On H List of Movie Reviews
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Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
4/14, 2/24
4/14:
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is a superb Robinson Crusoe type of picture that features a Marine and a nun hiding
from the Japanese soldiers during WWII.
Deborah Kerr is fair herself and does what she can. Anyone could've played her role just the same. The real reason why
the film gets an '8' from me is Robert Mitchum who was surprisingly not Oscar-nominated. He's very good, engaging, human,
and personable.
The best scene is when Robert Mitchum, in his camouflaged face, snuck inside the storeroom of canned victuals but got trapped
at the top of the shelf. It's done with high tension, making his performance highly memorable. Of course, a great
deal of credit goes to John Huston for his innate knack of making wonderful films.
All in all, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is worth watching because it's a great war picture with a superb performance
by Robert Mitchum.
2/24:
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is Robert Mitchum's movie, so why was Deborah Kerr nominated for an Oscar but not him?
That's hard to believe. Robert Mitchum stole the show in every scene. All Deborah Kerr could do is to be awed of him.
The best part is when he's inside the building to get food for her. It's the most intense acting. The other is when
he performed many stunts; that's when I knew he was doing it for real, especially when the waves were crashing on him.
The whole thing looks real because John Huston made sure of no fakery. Hence, it was shot on location in Trinidad and Tobago.
What's nice is that the nun was never in love with Mr. Allison. She held fast to her beliefs while he had a hard time dealing with
the fact but got over it. No matter what, it's an exicting WWII adventure that's set in the South Pacific.
All in all, Robert Mitchum is brilliant in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, a top five performance of his career.