The Bells of St. Mary's
Posted by Lisa Hendey in Reviews on Tuesday, November 02, 2010 4:16 PM
On Saturday night, I found myself home alone. Adam was with a friend, Greg was at work, and I was worn out from a day spent writing and feeling a little under the weather. I was too tired to read, but not tired enough to sleep so I picked up the remote and decided to treat myself to a chick flick on Netflix. Since I live in a house with men, this is a rare treat so I gave myself permission to be just plain lazy, piling onto the couch with a blanket and enjoying the moment.
Since I’ve been spending much of my time the past few weeks writing about saints, lots of the current selections seemed a bit too “worldly”. One finally caught my eye - The Bells of St. Mary’s. Despite the fact that I’m the “old mom” here at Faith & Family, I’m not much of an old movie buff so I’d never seen this 1945 classic starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. In retrospect, I know much of the wonderful music featured in the film, having heard these classics my whole life. But I knew nothing about the film, so I was completely unprepared to love it as much as I did.
Have you seen the film? It features a love/hate relationship between St. Mary’s new pastor Fr. O’Malley (Crosby) and the woman who’s really in charge, Sr. Mary Benedict (Bergman). It’s a simple, old-fashioned story with a plot that’s a bit predictable, but I still loved it. Somehow, I was surprised (and a bit heartbroken) by the ending, but loved all of the different vignettes that played out in the film. Perhaps because I grew up educated by sisters and with a favorite Irish priest, the film felt as comfy as the old quilt I was nestled under. When it ended, I was ready for the sequel.
One line from the film struck me enough that I went looking for the exact quote:
If we don’t fail sometimes, our successes don’t mean anything. You must be strong.
As someone who’s known her fair share of failures, I can attest to the truth of Sister’s words. The movie featured some situations that could never happen in today’s world, and especially not in today’s church, which left me a bit sad that we’ve come to a state of affairs where “safe environment” rules are necessary precautions that prohibit the easy friendships that seemed to occur between the characters in this film. I would love to see an updated version of this film—one that captures our modern society, but shows great characters completed devoted to and in love with their vocations. Maybe I’d cast Fr. Leo Patalinghug as the priest, with Sister Helena Burns in the female lead.
Now that I’ve dipped my toe into the world of black and white movies, I’d love your recommendations for other “feel good” classics that you’ve enjoyed with your family. What are some of your favorites?
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