The Keys of the Kingdom (1944)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

John M. Stahl

Writers:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz (screenplay) and
Nunnally Johnson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 December 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A young priest, Father Chisholm (Gregory Peck) is sent to China to establish a Catholic parish among the non-Christian Chinese...

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Catholic | China | Melodrama | Assault

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars.

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Father Francis Chisholm
Thomas Mitchell	...	Willie Tulloch
Vincent Price	...	Angus Mealey
Rose Stradner	...	Reverend Mother Maria-Veronica (as Rosa Stradner)
Roddy McDowall	...	Francis Chisholm, as a boy
Edmund Gwenn	...	Father Hamish MacNabb
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Monsignor at Tweedside (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Peggy Ann Garner	...	Nora, as a girl
Jane Ball	...	Nora, as an adult
James Gleason	...	Rev. Dr. Wilbur Fiske
Anne Revere	...	Agnes Fiske
Ruth Nelson	...	Mrs. Chisholm, Francis' mother
Benson Fong	...	Joseph
Leonard Strong	...	Mr. Chia
Philip Ahn	...	Mr. Pao, envoy for Mr. Chia

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin | Cantonese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Finland:S | Spain:T | USA:Approved (certificate #10003) | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Quotes:

[first lines]
Title card: On a September evening in 1938, Father Francis Chisholm returned to his little church near Tweedside, Scotland.
Father Francis Chisholm: Good afternoon, Monsignor.
Monsignor: Good afternoon, Father.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Brotherhood (2001) (V)

Ah, the Greatness of Gregory!

Before getting started I should confess that I am an unabashed worshipper of Mr. Gregory Peck. In mourning his death, I resolved to track down and watch those few of his films that I hadn't yet seen. The Keys of the Kingdom came early in the process and was a delighful surprise. I admit, I had rather low expectations knowing that this was only his second film. Nevertheless, Greg shines as brightly in this as he does in so many of his later films. Thomas Mitchell (best known as Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life) is also charming as the atheist best friend to Peck's priest.

The movie explores the unusual tension within the church between succeeding at being a good person and succeeding at climbing the ecclesiastical ladder. As you might guess, Peck plays to type as the good-hearted priest who never quite gains the respect of his superiors. Look for Vincent Price as an example of the latter; a less than caring priest who is consistently promoted.

This is a charming albeit slightly sentimental film that I hope to see available in DVD format someday. Until then it is well worth the effort it might take to track it down.