A Man Called Peter

[stuart.uk]

Spoiler

A Man Called Peter is a wonderful quiet movie, about the Scot's born Peter Marshall (Richard Todd), who sails to America, does several manual jobs before getting exepted into college to study for the Ministry. Earlier in the film, Marshall, having failed his studies, walked dejected onto a Scottish hillside, when he nearly fell of a cliff. It was then God called him to go to America and become a Minister.

Marshal, became a renowned speaker from the pulpit, with loud speakers needed for the folk outside the churches where he preached to hear him. He fell in love and married Catherine Wood(Jean Peters) just before a calling to a church in Washington, where his Liberal idea of worship upset one of the older, but respected women in his fellowship. However, even she came to respect him in the end.

Sadly not long after Catherine won a long battle against TB, Peter is struck down by an illness that nearly killed him. Defiant he disobeyed his Doctor's orders and returned to work far to early. This probably led to his early death at a tragically young age.

I think there was some dramtic license in the film. For example in reality I think I'm right in saying Peter Marshal was twice Chaplin to the U.S Senete, whereas in the film he appears to only have been there a brief while, not long after is initial illness, then to his death. I liked the fact in the film that Peter, despite the heights that he reached in the Ministry and the fact he became an American Citizen, he didn't seem to lose his working class Scottish roots.

For myself I would have liked to have seen a sequel to ACP, because Catherine appears to have had an interesting life after Peter's death. While honoring her husband's memory, by writing books about him (incuding A Man Called Peter) and his sermons, not to mention her own fictional works, she found the time to get married again. Jean Peters was well capable of playing the featured role in a movie.

[moira finnie]

HI Stuart,
I think that Richard Todd had a particular gift for playing individuals who have a certain awkwardness, but who also have a strong drive toward their own private goal and are able to express it with some effort and ultimate grace. In the case of Peter Marshall's ministry this role fit him like a glove.Todd's good acting and his conviction as the Presbyterian minister who tried to live his belief in Christian values, sometimes shocking his more staid congregants in Washington D.C. is a marvel. His portrayal of Marshall transcends the cornball limitations of most biopics as he carries the film along, never allowing his characterization to become sanctimonious but remaining lively and human as well as spiritually insightful.

My favorite moment in the film is the sermon delivered to the naval cadets at Annapolis on Dec. 7, 1941, touching on the nature of death and trying to expand our understanding of it. Marshall tells the story about the dying boy and the mother describing what is ahead to her son as "just waking up one morning to find ourselves in another room," which is so powerful. The words of that sermon are magnificent, but without Todd's great acting I'm not sure if it would have had the same impact. If anyone wants to see this movie, it is on youtube here (with Romanian subtitles, but it is still a beautiful print). You can see the scene I mentioned beginning at 1:03:30 in that video.

As much as I liked Todd's performance (and that wonderful Scottish burr) in this movie, the portrayal of Catherine Marshall by Jean Peters (who can be very good in other movies) and her narration of the film was enervated to an extreme. When her character gave an excruciating speech about a woman's role in marriage before an audience of hedonistic college students I felt pretty awkward myself. I realize that it probably reflected the sincere beliefs of many people at the time, but that was torture to hear an intelligent woman speak those words.

I think you are correct about Peter Marshall's presence in Washington. One of the things I enjoyed most in this movie were the scenes shot on location in some of the most beautiful and historic spots in the Washington area, including scenes set at The Church of the Presidents, The Lincoln Memorial and nearby Annapolis.

Just in case others may have missed it, Richard Todd was the subject of an earlier thread found here:

http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/vie ... =28&t=1563

[stuart.uk]

Miora

I agree that the Jean Peter's speech was uncomfortable, but it probably reflected as you hinted, that it might have been the attitude of some young Christian women of that period. Though I think that attitude was the same among young Christian women as late as the 1960s