The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
NR | 11 December 1958 (USA)
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness Trailers

All her life, Englishwoman Gladys Aylward knew that China was the place where she belonged. Not qualified to be sent there as a missionary, Gladys works as a domestic to earn the money to send herself to a poor, remote village. There she eventually lives a full and happy life: running the inn, acting as "foot inspector", advising the local Mandarin, and even winning the heart of mixed race Captain Lin Nan. But Gladys discovers her real destiny when the country is invaded by Japan and the Chinese children need her to save their lives. Based on a true story.

Reviews
Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
scrwrrd I knew this movie when I was a high school student. I belonged to wind orchestra club in high school, and I played the songs medley of this movie. Malcom Arnold who compose the musics of this movie is one of the great composers in the world. Then, we wanted to know details of the story and backgrounds, so we watched it together. This is the old movie, but image is clear and story is easy to understand. Of course, songs are good and suits the each scenes, but also the story is good. It is so moving story. Characters are attractive. It is made based on a novel, so it has reality. I think that The Sixth Happiness is a good theme.
LauraLeeWasHere This movie is based on the book, "The Small Woman" which is the true story of Gladys Alyward who went to China as a missionary. However, Hollywood writers decided to mess with the story a bit and include a love interest in the form of Kurt Jurgen. But in spite of some unnecessary additions and some unnecessary cuts (like a lot of the Christian themes) this story is so fantastic that this is a movie that stands up all these years later. Like they say, "Truth is stranger than fiction". What is worth noting is that it is the final role of Robert Donat (best known for his portrayal and Oscar in "Good-bye, Mister Chips"). The final scene Robert Donat ever acted on screen was when the head of the city wants it put into the city's final records (before it is deserted because of the invading Japanese) that he has become a Christian. Even though this movie might seem to have the ingredients to make it very mushy (a la "The Sound of Music"), it is so based in real life that it is able to sustain the gritty realism that a person would face going to a remote place in China in the years before World War 2 (and indoor plumbing). For young and old; man or woman, this is a film for anyone and everyone. ~~ by Laura-Lee
Claudio Carvalho 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")
skylinegtr2500 I saw the trailer for this on PBS and at first I thought I be in for a cringe-fest a la Charlie Chan. I've become a fan of many "for us by us" Hong Kong and Asian movies with real actors and actresses, so from these movies, my expectations are a little more refined than those who might see Hero as "that Japanese or Chinese movie." Instead of cringing, I found a thoroughly enjoyable movie with its heart in the right place. Someone commented that Ingrid Bergman was for real this one, and I got that impression as well.I believe the foot-binding practice had been officially banned by the Manchus but the ban had never been really enforced, especially in the more remote areas. The foot-binding scene was really nice. It did not imply "I am western-person, I will save you Chinese from this stupid practice." Very simple, nicely done.
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