a bigger and more modern school building.The question of whether O'Malley can get their new building off the wealthy but selfish Horace P. Bogardus(Henry Travers) is the main storyline.However there are many excellent subplots including,O'Malley and Sister Benedict helping to raise a young pupil Patricia(Joan Carroll)who has come to them because of family problems and is very depressed.This is a moving subplot to the bigger picture.Ingrid Bergman gives one of her best performances as the dedicated Nun and a scene where she cries while praying is deeply moving. Bergman and Crosby are very good together and Crosby is again fantastic as the kind Priest who loves singing.

Neil Doyle THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S is a nice follow-up to GOING MY WAY, with BING CROSBY again cast as Father O'Malley. The script gives him a couple of obstacles to overcome (once again), one of them being the rather frosty disagreement he and INGRID BERGMAN have over the rearing of children.It's all a bit sugar-coated, but it's easy to fall under the spell of Bergman's glowing performance and the few amusing episodes that make up most of the human interest factor in the slight story. There's even a catchy song ("Aren't You Glad You're You?") which won an Oscar nomination in 1945, but the story is so simple-minded that you'll have to have a lot of affection for Bing and Ingrid to want to watch this particular film.There's a nice supporting cast, including the always reliable UNA O'CONNOR, JOAN CARROLL and the lovable HENRY TRAVERS as a man who must be convinced to use his riches for the goodness of man. Leo McCarey gets a lot of sly humor into the story, such as the scene where O'Malley is first addressing the nuns and wondering why all the giggling is taking place. On a shelf behind him, an inquisitive kitten is moving around under his hat.It's tastefully done, even with an ending that includes the news that Bergman's character has a terminal illness. Somehow, director McCarey keeps it all under control so that it never becomes downright maudlin, and he certainly gets the best possible work out of Crosby, Bergman and a flock of hyperactive school kids.