Harrison's Reports (1962)

30 HARRISON'S REPORTS March 3, 1962 "Satan Never Sleeps" with William Holden, Clifton Webb, France Nuyen (lOth-Fox, Current; 125 mins.) GOOD. As soon as you say this was both produced and directed by Leo McCarey, that he also helped do the screenplay and it deals with two priests, one young and attractive and the other quite old and almost submissively demanding, and up comes the comparison with McCarey's Oscar-winning "Going My Way." You've got to go back 18 years to think of the greatness of that film, but no matter what the distance, you may find yourself comparing the two. "Satan Never Sleeps" is no "Going My Way." But, it has a lot of the goodness of pleasing entertainment to its credit. Cleaved out of the spiritually inspiring bedrock of faith, " faith in man, in his destiny, faith even in the victory over the bestiality of communistic hordes. They have taken over the occupation of Southwest China where stands the simple mission, man's testament to his God amidst the slaughter and crumbling decay of a village whose people could no longer hold on to their faiths. To do so would be at the risk of life itself. We found the film not altogether disappointing. In fact, it left you with a warm glow that somehow, in the midst of all the war-torn suffering, those with abiding faith have something to live for. Though this deals with the China of 1949, the camera-crews found the scenic investiture they were looking for in Wales and in England. There is a serenity to some of the scenes that leave their beautiful imprint on your mind. As the Pearl S. Buck tale ("The China Story") plays itself out against these backgrounds you find yourself going along with this tale of a lonely Chinese girl hopelessly in love with a young priest. Lovely France Nuyen endears herself to you with her appealing wistful approach to the role. William Holden, as the young priest, suffers embarrassment almost throughout the whole film because of the faith this waif (Miss Nuyen) places in her dream that this man of the cloth will be her husband. Clifton Webb, as a priest for a while seems almost out of character because of the caustic, almost sardonic roles we've seen him in so many times in the past. But, he too wears on you pleasantly and makes his role of impatient, strong-willed priest believable. Photography throughout, of a high order. It's in CinemaScope and color. William Holden is late in arriving at his mission in Southwest China where he is to relieve Clifton Webb. With Holden has come France Nuyen whom he saved from drowning. According to Chinese custom Holden is now responsible for this life he saved. The girl is madly in love with him. A horde of Chinese Red soldiers arrive and that means that Webb and the rest are now their prisoners. Brutality sets in under the hand of the Red Colonel who as a baby was baptized by the priest. The chapel is soon destroyed. This causes Webb's collapse. The captain (Weaver Lee) rapes the priests' housegirl (Miss Nuyen) . She stabs Lee. The clerics save his life. Lee is denounced as a poor Commie bossman of the town. He is to be demoted. He also witnesses the murder of his father and mother. Now as a re-convert he plans an escape with the two priests and Miss Nuyen who is now the mother of his (illegitimate son). Because Webb sacrifices his life, they arrive safely in Hong Kong where Miss Nuyen and Lee are married and the child baptized. Produced and directed by Leo McCarey; with Claude Binyon he did the screenplay which is based on the novel "The China Story" by Pearl S. Buck. General patronage. "Whistle Down The Wind" with Hayley Mills, Aian Bates, Bernard Lee (PatheAmerica, March-April; 98 rams.) GOOD. This import from Britain proves once again that Hayley Mills is an accomplished actress at the age of fifteen. Viewers were first impressed with her talents in "Tiger Bay" again in "Pollyanna" and "Parent Trap" and theyjjl be impressed here as well by the simple yet attractive story that is entirely believable from a child's impressionistic point of view. Audiences of all ages should like what they see and interest is very well maintained throughout the film. Once in a while some adults get in the way of the children, but they are put in their proper place soon enough in the yarn. The surrounding countryside of the North of England fits the pattern of presentation. Direction and production are superior. Word of mouth may be an influencing factor boxofficewise as this novel by Hayley Mills' mother, Mary Hayley Bell, seems to fit her daughter like the proverbial glove. The film can play regulation houses or in the art theatres. Photography, very good. The three children of farmer Bernard Lee, Hayley Mills, Diane Holgate and Alan Barnes, the youngest, rescue three kittens whom handyman Norman Bird tries to drown. They hide them in the barn after a Salvation Army worker tells Barnes that Jesus Christ will help care for his kittens. Miss Mills scoffs at this. At night, she goes to check on the kittens and finds haggard and unshaven Alan Bates with a hurt leg. She asks who he is and he replies, presumably in relief that she is only a child, "Jesus Christ." She, Holgate and Barnes believe he is Christ because his unshaven features resemble pictures of the holy figure and they are determined to protect him from Crucifixion by the adults. In reality, he is Alan Bates, a murderer escaped from the police. Barnes tells some other children. They also come to see him. Barnes gives Bates his kitten to care for and when he finds the animal dead, his faith is shattered. Miss Mills continues to believe he is Christ and gets him a hidden parcel containing a gun. At a birthday party for Barnes, FIolgate unintentionally reveals about the stranger in the barn and police are summoned. Children from all over arrive and Bates surrenders quietly preferring not to wound any of the youngsters or shatter their faith. The children watch him go and the Mills youngster is convinced he will return. Produced by Richard Attenborough; directed by Bryan Forbes from a screenplay by Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse based on an original novel by Mary Hayley Bell. General patronage.