Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

Last updated

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
Heavnknowsmrallison DVDcover.jpg
Region 1 DVD cover
Directed by John Huston
Screenplay byJohn Huston
John Lee Mahin
Based on Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
by Charles Shaw
Produced by Buddy Adler
Eugene Frenke
Starring Deborah Kerr
Robert Mitchum
Cinematography Oswald Morris
Edited by Russell Lloyd
Music by Georges Auric
Color process Color by DeLuxe
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century-Fox
Release date
  • March 13, 1957 (1957-03-13)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Japanese
Budget$2,905,000 [1]
Box office$4.2 million (US) [2]

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is a 1957 American CinemaScope war film directed by John Huston. It stars Deborah Kerr as an Irish nun and Robert Mitchum as an American soldier, both stranded on a Japanese-occupied island in the Pacific Ocean during World War II.

Contents

The film was adapted by John Huston and John Lee Mahin from the 1952 novel by Charles Shaw and was directed by Huston. It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Deborah Kerr) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

The movie was filmed on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago in what was then the British West Indies. Producer Eugene Frenke later filmed The Nun and the Sergeant , a low-budget variation on the story, (1962), starring his wife Anna Sten. [3]

Plot

In the South Pacific in 1944, U.S. Marine Corporal Allison and his reconnaissance party are disembarking from a U.S. Navy submarine when they are discovered and fired upon by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The submarine's captain is forced to dive and leave the scouting team behind. Allison reaches a rubber raft and, after days adrift, reaches an island. He finds an abandoned settlement and a chapel with one occupant: Sister Angela, a novice Irish nun who has not yet taken her final vows. She has been on the island for only four days, having come with an elderly priest to evacuate another clergyman only to find that the Japanese had arrived first. The frightened natives who had brought them to the island left the pair without warning, and the priest died soon after.

Robert Mitchum with Deborah Kerr in a scene from the film Robert Mitchum Deborah Kerr Heaven Knows Mr. Allison 1957 (cropped).jpg
Robert Mitchum with Deborah Kerr in a scene from the film

For a while, they have the island to themselves, but then a detachment of Japanese troops arrives to set up a meteorological camp, forcing them to hide in a cave. When Sister Angela is unable to stomach the raw fish that Allison has caught, he sneaks into the Japanese camp for supplies, narrowly avoiding detection. That night, they watch flashes from naval guns being fired in a sea battle over the horizon.

The Japanese unexpectedly leave the island and Allison professes his love for Sister Angela, proposing marriage. But she shows him her engagement ring and explains that it is a symbol of her forthcoming final holy vows. Later both in celebration and frustration, Allison gets drunk on sake. He blurts out that he considers her devotion to her vows to be pointless since they are stuck on the island "like Adam and Eve." She runs out into a tropical rain and falls ill as a result. Allison, now sober and contrite, finds her shivering. He carries her back, but the Japanese have returned, forcing them to retreat to the cave. Allison sneaks into the Japanese camp to get blankets. He kills a soldier who discovers him, alerting the enemy. To force him into the open, the Japanese set fire to the vegetation.

When a Japanese soldier discovers the cave, Allison and Sister Angela have two options: surrender or die from a hand grenade thrown inside. An ensuing explosion is not a grenade, but a bomb; the Americans have begun attacking the island in preparation for a landing. Allison comments that the landing will not be easy because when they returned, the Japanese brought four artillery pieces and concealed them well on the island.

Responding to what he attributes to a message from God, Allison disables the artillery during the barrage that will precede the American assault while the Japanese are still in their bunkers. He is wounded but sabotages all the guns by removing their breechblocks, saving many American lives. After the landing, the Marine officers are puzzled by the missing breechblocks.

Sister Angela and the wounded Allison then say their goodbyes as the Marines begin occupation. Allison has reconciled himself to Sister Angela's dedication to Jesus, but she reassures him that they will always be close "companions." After being found, Allison is transferred by the Marines to the ship, with Sister Angela walking beside him.

