Rated:
NR
Starring: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, et al.
Director: Leo McCarey
Review
This irresistible Oscar winner from writer-director Leo
McCarey (An Affair to Remember) stars Bing Crosby as a low-key, crooning
priest who joins the parish of a no-nonsense but sweet old Irish man of
the cloth (Barry Fitzgerald). While Bing turns local toughs into a choir,
the elder priest worries over the church building fund and whether he'll
get a chance to see his old mother back in Ireland before she dies. One
would have to have a heart of stone not to be won over by this charmer,
with a lovely ending guaranteed to make you bawl for a week. --Tom Keogh
------------
In "Going My Way," director Leo McCarey taps into one of
the basic tenets of human nature, that being the fact that even the most
selfless individual has wants and needs that often go unrecognized or
unexpressed. It's a matter of understanding the human condition, being
sensitive to what drives our fellow man and responding to it. A young
woman of eighteen leaves home because of a conflict with her parents, yet
has nowhere to go; a man with a touch of "Scrooge" in him, who runs a
Savings & Loan has trouble setting his priorities; a gang of street-wise
kids need some direction; an elderly priest after forty-five years has
allowed his parish to slip into financial straits. All circumstances that
are affecting in their innate humanity, and it's into this that McCarey
taps directly with his story, and it's the reason for the success of his
film. Simply put, it has heart-- and it makes it timeless.
Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald) has been at St.
Dominic's in New York since it was built, but the financially strapped
parish is in arrears on the mortgage payment, and Mr. Ted Haines Sr. (Gene
Lockhart), of the S&L that holds the note, would like nothing better than
to be able to foreclose on the church, because then he could raze the
building and turn it into a parking lot. Meanwhile, the Bishop has sent a
young priest, Father Chuck O'Malley (Bing Crosby) to St. Dominic's to look
into the situation, and very quickly the good Father finds that he has his
hands more than full.
Sent to take charge without "taking charge," in deference
to Father Fitzgibbon's tenure, Father O'Malley has his work cut out just
trying to save the church; but that's not all he has to contend with.
Found alone on the street by a local policeman, a girl named Carol James
(Jean Heather) is brought to St. Dominic's, and Father O'Malley realizes
that without some help, she's headed for nothing but trouble. He also
encounters a lad named Tony Scaponi (Stanley Clements), the leader of the
gang that has been terrorizing the neighborhood, and turning that
situation around becomes a priority on Father O'Malley's "to-do" list.
Then there is Mr. Haines Sr. to deal with. But most especially in need of
all (though he doesn't realize it himself) is Father Fitzgibbon, and this,
too, Father O'Malley recognizes. Now it's just a matter of addressing all
of these needs at once; and as Father O'Malley finds out, it's no easy
task.
There's something of the Angel, Dudley (played by Cary
Grant in "The Bishop's Wife"), in Father O'Malley, as he is not only
sensitive to the needs of those he encounters, but knows how to resolve
their conflicts in a way that suits the best interests of all concerned.
His solutions may be those of a perfect, pie-in-the-sky world and not
necessarily a reflection of reality, but it works because it captures the
spirit of what this movie is all about: caring and lending a helping hand
to those who need it. The solutions may be unrealistic and overly
simplified, but the feelings and emotions of the characters are very real,
and McCarey's ability to capture that essence of humanity is what earned
this film the Oscar for Best Movie of 1944 (McCarey received Oscars, as
well, for Best Director and Original Story).
As Father O'Malley, Bing Crosby gives one of his best
performances, which earned him an Oscar for Best Actor. But as good as he
is in this part, the award is something of a surprise; the Father O'Malley
Crosby presents has the patience of a Saint and insight to match, and his
mild mannered approach to the character makes his portrayal the kind that
are usually overlooked and under-appreciated because of the apparent
facility of the delivery. And Crosby does make it look easy-- which also
makes it very real, striking a chord as perfect as the solutions to the
problems he solves along the way. It's interesting to note that when
Crosby recreated the role a year later in "The Bells of St. Mary's,"
though he slipped back into the character readily enough, it didn't seem
to have that same depth or impact as in this one, but more of a "been
there, done that" feel. Then again, this story and the characters with
which he is surrounded here are much richer and have much more definition
than those of the sequel, and this film is much more emotionally
involving.
Barry Fitzgerald received the Oscar for Best Supporting
Actor for his portrayal of Father Fitzgibbon, and well deserved it was.
Father O'Malley may be the anchor of this film, but Father Fitzgibbon is
it's soul. And the final scene-- unexpected and extremely moving-- leaves
no doubt about it. That scene, in fact, so powerful in it's simplicity,
veritably sums up the sentiment of the entire movie. It's a triumph for
Fitzgerald, as well as McCarey, but the one who really comes out the
winner is the viewer.
The supporting cast includes Frank McHugh (Father
Timothy), William Frawley (Max), James Brown (Ted Haines, Jr.), Rise
Stevens (Genevieve Linden), Eily Malyon (Mrs. Carmody), Carl "Alfalfa"
Switzer (Herman) and Adeline De Walt Reynolds (Mrs. Molly Fitzgibbon). A
heart-felt and uplifting discourse on the brighter side of the human
condition, "Going My Way" reflects the good there is to be found in
humanity if we but take the time to seek it out. An entertaining,
feel-good film, this is what the magic of the movies is all about.
 |
