The Preacher's Wife

The Preacher's Wife is a 1996 Christmas romantic comedy family film directed by Penny Marshall, and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance. It is a remake of the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife.

It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score. The film was nominated for five Image Awards, including Outstanding Motion Picture, and won two—for Best Actress (Whitney Houston) and Best Supporting Actress (Loretta Devine).

Plot

A voiceover by the child Jeremiah (Justin Pierre Edmund) guides the viewer through the film.

Rev. Henry Biggs (Courtney B. Vance) is the pastor of a small struggling Baptist church in a poverty-stricken neighborhood of New York City. Membership is declining, Henry is pulled in a hundred directions by his parishioner's needs, and the church's finances are in trouble. Henry is under intense pressure from real estate developer Joe Hamilton (Gregory Hines) to sell the church's property so that Hamiltion can build luxury condominiums on the site. Henry has also become neglectful of his wife, Julia (Whitney Houston), and his son, Jeremiah. Julia worries that her marriage is failing. Unsure that he can make a difference in his parishioners' lives and beginning to lose his faith, Henry prays to God for help, which comes in the form of Dudley (Denzel Washington), a witty and debonaire angel. Dudley tells Henry that he is an angel sent by God to help him, but Henry is deeply suspicious of Dudley. Julia, however, is instantly charmed by the handsome and unflappable angel.

The Preacher's Wife (soundtrack)

The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album is the soundtrack to the 1996 film of the same name and features songs performed by Whitney Houston, who also stars in the film. It is the best-selling gospel album of all time, and has sold an estimated 6 million copies worldwide.

The lead single, "I Believe in You and Me" (a cover of The Four Tops classic), became a top five hit in the U.S. and was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards, as well as for Best R&B Album.

"Step by Step" was another hit single, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "My Heart Is Calling" became the soundtrack's final release.

"Lay Aside Every Weight", covered and performed by Georgia Mass Choir and Whitney Houston, appears in the film but not on the motion picture soundtrack for unknown reasons.

Reception

Commercial performance

Released on November 26, 1996, The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on the issue dated December 14, 1996, selling 90,500 units in the first week. On its second week, the album jumped to number four on the chart with the Greatest Gainer mark, and the following week reached number three, which was the album's peak position. The album also debuted at number eight on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, and in three weeks later, peaked at the number one and remained there for two weeks, becoming her fourth number one album on the chart. It stayed for a total of 38 weeks, 49 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and the Top R&B Albums chart respectively.

Preacher (disambiguation)

A preacher is someone who preaches sermons.

Preacher may also refer to:

Paul Atreides

Paul Atreides (/əˈtreɪdiːz/; later known as Paul Muad'Dib) is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Paul is a prominent character in the first two novels in the series, Dune (1965) and Dune Messiah (1969), and returns in Children of Dune (1976). The character is brought back as two different gholas in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson novels which conclude the original series, Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007), and appears in the prequels Paul of Dune (2008) and The Winds of Dune (2009).

A primary theme of Dune and its sequels is Frank Herbert's warning about society's tendencies to "give over every decision-making capacity" to a charismatic leader. He said in 1979, "The bottom line of the Dune trilogy is: beware of heroes. Much better rely on your own judgment, and your own mistakes." Paul rises to leadership through military strategy and political maneuvering, but his superhuman powers and ability to fit himself into pre-existing religious infrastructure allow him to force himself upon mankind as their messiah. As "Muad'Dib," Paul becomes the central figure of a new religion, and reluctantly unleashes a bloody jihad in his name across the universe; Paul struggles with the potential idea of seizing divine control over his newly minted empire, only to finally escape from the burden of his destiny by placing it on his sister Alia and his offspring Leto II and Ghanima.

The Preacher (Horace Silver song)

"The Preacher" is a composition by Horace Silver. The original version, by Silver's quintet, was recorded on February 6, 1955. It was soon covered by other musicians, including with lyrics added by Babs Gonzales. It has became a jazz standard.

Composition

"The Preacher" is based on the chords of "Show Me the Way to Go Home", which Silver often used to end his concerts. He wrote it in the Arlington Hotel on Twenty-Fifth Street in New York City, where he lived for four years from 1954.

Original recording

The original version featured Silver on piano, with Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone), Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Doug Watkins (bass), and Art Blakey (drums). "Fired by the song's rocking beat, Dorham and Mobley soar into blues-drenched, vocally inflected solos. Silver follows with a typically stripped-down statement, built around first a two-chord percussive figure and then a descending run, each repeated. Before taking the tune out, the band riffs behind his funky noodling in classic call-and-response fashion." "The gospel influence of 'The Preacher' was achieved subtly [...] with a melody and associated riffs which had a natural, built-in back-beat."