Going My Way** (1944)

This is far from the first Best Picture winner to leave me wondering what the Academy saw in it to make it worthy of its highest award. It features Bing Crosby, one of the hottest entertainers of the time, crooning and meandering his way through a tale of kindness and redemption. Maybe it was the allure of Crosby’s charm. Maybe it was a weak year for films. While Going My Way is not an inferior film by any means, it doesn’t exactly light up the screen these days.

Father Charles O’Malley (Bing Crosby) is assigned to a financially struggling church in New York City. The elder priest of the church, Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald), does not approve of O’Malley’s nonchalant attitude and his lack of strict, conservative Catholicism. Rather than look down upon the sins of others or look the other way for regular mass attendees, O’Malley inserts himself into their lives. By seeking to understand and make a difference, O’Malley shakes the foundation of the parish and the lives of those around him.

This is a nice story about a likeable new guy in town who mixes things up for the better. Most, if not all the supporting characters are enjoyable. What Going My Way lacks is wow factor. It’s a solid little film but it’s also the kind of heart-warming ‘rise-above’ sort of yarn that has become clichéd and predictable. That’s not the fault of anyone involved with this film. Rather, all the half-baked feel-good flicks over the decades have numbed our senses to these kinds of inspiring tales.

Praise is due to Bing Crosby for not being as stiff as some singers-turned-actors have been. Then again, Crosby was more than just a singer- he was an entertainer. He and other crossover artists had more presence and charisma than most of the compartmentalized stars of today. Sure, they made records, but they also performed to smaller audiences, not just stadiums. Stars like Crosby knew how to work a room and that helps when the time comes to work the camera.

The people behind the camera, however, are another story. The director may have won awards, but there isn’t much in the way of visual stimulation to be found here. I counted a number of static shots where the cast has to move about. There are still elements of composition to this set up- people still need to hit their marks and be placed just right- but it’s not as visually interesting to watch people move about without moving with them. It’s old school Hollywood and perhaps I shouldn’t complain, but I’ve seen much more daring directorial decisions in films around and before Going My Way’s release.

This film will probably continue to be known for as long as there are avid admirers of Bing Crosby’s work. Without Crosby front and center (and that Oscar win), this film would have been forgotten about in fairly short order. It’s a charming, nice, safe film that will entertain those of us who enjoy classic cinema, but nothing outside of its casting possesses that legendary quality that demands it be watched.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

The Adventure of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

Maybe Disney and company realized their mistake in producing another multi-feature package film with Melody Time. Maybe the studio had made enough money through the 1940s to stick to longer tales. Maybe they decided it was time to get back to more serious literary adaptations. Whatever the reason for making The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, this film marks the start of Disney’s rise back to the top.

Similar to Fun and Fancy Free, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a collection of two longer animated tales. Ironically, the tale of Mr. Toad (based on Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows) actually comes first. For those of you who are not familiar with the tale, a trio of anthropomorphic animals attempts to save their friend (Mr. Toad) from himself. Ratty, Moley and Angus MacBadger do their best to prevent their trend-happy friend from losing his home while also avoiding incidental personal injury at the hands of the over-exuberant Mr. Toad.

The second half of the film features a Bing Crosby-narrated account of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Washington Irving’s haunting ghost tale focuses on a superstitious town where jealously may or may not have turned deadly. The new schoolmaster catches the eye of a lovely young woman, drawing the ire of a testosterone-fueled local bully at the same time. The bully warns of a local legend called The Headless Horseman, who stalks the town at night, in an attempt to scare his competition out of town.

Once again, by focusing on longer stories, Disney’s animators are able to labor over the details. There’s a richness in the background animation here that was absent in many of the earlier package films. Having a longer subject gives the animator a chance to invest more of his or her time into the product, which ultimately gives the audience a higher quality visual experience to embrace.

Another interesting observation I made is that, with this film, the animation style that would prevail during the 1950s for Disney films is finally consistent through both shorts. Many of the shorts throughout the 40s package films had varying animation styles. Some were more experimental than others while others attempted to cling to the lavish beauty of Snow White and Pinocchio. Here we finally catch a glimpse of what’s to come- scaling back some of the background details, a flatter look to the foreground, and crisper colors for the objects we’re supposed to be focusing on. Some of this was used before like in ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and ‘The Legend of Johnny Appleseed’ but it seems like Disney had finally decided to keep this style as the norm.

The stories themselves are timeless classics and you won’t get any complaints out of me for that. Both tales are treated with respect but also make room for creative license. I think the only thing that feels off is the pairing. The Wind in the Willows is a little lighter and more madcap, whereas The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has a more Gothic feel. Disney does his best to lighten it up but there’s no getting around the horror that is The Headless Horseman.

If anything, this final package film (and the 11th overall production by Disney and his team) feels a little bi-polar. Disney broke them up for individual re-release in the 1950s, which accounts for most people remembering these shorts separately. Whether you care for it or not, this film is a symbolic victory for Disney. He and his animators are planting their feet down in preparation of leaping back to prominence.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5