Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Supelice Dreadfully Boring

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

blanche-2 I saw this film years and years ago, and I never forgot it because of Ingrid Bergman's magnificent performance.Bergman plays Gladys Aylward, a British woman who wants to be a missionary in China; however, she's turned down due to lack of qualifications. Instead, Gladys goes to work as a house servant and buys a ticket to China on the layaway plan. Her boss finds out of her plans and connects her with a Miss Lawson (Athene Seyler) who has been working as a Chinese missionary for many years. Together, the women open the Inn of the Sixth Happiness where mule drivers can stay, enjoy the food, and hear the Biblical stories.Over time, Gladys becomes beloved in the community for her strength of purpose, her warmth, and her love of the Chinese people. The Mandarin (Robert Donat) puts her in charge of seeing that the law against foot binding is carried out. She meets Captain Lin Nan (Curt Jurgens), who is half-Chinese, and they fall in love. But when the Japanese attack in the '30s, it falls to Gladys to get 100 children, including several she has adopted, over the mountains to safety.Though Gladys Aylward hated this movie, the script actually follows the events of her own life closely, and that includes the soldier with whom she falls in love. What upset her was the casting of Ingrid Bergman, whom Aylward considered "evil" for becoming pregnant by Rossellini while married to someone else. She also objected to the love interest being half-European, a fact she found insulting (the man she fell in love with was pure Chinese) and the love scenes embarrassed her. In short, she felt the film damaged her reputation.Bergman, of course, makes this film. She's radiant, beautiful, and perfectly captures Gladys' sincerity and commitment. Someone wrote in the subject line of their review "A perfect actress" - and that she is. Highly emotional in some scenes, in others, she is calm and motherly, but always strong and determined. One of her best performances, and a role worthy of her great talent.This was Robert Donat's last film; he died while it was still being made. His severe asthma is apparent throughout. A lovely performance. Jurgens is effective as Lin Nan, stalwart and handsome, a man who finds getting in touch with his emotions difficult.A wonderful, heartwarming film. Gladys Aylward eventually returned to England for ten years and was refused re-entry into China after the Communists took over. She then started an orphanage in Taiwan which she ran until her death in 1970.A remarkable woman, and whether she liked it or not, it's a remarkable story and film, well directed by Mark Robson.

screenman It's very much a feel-good movie. And it's hard not to feel good about any movie that features Ingrid Bergmann. She brings the sort of vulnerable but stoical female strength to a part that most miserable, bigoted feminists despise, yet which invariably succeeds over males and females alike. Here we see her at her best, and stuffing it to Julie Andrews with her bossy-boots know-it-all nannyism. Unfortunately, the true history of these nosing, arrogant, western Christian zealots is less romantic. And this movie should well be observed back-to-back with 'The Mission', an effort that demonstrates the downside of Zionist imperialism.Still, taken for what it is as the gradual triumph of a single well-meaning individual against every adversity presented to her; the movie is still an uplifting and inspiring piece of drama. Most of the male parts are inevitably camp, as Caucasians like Kurt Jurgens attempt to play Oriental with varying degrees of success. It would be interesting to hear the views of a Chinese audience. The developing relationships are well-chronicled. The pacing of the story is entirely believable. There are plenty of dramatic moments, and the camera-work both in studio and on location is excellent. It would be no exaggeration to say that Bergmann made this movie. It wouldn't have been half so watchable with any other leading movie starlet of her day. I like it as much for her presence as for any other reason. By now it would benefit from a re-mastering. After 50 years that's only to be expected. Whether or not west really is best remains to be seen. Though it seems rather ironic that we take our sentimentalisation of children to a continent that - even today - breeds them for slave labour. Knick-knack, paddy-whack, give a brat a bone, this young kid won't ever go home.

mmunier If 10 means excellent so be it. Today almost 2006 I was prepared to give it an 8 and love this movie immensely with warts (of age) and all. I read a few commentaries and was pleased to see people (one 26 year of age) just adoring this movie. What I'd like to get here on a different note is my offended feelings around its screening this X'mas on our commercial television channel (Channel 7)where I live in Sydney.1)The news paper I get on Sundays "The Sunday Morning Herald" has a TV Guide in it and has all the worthwhile movie accompanied by a short summary/critic. Can you imagine that not a word was mentioned about this movie, only a listing on the day "the inn of the 7th Happiness: Ingrid Bergman"! 2)The the last shot of the last scene was followed by the next frame...a furniture commercial. Isn't this heartbreaking not to say anything more? I have seen this film in France in my childhood and many times after this. Just like all this people who came here, I continue to love every minutes of it. Departing from the movie, I would not take notice too much of the "was this helpful to you " voting 'cause one can only read so many commentaries and voting is not always a practical thing to do. But there we are. MB

skylinegtr2500 I saw the trailer for this on PBS and at first I thought I be in for a cringe-fest a la Charlie Chan. I've become a fan of many "for us by us" Hong Kong and Asian movies with real actors and actresses, so from these movies, my expectations are a little more refined than those who might see Hero as "that Japanese or Chinese movie." Instead of cringing, I found a thoroughly enjoyable movie with its heart in the right place. Someone commented that Ingrid Bergman was for real this one, and I got that impression as well.I believe the foot-binding practice had been officially banned by the Manchus but the ban had never been really enforced, especially in the more remote areas. The foot-binding scene was really nice. It did not imply "I am western-person, I will save you Chinese from this stupid practice." Very simple, nicely done.