The Miracle of the Bells (1948) User Reviews

Not Quite A Miracle, But Close

[abooboo-2 · 8/10 · 24 December 2001]

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.

Fred MacMurray leading man, does it again...

[renfield54 · 8/10 · 9 April 2000]

Looking back to favorite movies, I never realized what a fan I was of Fred MacMurray. This is another film of his I liked alot. Comedy, action, or drama, Fred gets the job done.

It gets 'laid on' pretty thick in this drama, schmaultzy comes to mind, but it's one to see. There were a string of 'miracle' movies made around this time, but 'Miracle of the Bells' lets you decide for yourself about this miracle, and there is more than just the obvious one.

You will get to see a movie in a movie, the reformation of MacMurray's publicist character, and even Frank Sinatra as a priest. I can think of worse ways to spend a lazy afternoon. See it if you can....

Believing in Miracles

[willrams · 8/10 · 6 March 2003]

A film I had never seen before, and it is highly recommended for all those who believe in faith and miracles. A Hollywood press agent, Fred MacMurray, inspires a new actress to attain higher goals in movies; she is played by Valli, who underplays her role with much emotion. Lee J. Cobb plays the tough producer and director. She dies just before the film ends, so the film is shelved by the money men. But this press agent believes in her and goes back to her hometown of Coaltown, PA where there are only a few old churches. One of them is Catholic, and Frank Sinatra plays the Catholic priest, who the press agent tries to get him and all the other pastors and ministers of the other churches to ring their bells constantly at her funeral. The day comes and the Catholic Church is loaded with townspeople who witness angelic sculptures in the pulpit turning to look at the body of the actress, and causing a national stir of publicity. All of this causes the producer director to come to terms and release the film publicly. But there is more involved in this film because it shows how sincerely faith of any kind can cause miracles to happen. I found this film to be highly entertaining and highly underrated for the period of time it was made in 1948

Sweetly well-meaning movie

[Schlockmeister · 25 August 2002]

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.

Based on Helen Burgess??????

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 1 May 2004]

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.

Stranger Than Fiction and Funnier Too

[filmquestint · 6/10 · 25 December 2007]

I don't mean to be disrespectful, but the fact that this film may be based on a true story makes the whole thing insaner than it really is. The dialogue alone may have you roaring in the aisles. Frank Sinatra as a priest with a priestly voice even sings a song and Fred McMurray towering over Sinatra as he stands next to him tries to act convinced and at times he almost succeeds. The one remarkable feature here is Alida Valli or as she was billed "Valli" trying to sell her as the new Garbo. She is stunningly beautiful. You wouldn't guess it for her performance here but she went on to star for Luchino Visconti in "Senso" and years later for Bernardo Bertolucci in "The Spider's Stratagem" What she's asked to do here is virtually impossible. To makes us care, let alone believe in what she's suppose to be telling us and yet, there is something, don't ask me what but something, that makes "The Miracle Of The Bells" a guilty pleasure of major proportions.

Well-crafted and engrossing film.

[lrrap · 9/10 · 27 November 2015]

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

Great performance by Fred MacMurray in a sentimental film

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 29 May 2013]

I first saw this film decades ago (literally), and never forgot it. So I was glad to see it come out on DVD via Olive Films. The original film had pretty good production values, and this transfer to DVD (Blu-Ray in my case) is better than a few of the other Olive Films I've purchased (not that they were bad, but this is better).

One thing this proved was that Frank Sinatra had the potential of being a fine actor (which he later became). After all, in this film he played a priest with deep humility. If Frank Sinatra (of all people) can portray humility through such a character with any success, then he is a good actor. (As you can see, I'm not a fan of Sinatra, the man; but I do admire Sinatra the actor).

But, this is not Sinatra's movie. It belongs lock-stock-and-barrel to a very talented actor who, today, is generally overlooked -- Fred MacMurray. There have been so many times while watching films on TCM that I have marveled at how pleasing an actor he was. Unfortunately, his role in a sit-com ("My Three Sons") and a number of Disney films dimmed his star a bit, but he's a very dependable and fine actor...and that shows here.

His co-star, Valli, was, perhaps, not suited to American audiences, but she delivers a fine performance here, both as her character, and in scenes where she is playing Joan Of Arc.