Cast

Production

John Lee Mahin, who wrote the script, called the original novel "a very dirty book" and claims producer Gene Frenke kept pushing for more sex to be added. However this was resisted by Mahin and John Huston. [5]

Filming took place in Trinidad and Tobago, allowing Huston and Fox to use blocked funds in the UK, receive British film finance and qualify for the Eady Levy. The film was set later in the war than it was in the novel, which had Allison escaping from the Battle of Corregidor. In the film, the Allies are on the offensive and U.S. Marines capture the island.

The screenplay compares the rituals and commitment of the Catholic Church and the United States Marine Corps. The National Legion of Decency monitored the production of the film closely, sending a representative to watch the filming; Kerr and Mitchum ad-libbed a scene (not included in the final print) in which their characters wildly kissed and grabbed at each other. [6] : 306 

The Marines provided troops for the invasion climax. Six Japanese persons living in Brazil played some of the leading Japanese characters, and Chinese people from some of the laundries and restaurants of Trinidad and Tobago played the rest of the Japanese soldiers. [6]

Screen Archives Entertainment released Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison on Blu-ray on June 10, 2014.

Reception

According to Kinematograph Weekly, the film was "in the money" at the British box office in 1957. [7]

The Chicago Tribune critic wrote, "Both stars' performances are excellent. However, I fail to see why Miss Kerr was hampered by the necessity to assume a brogue, which doesn't come naturally. Mr. Mitchum has the edge on her as far as being well cast, and will, I think, be most believeable to the average audience, altho I doubt that any veteran Marine would stand out and do a jig under shellfire—even if it comes from the guns of the United States Navy as a prelude to a welcome American invasion. The film, in script and direction, was obviously aimed at mass audience appeal. That it probably will have." [8]

The New York Times was complimentary: "That frequent and often popular story of a pious women and an impious man cast together in circumstances that test the righteousness and fiber of each is tackled again by John Huston (he tackled it last in The African Queen)....And once more, Mr. Huston comes up with a film that is stirring and entertaining....with Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum in the leading roles—indeed, the only real roles in the picture—he has got it buckled to solid characters....If there does seem to be some repetition, that is something that has to be blamed on the singleness of the location and the meagerness of the cast. There are not many variations to be wrung from the situation. However, the location is exciting...and it is drenched with atmosphere. And the cast, while small, is excellent." [9]

Awards and honors

AwardCategoryNominee(s)Result
Academy Awards Best Actress Deborah Kerr Nominated
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium John Lee Mahin and John Huston Nominated

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deborah Kerr</span> British film and television actress (1921–2007)

Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE, known professionally as Deborah Kerr, was a British actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first person from Scotland to be nominated for any acting Oscar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Mitchum</span> American actor (1917–1997)

Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American actor. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984 and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1992. Mitchum is rated number 23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.

The Sundowners is a 1960 Technicolor comedy-drama film that tells the story of a 1920s Australian outback family torn between the father's desires to continue his nomadic sheep-herding ways and the wife and son's desire to settle in one place. The Sundowners was produced and directed by Fred Zinnemann, adapted by Isobel Lennart from Jon Cleary's 1952 novel of the same name, with Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Peter Ustinov, Glynis Johns, Mervyn Johns, Dina Merrill, Michael Anderson Jr., and Chips Rafferty.

<i>The Dead</i> (1987 film) 1987 film by John Huston

The Dead is a 1987 drama film directed by John Huston, written by his son Tony Huston, and starring his daughter Anjelica Huston. It is an adaptation of the short story of the same name by James Joyce, which was first published in 1914 as the last story in Dubliners. An international co-production between the United Kingdom, the United States, and West Germany, the film was Huston's last as director, and it was released several months after his death.

John Lee Mahin was an American screenwriter and producer of films who was active in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1960s. He was known as the favorite writer of Clark Gable and Victor Fleming. In the words of one profile, he had "a flair for rousing adventure material, and at the same time he wrote some of the raciest and most sophisticated sexual comedies of that period."

Peter Viertel was an author and screenwriter.

Judi Trott is an English actress and is best known for her portrayal of the Lady Marion of Leaford in the popular 1980s TV series Robin of Sherwood.

<i>The Grass Is Greener</i> 1960 film by Stanley Donen

The Grass Is Greener is a 1960 British romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and starring Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Jean Simmons. The screenplay was adapted by Hugh Williams and Margaret Vyner from the play of the same name which they had written and found success with in London's West End.

