The Keys of the Kingdom

"THE PICTURE THAT TOUCHES NEW HEIGHTS OF EMOTION"

1944 2h 17m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 55

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young priest, Father Chisholm is sent to China to establish a Catholic parish among the non-Christian Chinese. While his boyhood friend, also a priest, flourishes in his calling as a priest in a more Christian area of the world, Father Chisholm struggles. He encounters hostility, isolation, disease, poverty and a variety of set backs which humble him, but make him more determined than ever to succeed.

“THE PICTURE THAT TOUCHES NEW HEIGHTS OF EMOTION”

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Cast

Gregory Peck
Fr. Francis Chisholm
Thomas Mitchell
Willie Tulloch
Vincent Price
Angus Mealey
Rose Stradner
Reverend Mother Maria-Veronica
Roddy McDowall
Francis Chisholm, as a boy
Edmund Gwenn
Fr. Hamish MacNabb
Cedric Hardwicke
Monsignor at Tweedside
Peggy Ann Garner
Nora as a Girl

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John M. Stahl
Writers: Nunnally Johnson, Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 80% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

82 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John M. Stahl, shot by Arthur C. Miller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor James B. Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gregory Peck and Thomas Mitchell and Vincent Price carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John M. Stahl directs. Arthur C. Miller behind the camera. Alfred Newman scores. James B. Clark cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Mandarin, Cantonese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 80% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
382 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, English.
5Directed by John M. Stahl, shot by Arthur C. Miller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor James B. Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Gregory Peck and Thomas Mitchell and Vincent Price carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "THE PICTURE THAT TOUCHES NEW HEIGHTS OF EMOTION".
10IMDB entry: tt0036983 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 55 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Arthur C. Miller
Original score: Alfred Newman
Editing: James B. Clark
Costume design: Bonnie Cashin
Makeup / hair: Guy Pearce
Runtime: 137 min · 2h 17m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $2,400,000
Return: 80% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Keys of the Kingdom (1944)

Also by

John M. Stahl

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-30
★ 7/10
I sometimes wonder whether politics in the 21st century might be a bit more stable around the globe, were we not to have spent much of the last century sending folks like "Father Chisholm" all over the place imposing Christianity on peoples who had got along splendidly for aeons without it... This film depicts one such gentleman - a well meaning Father who struggles to find fulfilment at home in Scotland. His seminarian friend Edmund Gwenn is now the Bishop, and decides he needs a challenge - so he is duly dispatched to China where he is tasked with spreading his faith amongst those in a war-torn province coming to terms with the end of the Ming dynasty and the ascension of the new Republic. Oscar nominated Gregory Peck brings quite a bit of nuance to his role. He arrives to find his mission in ruins and a congregation he could count on one hand. His sense of humanity and his determination to help the poor, sick, and needy attracts the attention of the local mandarin, whose son he helps recover from a life-threatening illness. In return, he is provided with land and builders; builds a new mission and even manages to secure the services of three nuns - the senior of whom he has a bit of a contretemps with before war presents them all with more important issues to deal with... The story is told by way of a retrospective, so we know all along roughly what happens in the end - but Peck along with a solid supporting cast including Thomas Mitchell and Rosa Stradner keep this creatively photographed story engaging for an, admittedly, long 2¼ hours. Keep an eye out for a few short scenes from Vincent Price and a very young Roddy McDowell (just 16) too.

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