I guess I'm going to have to reconsider my long held belief that Lee J. Cobb wasn't that good an actor. Recently I saw him in another film and was impressed, and here -- where he plays a film mogul -- I'm impressed again. Frank Ferguson -- a veteran character actor -- is good here as a director. There are a number of other character actors you will recognize, as well.

The story? Well, I guess some would say it's schmaltz...but it's top-of-the-line schmaltz. It depicts an old-fashioned viewpoint about religion...one that I grew up with...so it's realistic for this pre-1950s setting. The film is a tad long...could have been edited more tightly, but that's a minor criticism.

Worth watching, particularly for the skill in acting of Fred MacMurray. Recommended.

The Bells Ring for the Cast

[smithy-8 · 10/10 · 8 November 2003]

"The Miracle of the Bells" is a gem of a movie. It is Fred MacMurray's best role and best movie. He plays a burned-out publicist, who helps an aspiring actress attain (Alida Valli) a movie role, watches her die, then travels with her body to her hometown. He covers all the emotions in this movie: toughness, worldliness, anger, kindness, love, contempt, and deceit.

This is Ms. Valli's second best role and movie. The first was "The Third Man". Frank Sinatra plays the priest and this is his first dramatic part. He is very good in the role. He even sings a little.

It is a lovely movie about dreams and miracles.

nice holiday film

[hippychik-1 · 6/10 · 10 December 2005]

It is not one of my favorite holiday films, but it doesn't seem like the holidays without seeing it. It is a sweet movie. Valli is very beautiful and delicate in the role of the film star in her first "big role." I, too was a little put off by Fred MacMurray calling her 'baby' all the time, especially after years of watching My Three Sons. But it is a slight thing to put up with to enjoy this film, especially at Christmas time. Frank Sinatra is good in his role as the younger priest.

I don't want to say too much about the film without giving away what happens. It is sad, almost maudlin at times. All I would add is that it is a great film to watch with all the others at Christmas, and one that most people do not think to include.

THE MIRACLE OF THE BELLS (Irving Pichel, 1948) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 17 May 2008]

Hollywood during WWII and its aftermath was marked by a series of fanciful but uplifting fantasies involving angels and similar divine interventions; this is certainly among the oddest ones that were made – a blasphemous satire unsuccessfully passed off as romantic whimsy!

For a little-seen and mostly forgotten film, this eventually cropped up as a VHS rental in my neck of the woods in the early 1990s but, in spite of my curiosity, I passed on it back then – even though I had always been intrigued by celebrated film critic James Agee's famous dismissal of it ("I hereby declare myself the founding father of The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to God"). Consequently, knowing that 2008 marked the 10th anniversary of Frank Sinatra's passing, I made it a point to catch it when it was shown on Italian TV. Given Sinatra's third billing and smallish role as a Polish priest(!) – was he trying to emulate Crosby's award-winning turns in the Fr. O'Malley movies? – it was hardly the ideal fare to mark that very day but that's exactly what I did, the first of 10 planned Sinatras. This was actually his first dramatic role – even if he does get to sing a song…to Fred MacMurray in a cemetery!!

The true leads of the film, then, are MacMurray and Italian star Alida Valli: the former is a Hollywood press agent and the latter a struggling theatrical actress (she eventually has a hit with "Girl Of The Ozarks"!) who is imposed on skeptical film producer Lee J. Cobb when his international diva walks out of his current Joan Of Arc production (coincidentally, Ingrid Bergman was portraying just such a role in relatively more lavish surroundings, including Technicolor, at the RKO studios). Valli, coming from a coal-mining town in Pennsylvania, is afflicted by tuberculosis and eventually kills herself in completing the film (dying on the very next day after the end of shooting!); Cobb is highly reluctant to release a movie with a dead lead in it, but MacMurray – together with that above-mentioned divine intervention – convince him otherwise.

