Father Brown (1954)

G.K. Chesteron's priest-detective Father Brown has been a screen mainstay, from 1934's Father Brown, Detective to the current BBC series with Mark Williams. The best-regarded version remains 1954's Father Brown, a loose reworking of Chesteron's story "The Blue Cross." Alec Guinness is perfectly cast as the amateur sleuth, adding charm to a relatively thin caper.

Meek parish priest Father Brown (Alec Guinness) moonlights as an amateur detective. Brown's bishop (Cecil Parker) taps him to transport a holy relic to Rome. Unfortunately he's outwitted by Flambeur (Peter Finch), a French con artist who steals for enjoyment. With help from Ms. Warner (Joan Greenwood) Brown tracks the thief across Europe, ending up at an estate outside Paris. Brown considers Flambeur a lost soul, and hopes to woo him to an honest life.

Father Brown is a slight but enjoyable romp. Director Robert Hamer (Kind Hearts and Coronets) presents the detective's adventures as light comedy, poking playful fun at Brown's stuffy superiors and Bernard Lee's bumbling cop. Brown appears a silly goose but his keen observational skills and understanding of human nature makes him Flambeur's match. Admittedly the film amounts to relatively little: the stakes never advance beyond Brown's wish to convert Flambeur, while supporting characters remain archetypes. Fortunately the ride's fun enough to compensate.

Alec Guinness plays Brown much like Holland from The Lavender Hill Mob, masking a snappy wit behind endearing awkwardness. It's said that this film convinced Guinness to convert to Catholicism. Peter Finch (Sunday, Bloody Sunday) makes a suave adversary, though Joan Greenwood feels wasted. Cecil Parker (The Ladykillers) and Bernard Lee (Last Holiday) feature in supporting roles.

Father Brown is an agreeably frothy concoction, light-hearted but enjoyable. More comic than Chesteron's original character, Alec Guinness's Brown is still fun to watch.