The Left Hand of God (1955)

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

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

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 | Airplane Crash | Hospital

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
Victor Sen Yung	...	John Wong
Philip Ahn	...	Jan Teng
Benson Fong	...	Chun Tien
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Burton	...	Rev. Marvin (uncredited)
George Chan	...	Li Kwan (uncredited)
Sophie Chin	...	Celeste - Nurse (uncredited)
Peter Chong	...	Fen Tso Lin - Merchant (uncredited)
Doris Chung	...	Clinic Nurse (uncredited)
Richard H. Cutting	...	Father O'Shea (uncredited)
Don Forbes	...	Father Keller (uncredited)
Candace Lee	...	Girl Singing 'My Old Kentucky Home' (uncredited)
George Lee	...	Mi Lu (uncredited)
May Lee	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Leon Lontoc	...	Pao Ching (uncredited)
Stella Lynn	...	Pao Chu (uncredited)
Moy Ming	...	Old Man Seeking Blessing (uncredited)
Henry S. Quan	...	Clinic Orderly (uncredited)
Walter Soo Hoo	...	Clinic Orderly (uncredited)
Kam Tong	...	Moslem Messenger (uncredited)
Sammee Tong	...	Servant (uncredited)
Noel Toy	...	Woman in Sarong (uncredited)
Marie Tsien	...	Woman in Kimono (uncredited)
Beal Wong	...	Father (uncredited)
Stephen Wong	...	Dan - Boy Leading the Father (uncredited)
Soo Yong	...	Midwife of Pao Chu (uncredited)

Directed by
Edward Dmytryk

Writing credits
Alfred Hayes		(screenplay)
William E. Barrett		(novel "The Left Hand of God")

Produced by
Buddy Adler	....	producer

Original Music by
Victor Young

Cinematography by
Franz Planer

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer

Art Direction by
Maurice Ransford
Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by
Walter M. Scott
Frank Wade

Costume Design by
Travilla

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ben Kadish	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Eugene Grossman	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound
Etter D'Orazio	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Dick Jensen	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Clyde Taylor	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant

Music Department
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator
Sidney Cutner	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Frank Tang	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1955) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1963) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere) (pan/scan)
• 20th Century Fox (1956) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Key Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Bausch & Lomb  CinemaScope lenses by
• Varèse Sarabande  score album released by (limited edition)

Also Known As:

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:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #17452) | West Germany:12 (f) | UK:A (passed with cuts)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

William Faulkner completed an adaptation of the 1950 novel for director Howard Hawks, a longtime collaborator, but the results were deemed "rather dull and sincere with an abundance of narration" by Hawks biographer Todd McCarthy and was shelved.

Goofs:

Continuity: Throughout the climactic confrontation as Carmody and Mieh Yang sit next to each other, Mieh Yang's bald head shifts repeatedly between sunshine and shadow.

Quotes:

Dr. David Sigman:I like to see a man get violent now and then. It's good for the circulation.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bogart: The Untold Story (1996) (TV)

Soundtrack:

A LOAF OF BREAD

An excellent sentimental journey

If you like warm feelings and inspirational plots, especially if you are religious, you will love this film. If you prefer PG-13 and above, don't bother. This is solid family entertainment. It has superb acting and writing, and it is very heart warming without being corny or maudlin. Bogart is at his best type cast in his standard role of a cynic from the school of hard knocks who, when put to the test, shows himself to have a heart of gold underneath it all. The extreme poverty and ignorance of Chinese rural people at this time, as well as the very successful inroads made by Catholic missionaries there during this period are accurately portrayed.