Apparently the film is based on the case of Helen Burgess, a 19-year old Hollywood starlet who died before her big break in movies (in Cecil B. De Mille's THE PLAINSMAN [1936]) could bear its fruit. The actual "miracle" is rather preposterous (if plausibly explained) but its effectiveness is undermined by the fact that the bells had already been made to toll (on MacMurray's instructions via Valli's death-bed wish) for three consecutive days(!) – a fact which would certainly have driven even the most devout and gullible of Christians off the wall (and yet, on the big day, we see them flocking in droves to Sinatra's previously forsaken church). The script, while mostly a Ben Hecht 'adaptation' piece, includes contributions from Quentin Reynolds and De Witt Bodeen (which actually extend only to those scenes featuring Frank Sinatra!). Director Irving Pichel had another far more rewarding religious film up his sleeve – MARTIN LUTHER (1953), which I watched for the first time quite recently.

A Christmas Movie - But Not Only

[MichaelMartinDeSapio · 9/10 · 21 December 2014]

MIRACLE OF THE BELLS is often thought of as a Christmas movie because of a memorable Christmas Eve scene that occurs early in the film and because of the religious and spiritual themes present throughout. Not your standard Yuletide chestnut by any means, MIRACLE is a film of seriousness and substance that just occasionally feels weighted down by its earnest intentions. Alida Valli plays a young actress who rises from humble beginnings in a Pennsylvania coal mining town to become a sort of messiah-like figure for "her people" (her health is also doomed from having inhaled coal dust as a child). Fred MacMurray is the Hollywood Press agent who gives her a boost on the ladder of success in and falls in love with her in the process.

MacMurray is his genial and likable best, and the Italian-born Valli (THE THIRD MAN) is luminous. The film is worth seeing alone to see Frank Sinatra play a priest. He is surprisingly effective in the role. We often forget that in the early part of his career Sinatra had an angelic innocence about him, totally different from the Ratpack/swinger persona he would later cultivate. I make it a point to watch any movie with Lee J. Cobb in it, as he always had such a tremendous presence in films. He gives a fine performance as the movie mogul.

An occasional bit of levity would have been welcome in this very earnest film; but it nonetheless maintains an impressive, almost bleak post-war atmosphere - especially early on with Fred MacMurray's elegiac voice-overs recalling his dead sweetheart Alida Valli, and his dealings with a cynical funeral parlor director. The movie is refreshingly free from stereotypical '40's "schmaltz."

Despite being a little overlong, MIRACLE OF THE BELLS is a handsome film and one well worth seeing this Christmas season – or any other season, for that matter. I particularly recommend this movie if you happen to be Catholic.

Great performance by Frank Sinatra

[HotToastyRag · 6/10 · 14 September 2017]

I'm beginning to think that having voice-over narration about a romance gone wrong is in Fred MacMurray's contract. In The Miracle of the Bells, he travels to a small town to plan a woman's funeral. Who is the woman and why would she want to be buried there? Cue the voice over and concurrent flashback. A couple of years back, Fred, a successful press agent, saw a chorus girl in a dancing show and helped her get ahead in her career. They fell in love, but he never told her how he felt, and now that she's dead, he wants to honor her last wishes and see her buried in her hometown.

Fred does a good job, but this is a role we've seen him in before and will see him in again. However, compared to Valli, the female lead, he deserves an Oscar. The weakest part of the movie is Valli, whose Italian accent hardly comes across as Polish, as the script calls for. She's not pretty enough to turn Fred's head, and when he meets her, she's shown to be the worst dancer in the lineup. If not entranced by her beauty or talent, what is the press agent fighting for? The script, and subsequent casting, doesn't give the audience any believable reason why Fred is so enamored with her that he goes through all the trouble of the film's plot.

The performance that does deserve recognition is Frank Sinatra's. He plays a priest who aides Fred in arrangements for Valli's funeral. Given all we know about Frank Sinatra's personal life, it would hardly be surprising if he didn't seem very priestly. I've never seen such a convincing, realistic portrayal of a priest. Yes, no one can compare to Richard Chamberlain in The Thorn Birds, but he played a conflicted priest. Frank Sinatra's character isn't written to be conflicted or distracted by a problem. He's a priest, as we all imagine them to be. It's an indescribable quality, but he truly comes across as a man of the cloth, completely devoted to God, truth, and love.

The real miracle is anyone went to see this.

