The Left Hand of God (1955)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

William E. Barrett (novel)
Alfred Hayes (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 November 1955 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Bogart...In a new type of action role!

Plot:

At a Catholic mission in China, long-awaited "Father O'Shea" proves to be a tough guy, disturbingly attractive to mission nurse Anne.

Plot Keywords:

China | Catholic | Nurse | Assumed Identity | Stolen Identity

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	James 'Jim' Carmody
Gene Tierney	...	Anne 'Scotty' Scott
Lee J. Cobb	...	Mieh Yang
Agnes Moorehead	...	Beryl Sigman
E.G. Marshall	...	Dr. David Sigman
Jean Porter	...	Mary Yin
Carl Benton Reid	...	Father Cornelius (bishop's envoy)
Victor Sen Yung	...	John Wong (church sexton)
Philip Ahn	...	Jan Teng (Buddhist priest)
Benson Fong	...	Chun Tien (husband of dying woman)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (magnetic prints) | Mono (Western Electric Recording) (optical prints)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #17452) | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:S | Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Quotes:

Dr. David Sigman: [of prostitutes] Don't tell me the Church gives up on 'em, father! Medicine doesn't give up...
Jim Carmody: When medicine reaches a point where it never has to walk hopelessly away from a case, then you can criticize the Church because it left some... spiritual illness uncured.

Soundtrack:

A LOAF OF BREAD

Bogie as a missionary in China

Humphrey Bogart experiences "The Left Hand of God" in this 1955 film also starring Gene Tierney, Lee J. Cobb, Agnes Moorhead and Lee J. Cobb. Bogart is Father O'Shea, who arrives at a mission in China to take over religious duties. The casting of Bogart should tell you something right away. While there, he wins the hearts of the people and that of a beautiful nurse (Tierney) who is a widow and, being a strong Catholic, finds her emotions unsettling. Father O has a relationship with a Chinese warlord, and now the village seems in danger. Can he save it? There's not a tremendous amount of action in this film, but the wonderful cast keeps us interested. Always a surprising actor, Bogart has a way with touching moments, such as receiving a blessing from the oldest man in the village. In 1955, Gene Tierney was still a young and beautiful woman, but for some reason, around 1950, she adopted a short, matronly haircut that I for one never found flattering. She's lovely in this as a lonely widow. Moorhead and Marshall give strong performances as the doctor and his wife. Lee J. Cobb is good, but seen today, his Chinese makeup is distracting.

Mildly interesting.