Heaven Knows Mr. Allison (1957)

Best movie ever on an individual during WWII in the Pacific

The movie is about a Marine washed ashore on an atol in the pacific. At the time it is inhabited by a nun who has been serving the islanders. Unfortunately their peace is short lived as Japanese invade the island and set up guns to destroy the US Naval forces that run between the atol
and other islands. "Mr Allison" has no family and the Marine Corp has been his life. Unerringly he falls in love with the Nun who cannot return his love.
Their adventures on the Japanese occuipied island are realistic especially hiding and living in a cave and almost fit the end of of a story written by John Bailey (Islands of Victory and Islands of Death) available through Amazon.com.
I saw the movie when it first came out and never forgot it. It is one I wanted for my own personal small collection of great movies and great performances by actors.

Mike Bailey May 19, 2008

Heavan Knows, Mr Allison

This is one of my favorite movies - time is not an issue. It is about a nun stranded on an island that Japanese have been and left. Mr. Allison
is Robert Mitchum, a marine, who washes ashore. They become friends and the Japanese come back. They hide in a cave with Mr. Allison looking for
food at night. All turns out well and they part to go on their own path. May 16, 2008

Excellent .....

I've always loved this movie and have been a fan of Robert Mitchum since I was a teen. This was a movie that was not in my collection and it's great to know that I can now watch it at any time. May 9, 2008

Mr. Allison...

A washed ashore marine and an abandoned nun are stranded on a remote island in the Pacific. Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr are great for each other in this movie. The marine becomes infatiated with the nun but then the island becames invaded by the Japanese. He has to become a hero to get them off the island! May 7, 2008

A rare gem

When you make a movie with only 2 principal speaking parts it is as well to ensure that your lead performers are adroit enough to carry the picture and that the chemistry between them is strong .Both these factors are present and correvt in this quite splendid picture set on an island in the South Pacific during the Second World War.Robert Mitchcum is Corporal Allison ,a US Marine ,whose ship is sunk and who comes ashore on the island to discover he is not quite alone as also in residence is Sister Angela (Deborah Kerr).They make plans to esacpe on a raft but the Japanese move in and establish a weather base there ,forcing the pair to go in hiding in a cave .From time to time he must venture out to raid the Japanese camp for food and these scenes are very well handled by director John Huston.
The screenplay ,co-written by Huston and John Lee Martin is excellent and the editing by Russell Lloyd is fluid and inventive .Add some lush Technicolor photography from the ever reliable British lensman Oswald Morris and the technical aspects are in safe hands .What keeps this as a constant pleasure however is more than anything the interpaly between the two leading figures.Mitchum and Kerr worked well together a reflection of the great affection they held for each other away from the screen .(In separate interviews on a UK chat show -Parkinson -in the 1980's they spoke of each other with genuine unsimulated warmth)The scenes between them are tender and moving ,and shot through with a kind of sorrow for their love which while it is real must ever be platonic only

A war movie for people who dont really like war movies as the conflict is essentially backdrop for a human drama of some septh and style January 5, 2008

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