{"id":21507,"date":"2011-12-23T11:09:32","date_gmt":"2011-12-23T18:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21507"},"modified":"2021-10-07T13:05:58","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T20:05:58","slug":"heaven-knows-mr-allison-1957","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21507","title":{"rendered":"Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I never even lived before.  Not really lived before, inside.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Poster-155x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"155\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-21513\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Poster-155x300.jpg 155w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Poster-66x128.jpg 66w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 155px) 100vw, 155px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nDuring World War II, a Marine (Robert Mitchum) drifts ashore onto a seemingly deserted South Pacific island, where he encounters its lone inhabitant: a stranded nun (Deborah Kerr). As they struggle to survive and devise a plan for escape, they develop a deep fondness for one another &#8212; but will Mitchum respect Kerr&#8217;s spiritual vows?\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Deborah Kerr Films<\/li>\n<li>John Huston Films<\/li>\n<li>Nuns<\/li>\n<li>Robert Mitchum Films<\/li>\n<li>Romance<\/li>\n<li>Soldiers<\/li>\n<li>Survival<\/li>\n<li>World War II<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThe first of Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum&#8217;s on-screen pairings (in 1960, they also co-starred in both <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=76852\"><em>The Sundowners<\/em><\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30651\"><em>The Grass is Greener<\/em><\/a>) was this unusual &#8220;romance&#8221; about a Marine and a nun bonding during a time of crisis. Such a scenario (ripe for exploitation, which co-writer\/director John Huston masterfully avoids) could easily go in any number of different directions &#8212; but what&#8217;s so refreshing about this story is its ultimate simplicity. It&#8217;s essentially a character-driven relationship piece, set within the chaotic arena of war; other than a few minutes showing a pair of Japanese soldiers interacting with one another (their dialogue isn&#8217;t translated), and a couple of solitary lines by soldiers much later in the film, Mitchum and Kerr remain the sole speaking actors in the movie &#8212; thus, it&#8217;s the evolution of their interactions, coupled with their struggle to survive a seemingly impossible situation, that keeps us glued to the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Mitchum reportedly <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0050490\/trivia?tab=tr&#038;item=tr0768277\">named this a personal favorite among the many roles he played<\/a>, and his character here comes across as remarkably sympathetic. We ache for this rough-hewn man &#8212; an orphan who found a home with the Marines &#8212; as he opens up his heart for the first time to Kerr&#8217;s impossibly kind nun. Kerr&#8217;s character is a bit more enigmatic (I believe we&#8217;re meant to relate to Mitchum as the central protagonist, rather then Kerr), but she does a fine job exhibiting both her enduring spiritual resolve and her growing fondness for Mitchum. Much like in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20553\"><em>The Nun&#8217;s Story<\/em> (1959)<\/a> with Audrey Hepburn, we wonder what kind of a decision this beautiful, strong-willed young nun will ultimately make in the face of competing desires. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> I&#8217;m not especially fond of this film&#8217;s title, which makes it sound like a comedy rather than the somewhat serious drama it really is. I understand its deeper meaning (&#8220;heaven&#8221;, or God, will know what transpires between the nun and Mitchum, even in their seeming isolation), but one can&#8217;t help immediately &#8220;reading&#8221; the title as a whimsical British turn of phrase instead. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Robert Mitchum as Corporal Allison<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Mitchum.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Mitchum.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"304\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Mitchum.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Mitchum-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Mitchum-300x126.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Deborah Kerr as Sister Angela (a.k.a. &#8220;Ma&#8217;am&#8221;) (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actresses of the Year in his Alternate Oscars)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Kerr.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Kerr.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"304\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21511\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Kerr.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Kerr-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Kerr-300x126.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Excellent use of a natural island setting<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Island.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Island.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"304\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Island.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Island-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Island-300x126.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A fine, unconventional &#8220;love&#8221; story<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Romance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Romance.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"304\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21509\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Romance.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Romance-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Heaven-Knows-Mr.-Allison-Romance-300x126.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an enjoyably character-driven film by a master director. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0050490\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1957\/03\/15\/archives\/screen-heaven-knows-mr-allison-story-of-a-marine-and-a-nun-is-at.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s828allison.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/heaven-knows-mr-allison\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I never even lived before. Not really lived before, inside.&#8221; Synopsis: During World War II, a Marine (Robert Mitchum) drifts ashore onto a seemingly deserted South Pacific island, where he encounters its lone inhabitant: a stranded nun (Deborah Kerr). As they struggle to survive and devise a plan for escape, they develop a deep fondness for one another &#8212; but will Mitchum respect Kerr&#8217;s spiritual vows? Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Deborah Kerr Films John Huston Films Nuns Robert Mitchum&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21507\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21507"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76877,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21507\/revisions\/76877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}