Simply Perfect

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

"The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" tells the true story of Gladys Aylward, an Englishwoman in the 1930s who was turned down when she applied to be a missionary in China and instead decided to pack up and head there on her own to see what contributions she could make. As with all movies based on true events, I have no idea how accurate this movie is, and I don't much care. I look to movies to tell me good storied well told, not dogged recreations of things as they actually happened, and I know how to take my films with a grain of salt, thank you very much. And this movie tells a good story, and tells it very well.Ingrid Bergman shines as Aylward in a much more physical role than any I'd seen her in previously. The film turns into a kind of Chinese version of the "The Sound of Music" in its later parts, as Aylward leads a large group of children from one village to another across a harsh and rugged landscape in order to find safety from political conflict. But unlike the famous musical, this movie shows what it would actually be like to trudge across frozen mountains, or at least it comes closer to recreating what it would be like than did Rodgers and Hammerstein. One can't help but feel like this is a very sanitized version of events, but come on, this was 1958, and in any case would anyone want to watch a movie about the acute suffering of a bunch of children?A love story gets old fast and feels obligatory, even if it actually happened. On the other hand, I thought I would find Robert Donat cringe worthy playing a Chinese elder in yellow face, but I thought his parts of the movie were rather delightful.For what it's worth, my mother turned my on to this movie because the real Gladys Aylward visited her high school back in the 1950s to speak about the experiences depicted in this film, and she claimed that the movie was fairly accurate.Mark Robson received a Best Director nomination for this movie, the only nomination it managed to collect. Grade: A-

Fairly good transfer from book to screen. Ms. Bergman brings vitality to the portrayal, if not a bit showier than I would expect Ms. Aylward to have been. I suppose there's more interest in that posture than accomplishing in a more self-effacing manner. While Ms. Aylward developed strength and leadership ability, I can't see her being so much the center of attention. One of her gifts was the ability to promote others and involve them in her vision. There needn't be a disturbance about a close bond forming with a man. That does not translate to an affair. The usual film embellishment is likely responsible for the angst and denial. However, the fact is true to the book. Yet, Ms. Aylward was able to have a close relationship with a man without moral compromise. Her dedication to her life calling was kept in priority when the circumstances of the time made a personal alliance impractical. I understand from reports that Ms. Aylward was embarrassed by the handling of the "love interest." This is an overall honoring account of a missionary figure. A true giver and lover of people is never a boring subject. Besides, it is inherent that missionaries have adventures. David Livingston is one case in point. There is a treasure trove of other fascinating stories out there, should they be mined and shared.I don't share the idolization of the actress over the substantial person who is the subject of the film. That would be choosing shadow over substance. No comparison. Bergman had an acting gift; Ms. Aylward had a gift of life, which she generously bestowed.

In the 30's, the working-class Englishwoman Gladys Aylward (Ingrid Bergman) leaves Liverpool and arrives in London, trying to join the China Missionary Society expecting to be sent to China. However, having only ordinary schooling, her request is turned down due to her lack of qualification to the position. Gladys works hard as a maid and uses all her savings and salaries to buy a train ticket to Tientsin. Then she travels by mule to the remote province of Wangcheng, where she works with the Englishwoman Jeannie Lawson (Athene Seyler) and the Chinese cook Yang (Peter Chong) in the Inn of the Sixth Happiness. When Ms. Lawson has an accident and dies, Gladys has no money to run the establishment and accepts the position of "foot inspector" offered by the Mandarin Hsien Chang (Robert Donat). She is assigned to visit the countryside to promote and enforce the government's law against foot binding Chinese girls. She is successful, changes her nationality to Chinese and her name to Jen-ai (meaning "the one who loves people"), surprising the skeptical bi-racial Captain Lin Nan (Curt Jurgens). When Wangcheng is invaded by the Japanese, Jen-ai travels through the mountains with one hundred children to save them from death."The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" is a wonderful and engaging epic based on the true story of the enlightened Gladys Aylward. Her biography romanticized by Hollywood is awesome, and the movie is fantastic. Ingrid Bergman is stunning in the role of a servant in a period of class struggle in London determined to go to China where she believes she belongs and has a mission from God to be accomplished. The colors and the landscapes are impressive, but the cast of Ingrid Bergman as a woman not gorgeous; Curt Jurgens as a Chinese-Caucasian; and Robert Donat as a Chinese is weird, but they have perfect performances and I believe that is what matters in a film. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): "A Morada da Sexta Felicidade" ("The Inn of the Sixth Happiness")

I don't know if the real Ingrid Bergman was a saint, but she was better than any other actor or actress at conveying the saintly in us.Bergman positively glows in this simple tale of a maid, who is rejected as a missionary and achieves greatness all the same. She is incredibly moving.The art direction is also magnificent, and wholly convincing.The rest of the cast is doing their best, but neither Curt Jurgens nor Robert Donat are very convincing as Chinese characters. Also disappointing is Sir Malcolm Arnold's score. It is certainly not overly Chinese. As a matter of fact, it could be used for any British war film.I also just saw a very similar movie "The Devil at 4 O'Clock." Sixth Happiness is considerably better, thanks to Bergman, and the decision not to have a subplot for the teenagers. Next to Happiness, Devil seems calculating and a bit cynical too.