Charles Herbert Shaw was an Australian journalist and novelist.

<i>Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison</i> (novel)

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is a 1952 novel by Australian writer Charles Shaw. It tells the story of U.S. Marine Corporal Allison shipwrecked on an island in the Pacific during World War II. The only inhabitant is a nun, Sister Angela. It was made into a 1957 film of the same name by John Huston.

<i>Tim</i> (film) 1979 Australian film

Tim is a 1979 Australian romantic drama film written, produced and directed by Michael Pate in his directorial debut. It stars Piper Laurie, Mel Gibson, Alwyn Kurts, Pat Evison, and Deborah Kennedy, and is based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Colleen McCullough.

<i>The Proud and Profane</i> 1956 film

The Proud and Profane is a 1956 American romantic drama film directed by George Seaton and starring William Holden and Deborah Kerr with Thelma Ritter, Dewey Martin, William Redfield and Peter Hansen in supporting roles. It was made by William Perlberg-George Seaton Productions for Paramount Pictures released in theaters on June 13, 1956. The film was and produced by William Perlberg, from a screenplay by George Seaton, based on the 1953 novel The Magnificent Bastards by Lucy Herndon Crockett.

The 23rd New York Film Critics Circle Awards, honored the best filmmaking of 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Mitchum</span> American film actor and musician (1919–2001)

John Mitchum was an American actor from the 1940s to the 1970s in film and television. The younger brother of the actor Robert Mitchum, he was credited as Jack Mitchum early in his career.

Eugene Frenke was a Russian-born film producer, director and writer. He twice collaborated with the director John Huston on the films Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison and The Barbarian and the Geisha.

The 11th British Academy Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, were held on 6 March 1958, to honor the best national and foreign films of 1957.

<i>Separate Tables</i> (film) 1958 film

Separate Tables is a 1958 American drama film starring Rita Hayworth, Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Burt Lancaster, and Wendy Hiller, based on two one-act plays by Terence Rattigan that were collectively known by this name. Niven and Hiller won Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively for their performances. The picture was directed by Delbert Mann and adapted for the screen by Rattigan, John Gay and an uncredited John Michael Hayes. Mary Grant and Edith Head designed the film's costumes.

Stephen B. Grimes was an English production designer and art director. He won an Oscar and was nominated for two more in the category Best Art Direction.

<i>Mr. North</i> 1988 film by Danny Huston

Mr. North is a 1988 American comedy-drama film starring Anthony Edwards and featuring Robert Mitchum and Lauren Bacall, based on the novel Theophilus North (1973) by Thornton Wilder.

<i>The Nun and the Sergeant</i> 1962 film by Franklin Adreon

The Nun and the Sergeant is a 1962 Korean War drama film starring Anna Sten and Robert Webber in the title roles. It was produced by Sten's husband Eugene Frenke, who had produced the 1957 film Heaven Knows, Mr Allison, also a pairing of a Catholic nun and a U.S. Marine. It was directed by Franklin Adreon and released through United Artists.

References

  1. ↑ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN   978-0-8108-4244-1. p250
  2. ↑ "Top Grosses of 1957", Variety, 8 January 1958: 30
  3. ↑ Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) - John Huston | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie , retrieved April 23, 2020
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)". catalog.afi.com. American Film Institute. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  5. ↑ McCarthy, Todd; McBride, Joseph (1986). "John Lee Mahin: Team Player". In Patrick McGilligan (ed.). Backstory: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age. University of California Press. p. 263. ISBN   9780520056893.
  6. 1 2 Server, Lee (March 6, 2002). Robert Mitchum: Baby I Don't Care. ISBN   978-0-312-28543-2.
  7. ↑ Billings, Josh (December 12, 1957). "Others in the money". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 7.
  8. ↑ Tinee, Mae. "Kerr, Mitchum Alone on Isle in Fine Movie: 'Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison." Chicago Tribune, 22 March 1957, a16.
  9. ↑ Crowther, Bosley. "Screen: 'Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison." The New York Times, 15 March 1957, 22.
DVD reviews
Australia (Region 4)
France (Region 2)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.