[MOscarbradley · 4/10 · 19 May 2019]

Hollywood piety; the worst kind. Russell Janney's novel "The Miracle of the Bells" was a big bestseller but this screen version came out of RKO, a studio not famed for their blockbusters and the director was Irving Pichel who was hardly a name to conjure with. It might have launched Alida Valli as a major star had it been more successful. She plays a young actress cast as Joan of Arc, who dies of TB the day after the picture is completed. Fred MacMurray is the press agent who loved her and who brings her body back home for burial while a highly unlikely Frank Sinatra is cast as a poverty row priest.

The title really gives the game away; you see, Valli isn't just playing a fine actress but a deeply religious one as well and it's hardly a mere coincidence that her only film role was playing a saint while MacMurray's idea to have all the local church bells ring continuously for three days and nights is both a tribute and a marketing ploy and if there's anything good about the present picture it's MacMurray who rises above the cloying sentimentality, proving once again he was one of the most underrated actors in movies. Valli looks beautiful but is defeated by the material. The real miracle is that the book sold and the movie found some kind of audience.

When all you need is a Miracle

[tanysare · 23 December 2003]

I discovered this movie about ten years ago, on TV. The next day, a co-worker asked if I had watched it; I said yes, and we both agreed we had been moved by it. For my co-worker, this was not surprising; she was a Catholic. But for me, a Jewish semi-secular humanist, it was odd to admit I had felt something close to faith because of a late-40s studio picture. The message of "The Miracle of the Bells" is that regardless of one's faith, there is the possibility of hope. The goodness that exists in human beings is not brought out by rigid observance to rules, but by acts of kindness and understanding. I don't want to say how this comes about or whether there really is a miracle in the Biblical sense. That is for viewers to find out. But the film brings tears to my eyes. Alida Valli is amazing-watch her face, her eyes, especially in the sequences where she plays Joan of Arc-she seems lit from within by faith. I love the scene in the Chinese restaurant, a scene of friendship and love. I wish this movie, like its heroine, was more well-known. I try to help it along by mentioning it whenever I can as one of those little gems, a quiet picture that may make you think, a nice example of Hollywood fantasy films of the 1940s, and a movie that will help you feel better if you feel down.I know I just rented it for that reason.

A little disappointing

[Catharina_Sweden · 6/10 · 8 February 2015]

I think this movie was a little of a disappointment, because I had expected much more. I love movies about the Catholic faith, Catholic priests, mysteries and miracles - and the posters and PR for this movie promised just this.

Instead the movie turned out - not bad, but not great either. A bit lame. Frank Sinatra as the Priest was not in it that much - he was only a supporting actor. And he is not at all to compare with Bing Crosby as the charming, likable and charismatic Father O'Malley - which I believe Hollywood wanted us to believe in its advertisements... I think it was also probably a mistake to show Frank Sinatra directly beside the tall and stately Fred MacMurray, because it made Sinatra at 170 cm:s look so insignificant. As singing is Sinatra's main ability, it was also a pity that he sung only one short song (and it was not one of his best singing performances either).

Furthermore, I think something in the pacing and planning of the movie was wrong. It sprawls into too many directions - one does not know what is the main subject of it. It ought to have been shorter, and more straightened up and to the point.

...but despite of its faults, this movie is still watchable, and quite fine and moving at times!

The Miracle of the Bells

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 5 January 2023]

This is actually quite an uplifting tale of an actress (Alida Valli) who wants to be buried back in her home town. Snag is, her one and only film is considered a bit of a stinker by the producer (Lee J. Cobb) and so when she dies the day after it's completion, a well-meaning Hollywood press man (Fred MacMurray) has to resort to creating a bit of a public interest storm to facilitate her last wish. To that end, he manages to convince local priest (Frank Sinatra) to let the body lie in his church and for the bells to ring for three days... It's told cleverly, partially using flashback, in a gently paced manner that does demonstrate some of the finer aspects of humanity countered by some of the less kind ones. Unfortunately, it does tend to over-correlate the better aspects of the story with the church a bit too much; not exactly a religious white-wash, but certainly a little naively simplistic when it comes to the characteristics of the benign journalist against the evil, malevolent producer. On the face of it, it is quite a fun film with a good performance from MacMurray and a slightly implausibly saintly Sinatra; but just a touch too sugary for me...

****

[edwagreen · 10/10 · 26 December 2015]

It has all the ingredients of a "Going My Way," or "It's A Wonderful Life."

