Retrospective Film Review

Going My Way (1944) • 80 Years Later — a classic tale of faith and humanity

When young Father O’Malley arrives at St. Dominic’s, old Father Fitzgibbon doesn’t think much of the church’s newest member.

1944 was a terrific year for cinema. Billy Wilder released his first masterpiece: the neo-noir thriller Double Indemnity (1944), a dark and brooding tale of murder, lust, and betrayal. Howard Hawks also delivered the excellent To Have and Have Not (1944), an adaptation of the novel by his good friend Ernest Hemingway. Otto Preminger directed the criminally underrated Laura (1944), while Vincent Minnelli helmed the superb musical drama Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).

Despite the iconic status these films now hold, none of them won the Academy Award for ‘Best Picture’. That prestigious accolade went to Leo McCarey’s heartwarming tale Going My Way. The narrative follows a young priest, Father Chuck O’Malley (Bing Crosby), who’s assigned to a parish currently led by Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald). The two attempt to improve their neighbourhood and save…