Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
Grade: 73
Every now and then, a film proves to be much better than its story. This is the case for "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison", which should be a laughable attempt to combine unlikely romance and war-time heroism. Instead, the lead characters are both sympathetic and compelling. Much credit goes to the well-cast leads, Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr, and to John Huston, who directed and co-wrote the script.
The story is set in 1944. Mitchum is an orphan and drifter who has finally found a home with the Marines. Kerr is a nun-to-be who is one month away from taking her final vows. A convoluted plot contrivance (it takes ten minutes for the leads to explain it) places both of them alone together on a remote Pacific island (perhaps its "The Blue Lagoon"), where, predictably, Mitchum begins wooing Kerr. Kerr, who is dependant upon Mitchum for her survival, is torn between her two saviors: God and Mitchum.
Their would-be relationship is endangered by the Japanese, who alternate between occupying and abandoning the island. Mitchum steals food from and sabotages the Japanese, while Kerr hides from them in a remarkably well-lit cave. Just when the settlers (Kerr and Mitchum) are surrounded by the Indians (the Japanese), the cavalry (the U.S. Air Force and Navy) comes to the rescue.
But again, the film is much better than the cynical plot summary would indicate. Thanks to the script and performances, Kerr and Mitchum come across as two ordinary souls developing a friendship through adversity, rather than two formula characters in a calculated marketing attempt to attract both male and female audiences to the theater.
Deborah Kerr received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. The Huston/John Lee Mahin screenplay (based on the Charles Shaw novel) was also nominated.
kollers@mpsi.net http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html
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