Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)

During World War II, an American marine and an Irish nun form an unlikely friendship after being stranded on a South Pacific island. They find comfort in one another as the two hope for a rescue.

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

John Lee Mahin (screenplay), John Huston (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, Deborah Kerr

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Deborah Kerr	...	Sister Angela
Robert Mitchum	...	Corporal Allison USMC

Storyline

In 1944, the castaway Corporal Allison, adrift in a raft since his ship was attacked, lands on tiny Tuasiva Island, where he meets Sister Angela. She tells him that she is the only person on the island, having been left behind while trying to evacuate a priest. The nun and the marine are stranded, but the island offers a bountiful supply of food. However, their paradisiacal life ends when the Japanese arrive to build an outpost, forcing "Mr." Allison and the nun to take refuge in a cave. The marine's expertise in such conditions proves to be vital to their survival, and the two grow ever closer.

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Plot Keywords:

title same as book | 1940s | fruit picking | sea turtle | prayer | 

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Taglines:

John Huston's Greatest! Tough...Humourous...Tender!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Supposedly Robert Mitchum's favorite film role he played.

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Goofs

While in the cave during the Navy shelling, Allison says the four Japanese 105's are "hid real good". In fact, as is clear when Allison takes action against the "big rifles," they are quite exposed, without overhead protection, and would be highly vulnerable to the shelling, although hard to see from aircraft due to the camouflage netting (which had been blown away at one site). The Navy would have concentrated its preparatory fire on the landing beach, where the 105's were, although there would have been no assurance all could have been knocked out.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: 1944 SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

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Connections

Featured in Robert Mitchum, le mauvais garçon d'Hollywood (2017)

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Soundtracks

Rappa Kimigayo
(uncredited)

User Reviews

underrated Huston classic

This film shows the depth of feeling that John Huston was capable of as a director. It also shows how wonderfully he handled actors, eliciting great performances from both Mitchum and Kerr. Though it doesn't have the humor of The African Queen, it shows a similar since of dignity to the characters. It also shows respect for the audience in that it doesn't feel the need to resort to romantic over-indulgences or tear-jerking death scenes to win us over. Both characters remain intact physically and spiritually at the end. Also worth mentioning is Oswald Morris's beautiful location photography on the island of Tobago. Fox did a wonderful job on the DVD transfer.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

13 March 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

Filming Locations:

Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1