For about as long as we have been sentient, there have been questions about what happens to us after we die, and whether or not there is an afterlife – and if so, what are the conditions to enter into it? The answer is almost always leading a principled, morally strong life with minimal diversions into the realm of sin or temptation. However, this is not always possible, and we’ve often seen discussions around the fate that befalls those who stray from the path of the righteous. There was a moment in the 1940s when Hollywood started to explore these ideas, with several incredible films produced that centre on the idea of a protagonist dying, and either returning to Earth to advocate for their space in the afterlife or simply reflecting on the years that they were alive, attempting to justify having led a decent, principled life. One of the first of these films was Here Comes Mr. Jordan, which was based on the play by Harry Segall, entitled Heaven Can Wait (which was used for a later film that looked at slightly similar themes, as well as Warren Beatty and Buck Henry’s remake of this film, which retained the original title), and tells the story of a dimwitted but well-meaning young boxer whose soul is prematurely plucked from his body by a particularly incompetent heavenly employee, and who has to return to the earthly realm in the body of a rich businessman, the complete antithesis of everything he aimed to be in his previous incarnation. Directed by Alexander Hall(a very solid and reliable filmmaker), Here Comes Mr. Jordan is an absolute delight, a fresh and invigorating existential comedy that takes a compelling look at the human condition, and delivers a riveting, endearing story that celebrates life and lampoons social conventions, making it one of the most charming and insightful films to ever look at such serious subjects.

Discussing the topic of death is never particularly easy, and it is made even more complicated when the story centres not only on dying but the potential existence of an afterlife. Considering how so much of the film industry has gravitated towards a more secular point of view (which has not nothing to do with trying to be more open-minded, but rather an attempt to make their productions appealing to a much larger group of viewers, many of whom may not appreciate films that foreground a very western, Christian-focused perspective in terms of their stories), it’s not surprising that Here Comes Mr. Jordan was met by some hesitation, both before it went into production and after its release. It evokes a very interesting discussion about whether depictions of religion can exist in a film without it being alienating to those who don’t follow faiths that are aligned with the principles of a particular story. Obviously, audiences are far more intelligent than studios seem to think, and rarely outright reject a work that looks at religion, unless there is a very strong reason (which normally has to do with how heavy-handed the film is regarding its representation of faith), and Here Comes Mr. Jordan is a perfect example of this principle in practice. While it is centred on a Western perspective of religion, it never refers to it by name, and the deity at the heart of the story is always referred to as “Mr. Jordan”, rather than by any of the names respective faiths use to refer to their most divine figures. Hall, as well as writers Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller, did exceptionally well at capturing the spirit of Segall’s original play, but in a way that removed any overwrought commentary, keeping the overt sentimentality as low as possible, while still offering an abundance of interesting comments along the way that keep it buoyant and fascinating, and rooted in a very intriguing narrative.

Tonally, there is something extraordinarily special about Here Comes Mr. Jordan, which is a film that may look at a subject as dire as the fragility of life and the inevitability of death, but never once seems to be taking itself too seriously. This is a film built on the effervescent conversations that come about when looking at the more optimistic side of existence – any work (whether rooted in fact or fiction) that proposes the possibility of an afterlife is going to be somewhat comforting, even to those who don’t particularly believe it to be feasible. This film isn’t all that concerned with providing evidence, or even doing that much work in terms of defining its version of the afterlife – instead, it chooses a very simple approach, one that is interesting and empathetic to its characters, and forms a magnificent but profound comedy out of its fragments. There’s a lot of nuanced conversation that simmers beneath the surface, but it never feels overwrought – it is all filtered through a very charming and upbeat perspective, one that highlights the joys of life, rather than the challenges many people face in their daily existence. It’s an elegant comedy-of-manners that is going in search of some of life’s most intricate and compelling ideas, using humour as an earnest device to introduce complex philosophical questions in a format where we don’t even realize what is being discussed – we simply see the hilarious and irreverent story of a recently-deceased boxer navigating a new set of challenges after he returns to the land of the living, which is the foundation for this bitingly funny and endlessly endearing comedic romp that has enough depth and nuance to justify every minute of our time.

An interesting fact about Here Comes Mr. Jordan is that it was originally written as a vehicle for Cary Grant (who was just at the start of his peak of stardom, having only been in the public consciousness for less than a decade), but he was quickly replaced by Robert Montgomery, who was not a bad choice considering the material he had to work with. Montgomery captures the salt-of-the-earth grit that the character of Joe Pendleton embodies, as well as the various personas the character takes on as his soul works its way through a range of other bodies, finding the right host with whom to spend the rest of his life before officially ascending to the afterlife. There are very few moments where it feels like Pendleton is straining, and he delivers a strong performance that is the perfect blend of comedy and drama, precisely the combination the film needs to succeed. The other notable performance here comes on behalf of Claude Rains, who plays the titular Mr Jordan. The choice to frame God as an ordinary, debonair middle-aged man, rather than some larger-than-life entity (at least in the form he takes throughout this film) was smart, since it not only relieves the filmmakers of the burden of having to give an interpretation of a character that has been the source of curiosity, but also allows them to cast an actor like Rains, whose mild-mannered sophistication is the perfect complement for Montgomery’s more bombastic protagonist. It’s an excellent combination of actors who work brilliantly together, and they help elevate the film to a place of profound complexity, much more than we’d expect based on a cursory glance.

Here Comes Mr. Jordan is a very simple film with a lot of heart, and a level of ambition that is quite surprisingly complex, even if it appears to be quite straightforward at times. It is not a prerequisite for comedies to have strong philosophical undercurrents, but it does make a film like this feel more complete since it gives the viewers a very unique depiction of existence without bombarding us with an endless array of complex questions that ultimately don’t make as much impact as some filmmakers believe. Instead, Hall takes a very interesting idea and assimilates them into the fabric of an effortlessly charming and very funny comedy that may take place in a fantastical version of the world, but is still very much rooted in the human sphere, which makes an enormous difference in the context of the story being told here. As a whole, Here Comes Mr. Jordan is just a delight – a simple and evocative film that tempers its emotions correctly, carries itself with charm and decorum, and knows exactly where to place jokes, understanding how to balance humour with a more melancholic series of discussions, which work together in the creation of this upbeat and endearing fantasy comedy that may take place outside of the realm of logic and focuses on the theme of death, but is undeniably an empathetic, heartfelt celebration of the experience of being alive and the importance of taking stock of every moment, since we never know which will be our last, a sad concept that is rendered as absolutely beautiful when delivered in this adorable and endearing film.