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Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

  • 1957
  • Approved
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
8.9K
YOUR RATING
Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
Trailer for this classic comedy
Play trailer3:13
1 Video
36 Photos
AdventureDramaWar

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 re... Read allDuring 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.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
    • John Huston
    • Charles Shaw
  • Stars
    • Robert Mitchum
    • Deborah Kerr
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    8.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John Huston
    • Writers
      • John Lee Mahin
      • John Huston
      • Charles Shaw
    • Stars
      • Robert Mitchum
      • Deborah Kerr
    • 90User reviews
    • 49Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 1 win & 7 nominations total

    Videos1

    Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
    Trailer 3:13
    Watch Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

    Photos36

    Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
    Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
    Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
    Deborah Kerr in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
    Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
    Deborah Kerr in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
    Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
    Deborah Kerr in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
    Deborah Kerr in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
    Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
    Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
    Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robert Mitchum
    Robert Mitchum
    • Corporal Allison USMC
    Deborah Kerr
    Deborah Kerr
    • Sister Angela
    • Director
      • John Huston
    • Writers
      • John Lee Mahin
      • John Huston
      • Charles Shaw
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When filming began, Robert Mitchum worried that Deborah Kerr would be like the prim characters she frequently played. However, after she swore at director John Huston during one take, Mitchum, who was in the water, almost drowned laughing. The two stars went on to have an enduring friendship which lasted until Mitchum's death in 1997.
    • Goofs
      Allison is shown throughout the movie wearing a metal expansion bracelet for his wristwatch. Such bracelets were introduced by Speidel in the 1950s.
    • Quotes

      Cpl. Allison, USMC: I, uh... I've never loved anyone or anybody before... I've never even *lived* before. Never really... lived... inside. That's why I want to ask you to marry me. I want to look after you... not only while we're here but for the rest of our lives. So, tell me, ma'am, if there's a chance.

      [awkward pause]

      Cpl. Allison, USMC: I don't mean to give offense. ma'am, but... is there?

      Sister Angela: No, Mr. Allison. You see, I've already given my heart... to Jesus Christ, our Lord.

      Cpl. Allison, USMC: Like you was engaged or somethin'?

      Sister Angela: Yes.

      [shows him her left hand]

      Sister Angela: This is the ring, and when I take my final vows, I'll wear a gold one: a marriage ring.

      Cpl. Allison, USMC: Oh, I didn't know it was set up like that. I guess I didn't have no right to speak.

      [slaps the box beside him, stands up]

      Cpl. Allison, USMC: Well, I guess I'll go fix that lean-to for ya!

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits prologue: 1944 SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC
    • Connections
      Featured in The Sopranos: For All Debts Public and Private (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      Rappa Kimigayo
      (uncredited)

    User reviews90

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Extremely impressive John Huston movie which - criminally - has been largely overlooked in recent times.
    It's always interesting to hear what movie directors think of their own work, and John Huston once made a very insightful comment about this 1957 film which he made for 20th Century Fox:- "Allison is seldom referred to. But I think it was one of the best things I ever made". Huston has hit the nail squarely on the head with this comment. It is - just as he states - a film that has faded into obscurity as the years have passed. It is also paradoxically one of his great works. Perhaps The African Queen, The Red Badge Of Courage, The Asphalt Jungle and Treasure Of The Sierra Madre rank in the director's very top tier of work, but Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is definitely among the front-runners in the second tier.

    The story is extremely simple, but absorbing. American marine Allison (Robert Mitchum) is washed ashore on a Pacific island during WWII. The only other person on the island is a nun named Sister Angela (Deborah Kerr). Although they are totally different types of people - and in other circumstances might well have looked down their noses at each other - they find that their mutual plight draws them together and creates a very close friendship. Their situations worsens, however, when a Japanese force arrives and stations a garrison on the island. Allison and Sister Angela find themselves in genuinely grave danger now. Initially, they were merely shipwrecked.... but the arrival of the Japanese soldiers places them in the very midst of the enemy, with nowhere to run and almost nowhere to hide.

    As it was made in 1957, the filming was fraught with difficulties, because at that time the Catholic church imposed strict censorship laws on films dealing with religious situations or characters. In the original Charles Shaw book which provided the inspiration for the film, the marine and the nun fell in love.... but it would have been deemed offensive if that were to happen in a 1957 film, so Huston had to create a revised resolution in which the marine and nun gain strength, hope and determination from each other without ever physically consummating their relationship. The performances are meticulous, with Mitchum showing what depth and sensitivity he could bring to a part when asked to do more than his usual man-of-action thing. Kerr is, if anything, even better and earned a thoroughly worthy Oscar nomination (she was eventually beaten - probably undeservedly - by Joanne Woodward). Oswald Morris shoots the film splendidly, ensuring that it is always pleasing to the eye, while Huston expertly juggles the suspense and the sensitivity. Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is a really first-rate film and how sad it is that such a likable motion picture has become virtually forgotten.
    helpful•77
    11
    • barnabyrudge
    • Nov 4, 2005

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    FAQ7

    • What is 'Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison' about?
    • Is ' Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison' based on a book?
    • Does the island have a name?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 13, 1957 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Bog zna, gospodine Alison
    • Filming locations
      • Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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