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IMDb > Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
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Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   2,341 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 13% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Huston
Writers:
John Lee Mahin (screenplay) and
John Huston (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 March 1957 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Adventure | Drama | War more
Plot:
A Marine and a Nun, both shipwrecked on a Pacific Island, find solace in one another as the two wait out the war. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Actress Deborah Kerr Dies at 86
 (From IMDb News. 18 October 2007)

User Comments:
Huston's treasure island. more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Additional Details

Runtime:
108 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Japanese
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) | 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (certificate #18380) | Canada:PG (video rating) | UK:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15
Filming Locations:
Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The director and the explosives expert were reportedly left hanging onto an elevated platform on location--uninjured--after a short-circuit in explosives-effect wiring unexpectedly set off all of some 30 planted detonation devices at one time. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: Robert Mitchum is shown throughout the movie wearing a metal expansion bracelet for his wristwatch. Such bracelets were introduced by Speidel in the 1950s. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Cpl. Allison, USMC: Let's just keep it quiet, ma'am. You speak English?
Sister Angela: Yes.
Cpl. Allison, USMC: Are there any Japs around?
Sister Angela: You're... You're an American.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "The Sopranos: For All Debts Public and Private (#4.1)" (2002) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
20 out of 28 people found the following comment useful:-
Huston's treasure island., 31 December 2002
Author: dbdumonteil

One of Huston's buried treasures,this offbeat tale of a nun and a marine stuck on an island.They say it was to be directed by Wyler,but he turned it down and went to make "desperate hours".

Deborah Kerr had already played a nun in Powell-Pressburger's excellent "Black narcissus",and the part was tailor-made for her.The same goes for Robert Mitchum as a crude,simple,but with a golden heart marine.People cannot help but be struck with the analogies between "heaven" and "African queen" :both feature an odd couple,in jeopardy;that's why the former is overlooked today which is totally unfair.

The two characters are extremely endearing and,when the movie is over,it seems we've always known Sister Angela and Corporal Allison.I dig the line:"it's a gourmet's dish" when the nun is eating turtle soup.I love the way the scenarists show the analogies between a nun's and a marine's lives.The Garden of Eden metaphor is obvious,but the story subtly progresses,and the Snake's temptation happens late in the movie.

The cinematography is splendid,with a superb use of cinemascope,and Georges Delerue's score deserves admiration.Yes "heaven knows..." is certainly one of Huston's sleepers.But I wonder what Luis Bunuel would have done with such a screenplay.

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Mitchum Favorite! layrue@camasnet.com
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