The Keys of the Kingdom (film)
| The Keys of the Kingdom | |
|---|---|
Theatrical film poster
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| Directed by | John M. Stahl |
| Produced by | Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
| Written by |
Nunnally Johnson Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
| Based on |
The Keys of the Kingdom 1941 novel by A. J. Cronin |
| Starring |
Gregory Peck Thomas Mitchell Vincent Price Rose Stradner Edmund Gwenn Benson Fong Roddy McDowall Sir Cedric Hardwicke |
| Narrated by | Sir Cedric Hardwicke |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
| Cinematography | Arthur C. Miller |
| Edited by | James B. Clark |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation |
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Release date
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December 15, 1944 |
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Running time
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136 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million |
| Box office | $2.4 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 film was adapted by Nunnally Johnson, directed by John M. Stahl, and produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It stars Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell, and Vincent Price, and tells the story of the trials and tribulations of a Catholic priest who goes to China to evangelize.
Father Francis Chisholm (Gregory Peck) is visited in his old age by Monsignor Sleeth (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) at his parish in Tweedside. The Monsignor informs Father Francis that the Bishop thinks it would be better if he retires, as Father Francis' somewhat unorthodox recent teachings have become a distraction. The Monsignor retires to his room in the rectory, and finds Father Francis' diary that recounts his story from 1878. As the Monsignor begins to read the diary, a flashback begins.
One night during his childhood, Francis' father was beaten by an anti-Catholic mob during a rainstorm. As his mother attempts to lead her husband to safety, they both die in a bridge collapse, leaving young Francis an orphan. He is raised by his aunt, and the next we see of Francis, he is leaving for the seminary with his childhood friend, Anselm "Angus" Mealey (Vincent Price). Francis studies at seminary for a year, but is unsure about all of the Church's teachings. He still finds himself in love with Nora, a girl from his home. However, he finds out that after he left, Nora had a child out of wedlock with another man, and she dies before Francis can return to see her. This prompts him to go back to seminary and follow through with his studies, and Francis becomes a priest.
Francis' first two assignments as a priest are unfulfilling to him, so the Bishop asks Francis to be a volunteer missionary to China. Francis readily accepts the position, even though that means it would take him far from home as well as far from Judy, Nora's daughter. Francis arrives in Paitan, Chekhow Province in China to find the mission destroyed by floods, and not rebuilt because the true Christians all left, leaving only those who attended to receive free rice. Because the Church hadn't given the mission money for rice in over a year, "the faith left them when the rice gave out." Francis rents a small room in the city to evangelize, but because he has no money or influence, he is attacked by those same "rice Christians" who were supposed to help him.
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