Question 1: Is the new Blu Ray edition worth the upgrade? There is somewhat of an improvement; it's a good transfer.This is one of the most charming films ever made. It is a fine Christmas story which can be enjoyed anytime of the year. Its 3 stars do marvelously. This is one of those films where everything pretty much comes together almost perfectly.What I find most interesting about the film is how the story treads a thin line between a romance between the angel (Cary Grant) and the Bishop's wife (Loretta Young) and honest concern and compassion. In fact, the difference is the essence of the film.The skating sequence with Grant, Young, and James Gleason is one of the most delightful film sequences in any film I have ever seen. Of course we know the actors have doubles, but it's such a wonderful series of scenes that we are happily willing to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the joy! The cast here is nigh on perfect. Cary Grant is superb as the angel. He's just sparkling here; it would appear that he really enjoyed the role. I suppose some would think this was an easy role; I'm not so sure it was. He was treading on shifting sands here, and managed it perfectly well.Loretta Young does so nicely as the Bishop's wife, who loves life, loves her husband, but is nearly despondent over the way things are turning out for their marriage as her husband becomes more and more obsessed with his project.David Niven. Well, I'm less impressed with Niven's performance here than with Young's or Grant's, but I'm not sure I can fault him. His was a tough character to like...or dislike, so perhaps my hesitation is with the character, not the performance.In the supporting roles, James Gleason's small role as a taxi driver is, perhaps, the most charming of his career. Monty Woolley is good as "the professor". I always think of Gladys Cooper as one of the outstanding character actresses, and she does not disappoint here as the wealthy donor, although she had other more memorable roles. Elsa Lanchester is very likable as the housekeeper, as is Sara Haden (another one of those familiar faces) as the Bishop's secretary.It's difficult for me to imagine someone not liking this film, unless it's totally outside of their preferred genres. It could have been a much different result. In the beginning, Niven was cast as the angel, Dana Andrews as the bishop, and Teresa Wright as the wife. I can see the latter two working, but I can't see Niven as the angel. No, this one turned out just perfect the way that it finally ended up on screen.

A delightful Christmas classic that ranks not only among my favorite Cary Grant films but my favorite films period. It's beautiful and funny and touching in ways movies seldom are anymore. The story is about an angel named Dudley (Cary Grant) sent to Earth to help Bishop Henry (David Niven), who's struggling with raising the money necessary to build a new cathedral, all the while neglecting his wife Julia (Loretta Young).Cary Grant is just perfect as Dudley, one of his best 1940s roles. He's charming and handsome and has great chemistry with all of his co-stars. David Niven does a fine job as the stressed and slightly neurotic Henry, who finds himself in the unenviable position (particularly for a Bishop) of being jealous of the very angel sent to help him. With good reason, too, as even angelic Dudley can't resist falling for the heavenly Loretta Young. For her part, lovely Loretta positively glows as the sweet and faithful Julia. Scene-stealing turn from the great Monty Woolley, but when did this guy not shine? Every movie of his I've seen is made better just by his presence. The rest of the wonderful supporting cast includes Elsa Lanchester, James Gleason, Regis Toomey, Sara Haden, and Gladys Cooper. Also of note to fans of another Christmas classic: Karolyn Grimes and Bobby Anderson (Zuzu and young George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life) are in this.It's a quality production with great direction and cinematography, and a witty and emotional script full of very human characters who are flawed but not in the same broken way that description is used today. It's a heartwarming seasonal fantasy film. Not to belabor a point I touched on before but it's the type of movie they don't really make anymore. It's the rare and magical movie you watch with a smile etched on your face the whole time. Definitely recommended for fans of the stars or those who love gentle, old-fashioned Christmas films.

I watched this movie on Christmas with a bunch of people who thought it was great, so apparently there are people for whom this odd mix of romance and religion works, but this movie doesn't connect with me at all.Cary Grant is quite good as a sly angel who comes to earth to help out a minister and his wife. He is, as usual, charming and likable. Loretta Young is okay as the rather bland wife, and David Niven is stuck playing a charmless minister who he can't do much with.The movie is full of moments that delighted my companions, like a cute ice-skating sequence and a choir performance, but for me these all felt like things that seemed like a good idea but that didn't effect me. The movie has clever ideas here and there, but it also has many moments of lead-footed religiosity, as when Grant tells a bible story to a small child while everyone else in the household watches, inexplicably rapt.For me, this movie has an *almost* quality. Grant is good, there are moments I like, and only a small percentage of scenes really grate on my nerves. I feel there is enough here that a good movie probably could have been built out of the pieces, but I've read that the movie went through rewrites already so perhaps this was ultimately as good as they could manage. Watchable, but that's about it.

I discovered this movie on TV many years ago, never having heard of it previously, but what a joy, being able to call on such talents as Niven, Grant and Loretta Young, not to mention stalwart supporting players such as Gladys Cooper, Monty Woolley and Elsa Lanchester, gave the studio a head start of course. The movie might be seen as sentimental nowadays (though why that's a pejorative I don't know). In fact I think a better word is sensitive. It's apparently simple tale of an Angel being sent down to help a misguided but essentially good Bishop who has lost sight of the real Christian way, is given a human edge and saved from schmaltz by having the Bishop become jealous of the Angels affections for the Bishops wife, and with reason, indeed the Angel does have human feelings for her! Sensitivity is the mark of its treatment of the characters and their flaws, the atheist, the rich widow etc. if even in our secular world Christmas encourages us to reevaluate our priorities in light if Christian teaching, it's a good checkpoint in our too busy and often misguided lives. This movie is a warm hearted and entertaining nudge in the same direction, and we need it. After all were only human!