Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Clevercell Very disappointing...

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

wes-connors In a flashback to his boyhood (as Roddy McDowall), priestly Gregory Peck (as Francis Chisholm) is orphaned when his parents die in a storm, after they are ostracized for being Catholic. The boy goes to live with in-laws, and eventually falls in love with pretty cousin Jane Ball (as Nora). Alas, she leaves after becoming pregnant and unable to name the baby's father. Mr. Peck makes friends with atheist doctor Thomas Mitchell (as Willie Tulloch). For the bulk of the film, Peck leaves to convert people in China to Christianity.As a missionary, Peck saves lives, survives icy Reverend Mother Rose Stradner (as Maria-Veronica), and witnesses Chinese warfare. He finds a partner in Christ-conscious local Benson Fong (as Joseph). Holy men Vincent Price, Edmund Gwenn, Cedric Hardwicke, and James Gleason come and go. "The Keys of the Kingdom" started Peck's career off on a high note, but it doesn't unlock many doors. Most notably, the film openly suggests God may not sentence nice non-Christians to eternal damnation. Very comforting.****** The Keys of the Kingdom (12/15/44) John M. Stahl ~ Gregory Peck, Benson Fong, Rose Stradner, Thomas Mitchell

dglink The trailer for "The Keys of the Kingdom" compares the 1944 film to the prior classics "Goodbye Mr. Chips" and "How Green Was My Valley," and the comparisons are apt. Like the two earlier films, "The Keys of the Kingdom" is the narrated story of a man's life with present-day scenes as bookends. All three films follow ordinary men who leave indelible legacies, but fail to grasp the worth of their own accomplishments. While Mr. Chips is an English teacher and young Huw Morgan is a Welsh miner's son, Father Francis Chisholm is a Scottish missionary priest in China.In this well written adaptation of the A. J. Cronin novel by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Nunnally Johnson, Gregory Peck underplays the role of Francis Chisholm effectively and with the solid dignity that distinguished Peck's long career. In only his second screen role, Peck is a Christ-like figure who accepts people as they are, which puts him at odds with the dogmatic bureaucrats that run his church. Vincent Price is colorful as Angus Mealy, an ambitious fellow priest who puts personal advancement above godliness, and Thomas Mitchell is equally fine as Willie Tulloch, a doctor who puts his service to humanity above religion. Besides Price and Mitchell, the film has a rich cast of such other outstanding character players as Edmund Gwen, Anne Revere, Cedric Hardwick, Sara Allgood, Benson Fong, and Roddy McDowall. Each of these fine performers makes even the smallest role memorable. While Rose Stradner is fine as the Reverend Mother, the film treads a delicate line with its subtle hint at a love story between her and Father Chisholm. Perhaps there was an underlying attraction between the two that went beyond mere friendship, but, if so, that was daring territory to explore during the 1940's.While "Keys of the Kingdom" runs more than two hours, the engrossing story should hold the attention of viewers who loved "How Green Was My Valley" and "Goodbye Mr. Chips." The film provides an emotional payoff that equals those in the earlier films, and damp eyes and a sniffle or two will likely affect even the hardest hearts. While at times sentimental in the best sense of the word, "The Keys of the Kingdom" also has an important message of acceptance that is particularly relevant today. Father Chisholm does not criticize "heathens" or "atheists," but rather respects their points of view and loves them for their good deeds regardless of their philosophies. When one of Chisholm's non-believer friends lays dying, the priest does not pressure him to convert on his deathbed, and the dying man thanks his friend for his respect and for allowing him to die as he had lived. The film certainly makes a strong point when the kindest, most generous works were those done by the non-believers, the doctor and Mr. Chia, the Chinese landowner, while the most selfish individual was the self-serving social-climbing priest played by Vincent Price. Peck's acceptance of and offer of friendship to the Protestant missionaries was yet another example of the man's Christianity, which placed him at odds with his own church and did more to illustrate Christ's message than the bureaucratic church hierarchy that would not even send money to fund the mission and told him to convert people of means. Although there are a few slow stretches and the finished film is not the classic that its creators intended, "The Keys of the Kingdom" is rewarding and a showcase for a young Gregory Peck, who was poised at the dawn of his stardom.

ccthemovieman-1 Gregory Peck plays a nice role, exhibiting a kind, caring face and demeanor as he did years later in To Kill A Mockingbird.The first 30-40 minutes of this movie dragged somewhat and had some very misleading and dangerous theology (i.e. atheists still go to heaven because they're people, too! Give me a break! . Once that part is over, the movie gets better as the scenery shifts to China a little action is inserted. The story finishes on a very touching note There is a good Methodist missionary and good Catholic priest both shown, despite some of the too-liberal and non-Bblical theology that pervades this script.The cast includes Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Edmund Gween, Key Luke, Roddy McDowall, Rose Stradner and Peggy Ann Garner. Actually, I bought the tape to see Peggy Ann but she only had two scenes and a couple of lines.

dennis-35 This is the story of a man who has to try twice as hard to be half as good as others in college. After he becomes a priest, he butts heads with the mainstream, stuck-up parishioners. His bishop has the idea: send him to China, set up a mission, and doctor their bodies and souls.This spans his 40 years in the mission field. Things do not go well, though at times they do. He stays true to his values, and does not sell out to the vulgar rich, or the vulgar greedy. This is the gleaming quality: keep trying to do the right thing. He does.I have watched this one at least 12 times over the years. It still holds up well.