Wonderful Fred MacMurray stars as a Hollywood press agent who is smitten by Olga, played by Valli. Notice that when Valli spoke, she sounded just like Ingrid Bergman.

In a total change of pace, Frank Sinatra plays a soft-spoken priest in the film from a poor parish. Also subdued, is the fine actor Lee J. Cobb, always rather loud in the film. He plays a movie producer caught up by what has happened.

Olga dies at the completion of her first and only film and when MacMurray fulfills her wishes and brings her back to her home town, the film breaks out with the usual themes of poverty and reverence to the Lord.

The Olga character also reminds me of the film, "The Song of Bernadette."

A film of human values, reverence, simplicity, kindness and what we're all supposed to be made up of as we practice humanity and devotion to the Lord and to others.

Strange movie, I neither enjoyed it nor hated it.

[BrandoOnTheWaterfront · 6/10 · 11 August 2021]

I can't quite put my finger on what I thought of "The Miracle of the Bells". I'm not sure what I liked and didn't like. It was neither terrible nor extraordinary. However you look at it, it's not a glowing endorsement.

The movie tells the story of Olga (Valli), an aspiring movie star who gets her first and only starring role as Joan of Arc before succumbing to tuberculosis before the movie is released. With the help of press agent Bill (MacMurray) and Father Paul (Sinatra), the pair conjure up a plan to ring the church bells in Olga's hometown for three days and three nights, as the studio hesitates to release the movie.

The movie is amazingly miscast with the three stars unconvincing in their roles. I found Sinatra's portrayal of the noble, do-good small-town priest hysterical and quite bizarre - possibly a reputation restoration exercise by the studio? Like his role in "High Society", Sinatra would have been best suited to the role of the cunning press agent with the plain and modest MacMurray as Father Paul. I also felt Valli was out her depth. If you're going to have an actress playing an actress playing Joan of Arc, you need someone with real star power who can command the screen. Hedy Lamarr, Olivia de Havilland, or Deborah Kerr would have been better cast.

I found the parallels of the showbiz and religious worlds quite confusing, too. Does the Heavenly Father really want to grant a miracle to draw national attention to a fallen actress and help a Hollywood studio promote its production of the year? Come on! Shockingly, the story is not a souped-up Hollywood original, it's actually based on the 1946 novel of the same name by Russell Janney. The movie is a Hollywood vanity project of the highest order - not one I'd watch again.

Alida Valli gets the opportunity to play Joan of Arc with unexpected consequences.

[clanciai · 10/10 · 6 August 2015]

This is an impressing story that gets constantly more interesting as it develops. It starts in mild sadness as Fred McMurray comes to a rather sordid and backward Coal Town with a coffin in order to bury it there, as that apparently was the last wish of the deceased. In flashbacks her story is gradually revealed, and as the tragedy unfolds of a film star who got the chance of her life to make Joan of Arc to only die for it, the additional plots start to gather, involving tremendous complications piling up at Coal Town, where Frank Sinatra as a poorer parish priest gradually starts to play a part - he even gets the opportunity to sing a song. Well, the plot thickens and gathers momentum and grows to affect the whole of the United States, as also Lee J. Cobb as Fred's producer reluctantly is involved.

The amazing phenomenon of the film is how it gradually develops into something of a cathedral in structure involving many people and many plots and subplots, and there is no surprise anywhere, not even any real miracle, everything is logic and natural and can be explained, as even Frank Sinatra honestly enough stands up to the naked truth, and still there is something of a miracle about it all, as all these people without any intention of their own get included in the fabric of destiny as it weaves its web around them all, finally even bringing Lee J. Cobb to his knees.

It's an amazing film and story in all its simplicity and very touching basic humanity - the scene in the Chinese restaurant is my favorite and a marvel of humanity in itself. This is no legend, and there is nothing supernatural about anything here, but it's simply a very human story presenting the magic of life as it could happen anywhere and fill everyone with wonder in the pure incredibility of reality. This is a film to discover, enjoy - and love.

