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The Bells of St. Mary's

Play trailer Poster for The Bells of St. Mary's 1945 2h 6m Holiday Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby) is transferred to the Roman Catholic inner-city school St. Mary's, where he quickly falls into conflict with its headmistress, Sister Mary (Ingrid Bergman). Their primary disagreement has to do with the deteriorating school itself. Father O'Malley feels it should be abandoned and the children sent to other schools. Sister Mary and the other nuns, however, believe there is still hope, possibly in the form of charity from a wealthy business owner (Henry Travers).
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The Bells of St. Mary's

Critics Reviews

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TIME Magazine 12/05/2008
As Sister Benedict, Ingrid Bergman manages to combine beauty, great good humor and saintly dignity even while swinging a baseball bat. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety 07/22/2008
[Bergman's] clashes with Crosby...are moments that will have an audience alternately laughing and sniffling. Go to Full Review Tom Milne Time Out 06/24/2006
Rambling [and] embarrassingly winsome... Go to Full Review Eve Tushnet Patheos 02/28/2020
Unless you like Bing Crosby much more than I do this is just an unnecessary movie. Go to Full Review James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk 12/27/2019
2.5/4
One can see why those who love the film love it to this day and have such warm memories of it, although those approaching it for the first time may wonder what all the fuss is about. Go to Full Review Nathan Rabin The Dissolve 11/19/2013
3.5/5
The same qualities that make The Bells Of St. Mary's quaint are also the qualities that make it, if not great, then at least solidly entertaining. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Michael M. @mike2112 Nov 29 This movie has and always will be one that will always give me hope and love in the human spirit!!! See more Zegota S Dec 14 One of the best Christmas movies, tradition and family values are some of the strongest points. We sadly do not make movies like this anymore, have a great Merry Christmas and a prosperous Happy New Year. God Bless. See more MG_Claymore C 11/11/2024 I recently discovered this film after I converted to Catholicism and its become a tradition for me to watch it every Christmas. Its a classic, good, clean, wholesome fun. Lovely story. See more Thomas D 12/28/2023 I love this movie. Clean wholesome entertainment. If only our entertainment were so today, we'd be a better people. See more Luke M 12/27/2023 I would have been more entertained sitting with my own thoughts. Something about this movie was off maybe the lack of emotion or the forgettable characters. See more S R @ScottR 12/24/2023 Wasn't as good as Going My Way when the story didn't resonate the same. It seemed more contrived as this relationships developed. The music was good, but also forgettable. Saw on TCM. See more Read all reviews
The Bells of St. Mary's

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Cast & Crew

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Leo McCarey

Director

Bing Crosby

Father Chuck O'Malley

Ingrid Bergman

Sister Mary Benedict

Henry Travers

Horace P. Bogardus

William Gargan

Joe Gallagher

Ruth Donnelly

Sister Michael

Movie Clips

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The Bells of St. Mary's

The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - Better Than Breaking Their Hearts The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - Better Than Breaking Their Hearts 2:08 The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - A Special Gift The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - A Special Gift 2:12 The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - Boxing With a Nun The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - Boxing With a Nun 2:09 The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - Aren't You Glad You're You? The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - Aren't You Glad You're You? 2:12 The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - The Bells of St. Mary's The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - The Bells of St. Mary's 2:11 The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - A Fair Fight The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - A Fair Fight 2:13 The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - O Sanctissima The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - O Sanctissima 2:12 The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - It's a Man's World The Bells of St. Mary's: Official Clip - It's a Man's World 2:00 View more videos

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The Bells of St. Mary's

The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby) is transferred to the Roman Catholic inner-city school St. Mary's, where he quickly falls into conflict with its headmistress, Sister Mary (Ingrid Bergman). Their primary disagreement has to do with the deteriorating school itself. Father O'Malley feels it should be abandoned and the children sent to other schools. Sister Mary and the other nuns, however, believe there is still hope, possibly in the form of charity from a wealthy business owner (Henry Travers).
Director
Leo McCarey
Production Co
Rainbow Productions
Genre
Holiday, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 7, 1945, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 9, 2020
Runtime
2h 6m
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