Come to the Stable (1949)
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Come to the Stable Movie Review
Come to the Stable is a 1949 comedy drama film directed by Henry Koster and starring Loretta Young and Celeste Holm in the main roles. It’s a solidly charming, but slight flick.
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“It isn’t hard to relinquish a dream if it’s God’s will“
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Two French nuns come to a New England town to build a hospital for children. They are assisted by an aspiring painter and other folks from the town. This is a film that was very similar to the previous 40s pictures about nuns and priests, in particular ‘Going My Way’ and its immediate sequel. Thus, it felt rather familiar and uninspired.
Still, I actually really enjoyed this sweet tale of nunnery. The movie is all about their work helping the town and its residents. But it also shows a clash of their way of life with modernism and how it depicts that is in a comedic way. This may not appeal to everyone, but I prefer the lighter take on these religious stories at times as not all of them have to be serious and dignified.
Come to the Stable benefits from a lovely presence from both Loretta Young and Celeste Holm. The latter was a better actress, so she was more competent in her role, but Young was also serviceable and their interactions were a delight. Elsa Lanchester was solid in a smaller role while the men in the picture got the shorter end of the stick in terms of screen time.
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This movie is well made overall, but hardly great or artistic at anything that it did. The directing is especially mediocre. The comedic tone worked and the movie is charming and endearing throughout, but it’s also not essential to see in spite of its seven Academy Award nominations. Yes, it somehow got that many Oscar noms and it did not deserve to get any of them.
Come to the Stable is a solid, charming movie about nuns that is more lightweight and comedic than serious and dignified in its approach, which was done for the better. It’s well acted and made overall while wearing a big heart on its sleeves, but it’s also slim in its plot, weak in direction and lacking any truly memorable thematic or technical aspects.
My Rating – 3.5
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