Le miracle des cloches

Maltin's "guide", which should be called a "MIS-Guide", oh so generously bestows this film with a whopping star and a half. The truth is this is a fine piece of film-making, a tad unwieldy at times and perhaps 20 minutes overlong, but made with a high level of care and craft. There are many moving, poignant scenes, particularly one set early on at Christmas time. MacMurray and Valli unexpectedly run into each other and proceed to share a relaxed and blissfully unrehearsed Christmas Eve dinner at a Chinese restaurant that they have all to themselves (not unlike in the more recent A Christmas Story). The chemistry between the two and the restaurant's benevolent Asian owner is nearly heavenly.

The film has that irresistible Citizen Kane-ish structure where a character is gradually revealed and only truly understood AFTER their death. It also is refreshing in its positive depiction of religion and the important role it plays in so many people's lives. And it does so without insulting those in the audience who may not happen to be a member of that faith (Catholicism) or suggest that because they are not, that they're going to hell. If only more of today's film-makers had such courage and insight.

Performance-wise I was most impressed with Fred MacMurray who clearly invested a lot emotionally in his character. Valli is fine as the angelic aspiring actress and Lee J. Cobb is commanding as always as a studio mogul with more integrity than one might expect. Frank Sinatra as a devout small town priest? He's not bad but he hadn't yet been influenced by Montgomery Clift's method acting style in From Here To Eternity, and he comes across as a mite green for the part.

Quality work. Maltin's off by a star or two once again.

Having viewed Miracle of the Bells at least 20 times, I still get inspired by its central theme, that the world is a good place and we can each make it a little better. What many "Bells" viewers might not know is that the (Alida) Vali role is based on a historical person named Olga Treskovna who came from Northeastern Pennsylvania. Some exteriors and rear-screen projection scenes were shot in and around Glen Lyon and Nanticoke, PA (where much of the action takes place). The real Olga Treskovna is buried in St. Michael's Cemetery (of course the Parish cemetery of St. Michael's Church which has recently been razed.) The real statue of St. Michael, however, is at this writing still in the church yard. After more than half a century, it's still an inspirational movie with great performances from Lee J. Cobb, Fred Mac Murray and Vali despite several warts of weak acting here and there by others.

What a sweet and well-meaning movie this is. It's about love and respect for family and background and wanting to make a lasting mark on the shifting sands of our world.

The movie is not perfect, of course, it could have been shorter and not suffered much for it. The points seem belabored during the last half hour. Fred MacMurray saying "baby" all the time to Olga, the female lead was a little off-putting. Not so much for the word itself, it just seemed un-natural to hear him say it.

All that said, I will reiterate that this is a sweet movie. There is a great Christmas scene that will forever make me think of this as a "Christmas Movie". Philip Ahn as the Chinese retaurateur was a beam of light and gentleness in this movie. His role was a stand-out.

Frank Sinatra was to have better roles in later years and his acting technique would develop. He is slightly lost in the role here. But that is no big sleight in this movie.

Recommended. Religious but not preachy, sweet but not sickly sweet. A nice movie for cold Christmas eves.

If you get a chance check out the post I left on Helen Burgess's page on this site. Helen Burgess was a young contract player for Paramount who made four films. One of them was Cecil B. DeMille's The Plainsman where she played the second lead female role as Louisa Frederici Cody under Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, and James Ellison. She died of pneumonia at the age of 19 as the film was being released. This would have been a breakout role for her and she might have had a long screen career.

I'm sure that the creators of this film had Helen Burgess in mind when they made it. It's good in spots, I like the performances of Fred MacMurray, Alida Valli, Lee J. Cobb and Philip Ahn which another reviewer very correctly singled out.

I guess since Bing Crosby made such a hit as a priest Frank Sinatra had to try it. He lays one big omelet as Father Paul. He had to wait until Meet Danny Wilson for a part he could carry on acting as well as singing.

This film was also made in the days of John L. Lewis as head of the United Mine Workers. One of the big issues for that union was the pollution that caused the premature deaths of a lot of their members and families. In that sense Miracle of the Bells was a very socially relevant movie for its time and even today.

I second the opinion of reviewer "Clanciai", who cites this film's becoming "constantly more interesting" as it progresses and develops (check the 2nd paragraph of his/her review below). Much of this quality is due to the expert construction of the script,as well as actor/director Irving Pichel's fine guidance.

Since we immediately learn that the film's leading lady (and Fred MacMurray's love interest) has died, the writers must find a way to "pull the viewer into" the events surrounding her death---both before and after. The script accomplishes this superbly.

Take, for example, Fred's relationship with Olga---they never even kiss! Yet we sense a very real, very powerful emotional bond between them. Fred's heart-rending sobs at her deathbed further reveal the depth of his love for her.

Many reviewers cite Fred MacMurray's performance as outstanding; it is. He was truly a fine actor, capable of playing just about any type of role which came his way. I have a new-found appreciation of his stature as a result of this film (where was the Academy, I wonder?)

But these reviews contain a number of negative comments about Frank Sinatra's acting; I was actually impressed by his restraint. By 1948, Frank had already demonstrated his acting prowess on screen; clearly, his gentle, low-key performance was his (and Pichel's) choice for the character, not a result of his inexperience.

Many lovely, memorable moments in this film, especially the recurring motif of the starlit sky (with Leigh Harline's barely audible, shimmery music in the background), and the wonderful Christmas Eve dinner scene with Philip Ahn---one of the highlights of the film (though I felt it could have used some musical underscoring in the latter half).

But there are also plenty of dramatic scenes that are beautifully written, acted and directed. I cite TWO of them here: 1.) Olga's entrance (in full Joan of Arc costume) into Lee J. Cobb's office as Fred campaigns for her screen test (Lee J. is superb, almost riveting here). 2.) Fred's spur-of-the-moment, uplifting speech to Frank in the church basement, which dissuades Frank from explaining the "miracle" to his congregation. I had to play each of these scenes back to appreciate their excellence.

However, I have one problem with the screenplay (which I suspect didn't exist in the original story), and here it is: We become increasingly aware that Olga has a very strong attachment to her hometown and the plight of its citizens; her beautiful deathbed speech makes it clear that she wants "Joan of Arc" to serve as a morale-booster for the people of Coal Town, something which will fill them with pride and give their lives new meaning. This is why the "miracle" in the church is so crucial to Fred MacMurray's mission, which in turn motivates Lee J. to release "Joan of Arc" and use the film's proceeds to invest in the future well-being of Coal Town, since both Olga and her father were victims of the health hazards of its industry.

All of this is laid out and developed very effectively in the film's latter scenes. My reservation is the fact that the script is entirely lacking in "setting up" and establishing Olga's connection with the townspeople of Coal Town prior to her leaving to become an actress, a motive which would clearly explain her commitment to them----a dedication so deep that she would literally give her life to finish her film "mission."

The excellent script would have achieved perfection, I believe, if we had understood Olga's emotional connection to her hometown and seen it demonstrated early on. On the contrary, we see evidence that the townspeople have a low regard for her and her late father, which is confusing.

But this is fairly minor; I only point it out because the rest of the script is so logical and, as "Clanciai" says, so engrossing as it develops.

And no, I disagree with several reviews that claim: 1.) The film is too long 2.) Fred MacMurrays's addressing Olga as "baby" is off-putting. Both of these were part of our culture and the art of film making back in 1948. Deal with it.

Glad to have made the acquaintance of this terrific film.

LR