The Keys of the Kingdom

Description
A marvelous spectacle spanning six decades and two continents, The Keys of the Kingdom is the glorious epic that introduced audiences to screen newcomer Gregory Peck.

After losing his parents and his childhood sweetheart to tragedy, Francis Chisholm (Peck) joins the priesthood and devotes himself to a life of service and compassion. But Chisholm?s unorthodox beliefs raise eyebrows among his superiors, especially Bishop Angus Mealy (Vincent Price). And when he is sent to the farthest reaches of China to rebuild an abandoned mission, Chisholm faces his greatest challenge of all: to tame a hostile land, win over a superstitious people and save his parish from an invading army. Nominated* for four Academy Awards®, including Best Actor (Peck), The Keys of the Kingdom is a ?towering film stamped with greatness? (The Independent).

Not real happy
I suppose it was my error in judgement but my thinking I was going to get a widescreen presentation of this move. The movie was excellent but it was full screen and I really like lbx movies and have seen this one on tv in lbx and just assumed, which I know you aren't supposed to do, it would be lbx since it was a dvd.

"Keys" not Peck's best, but the story carries him anyway.
It is obvious that this is Gregory Peck's first film, in that he does not yet have that air that the great actors have. To see him at his best, check out his scene with the Town Judge as he accepts the job as defense attorney, Atticus Finch, in "To Kill a Mockingbird."

A lot of the Roman Catholic religion is toned down in this piece for the sake of palatability. Having done so, the movie makers have made a touching human drama out of missionary work in the Far East. It deals with some of the cultural differences from an ignorant 1950's Western point of view, but somehow this does not end up spoiling the film.

In the end, the shortcomings of the church are not glossed over, while the good actions of good men within the obviously flawed institution are highlighted to good effect. It is a story of Godly love overcoming all weaknesses in the heart of a "failure" of the priesthood. While others within the church go on to personal fame and glory--like his close boyhood friend, played by Vincent Price--our hero soldiers on in anonymity where the "missionary rubber meets the road", so to speak.

Overall, this movie does not deny the shortcomings of many in the church, while simultaneously revealing the work of those who do Christ proud. This is a must-see for missionaries of all denominations. Four Stars.

For all those who love tear-jerker movies, my wife rates this as a "one-cry" movie.

'Keys' to Inspiration
Truly inspiring, the film's merits are mostly propelled by an early and acclaimed performance by Gregory Peck who plays a hapless Scottish priest going to China as a missionary. Facing scorn, revolution, and poverty, Fr. Francis Chisholm leads his new flock by gentle wisdom and perseverence. Overlong even with some heartwarming and important episodic developments, the film remains a substantative viewing experience. (Includes Vincent Price and a young Roddy McDowell as the boy Francis Chisholm. Also a winner of several Oscars and nominations.)

Wishing
Gregory Peck, the supposedly inept priest becomes the kindly Christ-like spiritual shepherd to a group of Chinese peasants and is finally recognized for what he is in the last reel. It's a familiar formula, one Ingrid Bergman did with a larger screen, and color to boot, in "Inn of the Sixth Happiness." They are wholesome, they are touching, they even bring a tear to the eye. But unfortunately they are so predictable. Hollywood has always gone for the wholesome and the touching and the spiritually uplifting, knowing perhaps that audiences wouldn't buy any other product. I, for one, would like to see a little more tension in the story, a little more ambiguity, a priest who isn't quite so sure of himself, a congregation that maintains a healthy skepticism about its shepherd, even as it hungers for the real article so rarely encountered, and too often punished and destroyed when discovered. I remember one such film: Humphrey Bogart playing a bogus priest on the lam in China, forced to enact the real thing in spite of himself. "The Left Hand of God" peaked my curiosity and left an impression. But that was so many years ago, memory may be deceiving me. I just wish it was available on DVD for me to see again. It may be no better than the rest, but it's nice to think about the possibility.

Meanwhile, if you like wholesome and uplifting and the story of a good man who manages not only to stay good but helps a whole bunch of people who obviously need helping, "The Keys of the Kingdom" is a safe bet. You'll like it. I did. But I still wish.....

The Scarlet and the Black

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness

The Cardinal

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