The Detective (aka Father Brown) 1954 DVD (Region 1 - Playable in North America - The US, Canada, Mexico, etc.) B&W approx. 90 min. Close-Captioned. Beautifully re-mastered.
Starring: Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Peter Finch, Cecil Parker and Bernard Lee Written by: G.K. Chesterton, Thelma Schnee and Robert Hamer. Directed by Robert Hamer.
Amateur detective Father Ignatius Brown defies his Bishop and decides to transport to Rome a holy relic from his church - a cross that once belonged to St. Augustin. On the channel crossing he becomes suspicious of a fellow traveler, a Mr. Dobson, whom Brown quickly determines is not the automobile salesman he claims to be. Brown befriends another priest, whom he takes into his confidence, but soon realizes that his suspicions may turn out to be wrong. After a professional art thief and expert in disguise absconds with the cross, Brown refuses to work with the police, insisting that he wants to save the man's soul, not put him in prison. With the assistance of his friend Lady Warren, Father Brown sets a trap for the thief - but Brown realizes that his work is only just beginning.
“Of course, Father Brown is a moralist—an essentially sanctimonious type who fancies his skill in crime detection as a way of performing the work of the Lord. He constantly quotes from the Bible and drops little preachments on the side, as he plunges with pietistic fervor into his uncommon and self-ordained sleuth pursuits.” Bosley Crowther – The New York Times
“This is, at all times, a gentle story, leisurely unfolded and always dominated by a masterly performance by Guinness. The near-sighted priest, who learns the secrets of unarmed combat from some of the tougher members of his flock, is admirably brought to life by Guinness. His performance, good though it is, does not overshadow a first-class thesping job by Peter Finch who likes to collect the rare treasures he cannot afford.” Variety