The reason this is 'underrated' or 'often ignored' is that it's a poor film. It's awash with some great Brit actors putting in a shift, and it's heart-warming to see them, but it's a very threadbare plot that looks hastily put together despite its GK Chesterton provenance (there are departures from the book). Despite the cast, and despite the occasional excellent nuggets of scriptwriting, this is far from being a glowing example of the film-makers' art circa 1954. It has the feel of a film made 20 years earlier.
I can generally grit my teeth and tolerate one deus ex machina, but it's hard to swallow a succession of them being trotted across the screen just to make the 'plot' keep going... or even happen at all. That priceless St Augustine cross hanging up unsecured in Father Brown's church, nicely-sized to be tucked under your coat; well, rather than wait for it to be closely guarded by the authorities on a journey, why doesn't daring international thief and master of disguise* Flambeau just stroll into the church and take it anytime there's no one around - which, being a church, is virtually all the time? And those amateur-hour 'fight' scenes, the ones that look like they just thought to do them, there and then, without rehearsal (and without actors who can do fights)... dear oh dear. And so on.
Alec Guinness's acting career is justly revered, but I'm always vaguely surprised that at sometime no one ever thought to take him aside and whisper in his ear about giving his 'meek and mild, my-thoughts-are-elsewhere' schtick a rest. They obviously didn't, because there's lots of it on show here from beginning to end.
Yes, I know there are plenty of 1940s, 1950s films that are a bit clunky to our modern sensibilities, balanced by some cracking good ones that still outstrip films produced today, but Father Brown, Detective (UK) / The Detective (USA) really is not worth spending your hard-earned cash on. Watch it on late night telly. Think: "Father Brown: the Boy Scouts' Film Maker's Badge cut".
So this is for completists only... especially if you need to complete your Joan Greenwood collection (and who doesn't?).
* A mastery not apparent in this film.
I can generally grit my teeth and tolerate one deus ex machina, but it's hard to swallow a succession of them being trotted across the screen just to make the 'plot' keep going... or even happen at all. That priceless St Augustine cross hanging up unsecured in Father Brown's church, nicely-sized to be tucked under your coat; well, rather than wait for it to be closely guarded by the authorities on a journey, why doesn't daring international thief and master of disguise* Flambeau just stroll into the church and take it anytime there's no one around - which, being a church, is virtually all the time? And those amateur-hour 'fight' scenes, the ones that look like they just thought to do them, there and then, without rehearsal (and without actors who can do fights)... dear oh dear. And so on.
Alec Guinness's acting career is justly revered, but I'm always vaguely surprised that at sometime no one ever thought to take him aside and whisper in his ear about giving his 'meek and mild, my-thoughts-are-elsewhere' schtick a rest. They obviously didn't, because there's lots of it on show here from beginning to end.
Yes, I know there are plenty of 1940s, 1950s films that are a bit clunky to our modern sensibilities, balanced by some cracking good ones that still outstrip films produced today, but Father Brown, Detective (UK) / The Detective (USA) really is not worth spending your hard-earned cash on. Watch it on late night telly. Think: "Father Brown: the Boy Scouts' Film Maker's Badge cut".
So this is for completists only... especially if you need to complete your Joan Greenwood collection (and who doesn't?).
* A mastery not apparent in this film.