Discussion of "The Keys of the Kingdom"

The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) is an American film based on the novel of the same name by A. J. Cronin. The film was directed by John M. Stahl and produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The film stars Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell, Rose Stradner, Edmund Gwenn, James Gleason, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Anne Revere, and Vincent Price. Others in the cast include Roddy McDowall and Peggy Ann Garner.

The plot focuses on Father Francis, (Peck) an old man, who returns to the parish of his youth. Monsignor Sleeth (Hardwicke) believes that it would be best if he retires, which is not what Father Francis desires. The Monsignor gets ready for bed and notices Father Francis’s journal. He begins to read it and learns all about the elderly priest’s life from his youth until today. He reads of Francis’s work in China and the church and school that he helped establish with the help of three missionary nuns.

As Monsignor Sleeth finishes the journal, he has second thoughts about Father Francis.

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