Netflix review #16: Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

For every movie with a cast of thousands, there's plenty that counter with only one or two leads and a few extras in the background. What's tricky about movies with so small a cast is that success depends almost completely on whether the audience likes those leads. Thanks to Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum, John Huston's Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison can be considered quite a success. And yes, I debated doing Borat and putting "Great success" instead.

Somewhere in the Pacific in WWII, an inflatable raft floats up on a beautiful island paradise. A marine wearily steps out and begins to explore the island only to discover the other occupant is a young, pretty Irish nun, Sister Angela (Deborah Kerr). He introduces himself as Corporal Allison (Robert Mitchum), a U.S. Marine who got separated from his recon patrol when Japanese artillery hit the sub they were being dropped from. Teaming up, the unlikely duo look to survive on an island that provides everything they need. Questions come up as to whether they should try to sail to Fiji, but an answer is provided when a Japanese infantry company shows up to set up a weather station? All Allison and Sister Angela can do is hope the Allied advance across the ocean takes them to this island.

What I really enjoyed here was the straight-forward, no frills storyline of two people on an island trying to get by and hopefully be rescued. Sure, other things are thrown in, like the Japanese soldiers arriving, but those scenes provide some of the movie's more tense moments. Very easily, this movie could have been thrown on its side and forgotten since its 1957 release if the two main leads, Kerr and Mitchum, weren't so good in their roles. I give a lot of credit to director John Houston, always able to get a good performance out of his actors, for casting the leads so well.

Riding the huge success of The King and I, Kerr gives a great performance as Sister Angela, a nun whose faith brought her to this island, and it's this faith that keeps her going. She delivers a semi-twist about 2/3 of the way in, but it never feels forced. Angela is innocent and slightly naive, but that doesn't mean her character isn't a strong one. And most importantly, she has a chemistry with Mitchum because if that wasn't there the whole movie goes bottom up. I wrote in the last couple weeks about 'cool' actors, and I forgot to include Mitchum. As a really smooth, laid back presence, Mitchum seems to be taken for granted as an actor sometimes. But here he shows what he can do, delivering one of his better parts as Allison. He grew up on his own and is tougher for it, but he's gentle with Angela and a gentleman all around in trying to help her.

Reading the synopsis of a man and a woman on a deserted island, I couldn't help but think the two would end up together, even if one was a nun, and one as classically pretty as Deborah Kerr. The movie does deal with this as the relationship changes and develops, but it's never awkward. One scene shows how much Allison looks out for Angela following the Japanese arrival. She almost gets sick eating raw fish so he sneaks into the Japanese camp to steal food. He gets in easily enough but has to hide for hours as two Japanese soldiers unknowingly corner him. Allison's just trying to help a friend, even if he has feelings for her, and Sister Angela is horribly worried something has happened to him. A good sum-up of the relationship is that scene, two individuals who become close friends in a dangerous situation.

The Fox War Classic DVD comes in at under $15 over at Amazon. Filming locations in Trinidad and Tobago look amazing in the widescreen presentation on the disc. In the special features department, there's a trailer, four MovieTone clips about WWII in the Pacific that run about 7 minutes, and a handful of trailers for other Fox War Classics. It's a very good movie carried completely by its leads, Kerr and Mitchum. Definitely give this old-fashioned, good storytelling film a try.