The Keys of the Kingdom (film)

The Keys of the Kingdom
Theatrical film poster
Directed by	John M. Stahl
Produced by	Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Written by	A. J. Cronin (novel) Nunnally Johnson Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Narrated by	Sir Cedric Hardwicke
Starring	Gregory Peck Thomas Mitchell Vincent Price Rose Stradner Edmund Gwenn Benson Fong Roddy McDowall Sir Cedric Hardwicke
Music by	Alfred Newman
Cinematography	Arthur C. Miller
Editing by	James B. Clark
Distributed by	Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Release date(s)	December 15, 1944 (1944-12-15)
Running time	136 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3 million

The Keys of the Kingdom is a 1944 American film based on the 1941 novel, The Keys of the Kingdom, by A. J. Cronin. The movie was adapted by Nunnally Johnson, directed by John M. Stahl and produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It stars Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Rose Stradner, Edmund Gwenn, Benson Fong, Roddy McDowall, and Sir Cedric Hardwicke.

Plot summary

This is the 136-minute chronicle of a Scottish priest (Peck), who is assigned a mission in China, the story spanning sixty years from 1878 to 1938.

Cast

• Gregory Peck as Father Francis Chisholm
• Thomas Mitchell as Dr. Willie Tulloch
• Vincent Price as Anselm "Angus" Mealey
• Rose Stradner as Reverend Mother Maria-Veronica
• Roddy McDowall as Francis Chisholm, as a boy
• Edmund Gwenn as Reverend Hamish MacNa'b
• Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Monsignor Sleeth at Tweedside
• Dennis Hoey as Alec Chisholm, Francis' father
• Ruth Nelson as Lisbeth Chisholm, Francis' mother
• Edith Barrett as Aunt Polly Bannon
• Peggy Ann Garner as Nora, as a girl
• Jane Ball as Nora, as an adult
• James Gleason as Rev. Dr. Wilbur Fiske
• Anne Revere as Agnes Fiske
• Benson Fong as Joseph
• Leonard Strong as Mr. Chia
• Philip Ahn as Mr. Pao, envoy for Mr. Chia
• Arthur Shields as Father Tarrant, at Holywell
• Sara Allgood as Sister Martha
• Ruth Ford as Sister Clotilde
• Richard Loo as Major Shen
• H.T. Hsiang as Hossanah Wang
• Si-Lan Chen as Philomena Wang
• Eunice Soo-Hoo as Anna, as a toddler

Production

Alfred Hitchcock, a Catholic, liked the novel very much and hoped to direct it, but the plans fell through. Actors considered for the role of Father Chisholm included Spencer Tracy, Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Gene Kelly, and Henry Fonda. Ingrid Bergman was considered for the part of Mother Maria-Veronica, though Rose Stradner, the wife of producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz, was cast instead.

Awards

The film was nominated for Academy Awards in the following categories:

• Best Actor in a Leading Role (Gregory Peck)
• Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White (James Basevi, William S. Darling, Thomas Little, and Frank E. Hughes)
• Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Arthur C. Miller)
• Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Alfred Newman)

Music

Alfred Newman incorporated Irish and Chinese elements into the score. The beautiful theme at the heart of the track, "The Hill of the Brilliant Green Jade", is associated with a Chinese nobleman who befriends Father Chisholm after he has saved his son’s life. Newman later reused the melody in his Oscar-winning score for the 1955 film Love is a Many-Splendored Thing. Richard Rodgers lifted the tune for the song “I Have Dreamed” in the 1951 musical The King and I.

Adaptations to Other Media

The Keys of the Kingdom was adapted as a radio play on the November 19, 1945 episode of Lux Radio Theater featuring Ronald Colman and Ann Harding. It was also adapted on the August 21, 1946 episode of Academy Award Theater with Gregory Peck reprising his leading role.

External links

• The Keys of the Kingdom at the American Film Institute Catalog
• The Keys of the Kingdom at the Internet Movie Database
• The Keys of the Kingdom at the TCM Movie Database
• The Keys of the Kingdom film synopsis at Crazy for Cinema
• The Keys of the Kingdom film review at Variety