The Keys of the Kingdom (film)

The Keys of the Kingdom
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. 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.

Plot summary

Spanish movie poster

Cast

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

• Film clips
• Film synopsis and images
• Fox Studio Classics
• The Keys of the Kingdom at Turner Classic Movies
• TCM article
• Variety review
• New York Times overview
• The Keys of the Kingdom at the Internet Movie Database
• The Keys of the Kingdom (film) at AllRovi

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