Based on the true story of a young Scottish lad, Peter Marshall, who dreams of only going to sea but finds out there is a different future for him when he receives a "calling" from God to be a minister. He leaves Scotland and goes to America where after a few small congregations he lands the position of pastor of the Church of the Presidents in Washington, D.C. and eventually he becomes Chaplain of the U.S. Senate.
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As a biographical film, the viewer is called upon to consider their faith, their relationship with Jesus, and whom they choose to worship. Peter Marshall denied his will to be a captain at Sea to follow the will of God. Within 10 years of following His lead, God groomed Peter to play a significant and important role in a prim New York society and eventually in the Senate. Hollywood produced this film with full sermons which were needed in 1955, a time when Hollywood was under investigation for communism. The message contained in this rare film remains relevant as our current Senate and the intentions of our countries leaders are called into question. Praise God for His wisdom by enabling the voice of Peter Marshall to live on.
Richard Todd is "A Man Called Peter," a 1955 film directed by Henry Koster and also starring Jean Peters. It's the story of minister Peter Marshall, who twice served as Chaplain to the U.S. Senate and was known for his sermons.I imagine some of these events took a little longer than is shown in the film, although it can't have been much longer because Todd died in 1949, at the age of 47. The film starts in the 1920a. He sure crammed in a lot. "A Man Called Peter" tries to hit the high points, showing his childhood in Scotland and love of the sea, a dramatic calling to the ministry, his first church in Georgia, meeting his wife Catherine (Peters), and the ministry in his church in Washington, D.C., which led to his fame. I'm not sure how much dramatic license was taken, but Marshall's story plays out very effectively.Jean Peters does a lovely job as Catherine, who also narrates the film. The linchpin, of course, is Richard Todd as Marshall, and he's absolutely wonderful, certainly worthy of greater Hollywood stardom than he had. He should have been right up there with Richard Burton. He gives a powerful, utterly believable performance, never putting on airs as a holy man but giving us a real human being. Sadly, Marshall's son, who also became a minister, died just this year at age 68 (if indeed he was born on the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor), and Marshall's wife Catherine passed away in 1983. The film is based on her book of the same name.I saw this film when I was in grammar school, I guess, so it was 50 years ago or more, and the only scene I remembered was the very last one. I don't know if I appreciated its spiritual message as much as I do now. This is a film not for people of any particular religion, but for people who consider themselves spiritual. I will only say that Henry Koster overdid it a little on the establishing shots, though I'm sure that since the film is in color, he wanted to show the lovely scenery. This isn't the kind of film that's being made any longer. There are films made with spiritual messages, but they're not done like this. "A Man Called Peter" is an old-fashioned Hollywood family movie, but its message is timeless.
Some of the reviewers here say it's a film made by Christians for Christians . This is entirely true . It follows the life of Scottish born preacher Peter Marshall who emigrates from Coatbridge to America and eventually becomes Chaplain of the US Senate . That's the story and in order to pad out the run time we're many , many sermons from Marshall . Apparently the screenplay is adapted from the biography written by Marshall's wife Catherine . Knowing this you become reminded of the quote from the avowed atheist George Orwell - and forgive me for paraphrasing - that " An ( Auto) biography is only worth reading if it contains something disgraceful " and unfortunately there's nothing disgraceful at all . In fact I doubt if I've never seen anything so inoffensive in the history of cinema which while it's not necessarily a criticism in itself means there's no dilemmas , no plot and no drama . This won't be the case when we get biopics on obnoxious little bigots like Phelps , Robertson and Falwell no matter how biased a picture is painted of them This goes to show that it's a waste of time making books and movies on nice guys . There were a couple of things that peaked my interest . I guess the reason I watched is down to there being an empathy for someone from Scotland even if we have totally contradictory views on religion . It's interesting to note that Marshall , a protestant lived in Coatbridge , a Scottish town with a (in)famous reputation for being devoutly Catholic . It's also interesting that the Scottish characters do not speak with a West of Scotland accent , more of wishy washy fake Highland one . Richard Todd was always good at playing nice guys so he's well cast as Peter Marshall . The stand out achievement of the film however is the cinematography by Harold Lipstein . which is gloriously rich and held my interest in a film where nothing really happens
IMO, there may be some very small spoilers."A Man Called Peter" (1955) was directed by Henry Koster.It is a the biographical story of a young Scotsman who, as a boy, had dreamed of going to sea. Peter Marshall grows up in Scotland. He's called to serve God and comes to America. (Well, that takes care of the sailing life for him.)At his first church he meets Catherine. She's attending school nearby. For her it was love at first sight BUT it takes awhile to get his attention. She wins and they marry. Next, Peter receives the call to the "Church of the Presidents in Washington, D.C. It soon proves difficult for the longtime members of the congregation to get use to this young minister with his own ideas. So, slowly Peter and Catherine must work their way into the hearts of many. As the Reverend Peter Marshall becomes better known, his seriousness about his faith in God and love of fun is contagious to all he meets. This reputation causes the senators of that day to ask him to become the Chaplain of the United States Senate. After prayer, he accepts.Between his church and the Senate, he's extremely busy. The stress doesn't bother him but it weighs on him physically. Is there any place he can cut back in his full, happy life? Does he really want to do so? That's a good question.When Catherine was asked to write the book and help with the movie, she jumped at the idea of introducing Peter to others. She considered her husband a very special man. True. It is my hope that you will both read the book and see the film. Especially if your faith needs an uplift.