Oh baby, baby...it's a religious fiasco for MacMurray and Sinatra

[moonspinner55 · 1/10 · 31 December 2015]

Hollywood press agent escorts the deceased body of an actress--a girl he mentored and fell in love with--back to her hometown for burial. Flashback-heavy bummer from RKO has not a shred of show business savvy; it's a mock-up of Hollywood lives, ladled with unconvincing sentiment that might have worked had the filmmakers been a little shrewd. Instead, it's too square, with Alida Valli practically fogging up the camera portraying the Polish-American actress practically born to play Joan of Arc (!). Fred MacMurray, his pained, hangdog face constantly foisted upon us in close-up, is colorless, but thank the heavens we have Father Frank Sinatra around for a little sidewise humor. One can almost detect the wink in Sinatra's portrayal of Father Paul, but MacMurray doesn't have the good sense to lighten the load with a shrug--he's too determined to be a typical movie star clod, one with glycerine in his eyes. NO STARS from ****

Inspirational!

[psychrn7n · 10/10 · 13 December 2011]

A wonderful movie. Should be seen by all who seek inspiration. Alida Valley should have been nominated for an Academy Award. Fred Mac Murray and Frank Sinatra were wonderful. I didn't know that Sinatra acted when he was so young. I found it interesting how he was dwarfed by the size of Fred Mac Murray. I saw the colorized version, which was very nice. The photography was enchanting. After you watch it, read the Wikipedia article on Joan of Arc. A true saint. I have seen a recent movie about Joan of Arc and enjoyed it also. Movies can be very inspirational, especially when people are going through hard times. I would love to see more categorized that way.

Coal Miner's Daughter

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 28 December 2015]

Lovelorn press agent Fred MacMurray (as William "Bill" Dunnigan) accompanies the body of Hollywood movie star Alida Valli (as Olga Trocki) to her hometown of Coaltown, Pennsylvania. The exotically beautiful Polish stage actress filmed only the spectacular "Joan of Arc" before expiring from tuberculosis. Valli had specific requests for her funeral, but Mr. MacMurray finds it difficult to make the arrangements. While he is trying, MacMurray has a series of flashbacks which detail the actress' short career. Oddly, Valli is no stand-out when we meet her in a chorus line. She wears heavy black pants while the other dancing girls look sexy kicking up their heels in short-shorts. Valli, we're told, as two left feet...

A temperamental star gives producer Lee J. Cobb (as Marcus Harris) a hard time, which gives stand-in Valli her big break. Everyone is stunned by the unknown's perfect performance as "Joan of Arc". MacMurray is in love, but tragedy waits in the wings...

In the present, MacMurray gets sympathy and religions counsel from singing priest Frank Sinatra (as Father Paul). After an initial creepiness, Father Sinatra becomes tolerable. Still, his line delivery is ripe with aimless lethargy. You wouldn't want your children left alone with him. Valli is Garbo-like, but doesn't reach the tortured eroticism of the great tragediennes. Granted, approaching both Garbo's "Camille" and Falconetti's "Joan" is an acting feat that may never be achieved. MacMurray is undistinguished, but director Irving Pichel gets him to shine in a couple of instances; the introductory train station scene is nicely staged, and MacMurray emotes very well after Valli dies. The production looks nice in black-and-white.

***** The Miracle of the Bells (1948-03-16) Irving Pichel ~ Fred MacMurray, Alida Valli, Frank Sinatra, Lee J. Cobb

Quite good,highly recommended!

[shelly · 9/10 · 13 September 2002]

Considered a box office dud and much maligned over the years, this is quite an entertaining film about the movies, religion, love and lots of other things! The entire cast is superb, even Sinatra in a very sweet role as a priest. I wonder why Valli didn't become a bigger star! Maybe she was too similar to Ingrid Bergman with not quite enough charisma. She's quite good in this and it's a far cry from her work in Dario Argento's Suspiria! All in all, a fine film!

Worth Seeing

[Christmas-Reviewer · 8/10 · 15 October 2017]

BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION & THAT IS WHAT IS GOING ON HERE FOR THIS FILM! NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 Christmas MOVIES. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM FARE

In this film a publicity man is escorting a woman body back to her hometown. In flashbacks we see who this woman was. In a nutshell she is an actress who just finished her 1st starring role. The day after the film is completed she passes away. The man escorting her body however is very sad. See not only did he never tell her how he felt about her he found out the studio is going to not release film. They are going to remake it.

The film today is dated. Most people will get hired of hearing Fred MacMurray ending almost every sentence with "Baby". Putting that aside the film is still very good. It is a winner!