BrianKoller's Full Review: Inn of the Sixth Happiness
Ingrid Bergman's career was nearly destroyed by her affair with an Italian director, but by 1958 her image had recovered sufficiently for her to be cast as a saintly missionary. In "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" (the title refers to a Chinese saying) her character can do no wrong, and her halo grows brighter and stronger as the film progresses.
Set in northern China, the production was to be filmed in nearby Formosa (modern-day Taiwan). When the Nationalist Chinese government tried to meddle with the storyline, the film's location was changed to the British island of Wales. There, local residents of Chinese ancestry were cast in supporting roles but were given no lines due to their un-Chinese Welsh accents.
The plot was based on the Alan Burgess biography of Gladys Aylward (Bergman). She was an ambitious English servant who in 1930, against all advice and without money, took a hazardous journey to China to work as a missionary. There, she runs an inn with the intention of converting travellers through Christian storytelling. She also becomes a paid Chinese government official, working to end the custom of foot-binding among young women.
As Aylward's do-gooding finds increasing success, she wins the respect of the local Mandarin official (Robert Donat) and Dutch-Chinese patriot Colonel Lin (Curt Jurgens). There is also an inevitable romance between Lin and Aylward, which can't really go anywhere due to the need to keep Bergman's character pure. Aylward's character begins performing heroic actions whose favorable resolutions seem implausible and simplistic. She stops a prison riot and effects reforms, and later leads a herd of children through territory threatened by ruthless Japanese invaders.
While Bergman's character is ageless and immortal, her supporting cast is not as fortunate. Among the martyred are elderly missionary Mrs.Lawson (Athene Seyler), genial assistant Yang (Peter Chong), and prison spokesman Li (Burt Kwouk).
Director Mark Robson received an Oscar nomination for work on "The Inn of Sixth Happiness".
This was Donat's final film. He died prior to the film's release. He gives a hammy but charming performance. (65/100)
All her life Englishwoman Gladys Aylward knew that China was the place where she belonged. Not qualified to be sent there as a missionary, Gladys work...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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