Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

"They were alone on this Pacific Island... trapped behind enemy lines... the marine who had been thru Hell and Sister Angela with her supreme faith in God."

1957 1h 48m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 149

AdventureWarDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A Roman Catholic nun and a hard-bitten US Marine are stranded together on a Japanese-occupied island in the South Pacific during World War II. Under constant threat of discovery by a ruthless enemy, they hide in a cave and forage for food together. Their forced companionship and the struggle for survival forge a powerful emotional bond between them.

“They were alone on this Pacific Island... trapped behind enemy lines... the marine who had been thru Hell and Sister Angela with her supreme faith in God.”

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Cast

Deborah Kerr
Sister Angela
Robert Mitchum
Corporal Allison USMC

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Huston
Writers: John Lee Mahin, John Huston
Languages: English, Japanese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Huston, shot by Oswald Morris. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Georges Auric. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Russell Lloyd shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They were alone on this Pacific Island... trapped behind enemy lines... the marine who had been thru Hell and Sister Angela with her supreme faith in God.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Huston directs. Oswald Morris behind the camera. Georges Auric scores. Russell Lloyd cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

169 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by John Huston, shot by Oswald Morris. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Georges Auric. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Russell Lloyd shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "They were alone on this Pacific Island... trapped behind enemy lines... the marine who had been thru Hell and Sister Angela with her supreme faith in God.".
9IMDB entry: tt0050490 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "nun", "world war ii", "pacific war", "religion".

The technical file

Cinematography: Oswald Morris
Original score: Georges Auric
Editing: Russell Lloyd
Costume design: Elizabeth Haffenden
Makeup / hair: George Frost
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)

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John Huston

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Namekeeper2024-02-04
★ 7/10
This is a great but underrated movie. Just because there aren't a lot of actors, the relationship between the two main characters is a wonderful thing to watch. It's too bad the other actors of note are not listed, such as I. Miynai, S. Nakagawa, Akiro Ohno and Masao Ukon. It's worth watching.
CinemaSerf2026-03-20
★ 7/10
US Marine “Allison” (Robert Mitchum) is shot down over a remote Pacific island and is lucky to make it safely ashore. Exploring what looks like an abandoned village he encounters it’s sole surviving human resident. A nun. “Sister Angela” (Deborah Kerr) is just as surprised to see him as he her, but soon they are working together as a most unlikely team. When they are overflown by a Japanese aircraft, they abandon their seaside dwellings and take up refuge, à la “Robinson Crusoe”, in a well concealed cave. What now ensues sees the pair play quite a perilous cat and mouse with the invaders, all whilst she steadfastly refuses to remove her bright white habit. Now there’s a fair degree of predictability about the story and it’s conclusion, but along the way we get a chance to enjoy a sharply and warmly written production that showcases both of these actors at their most engaging. Starting from polar opposites of attitude, beliefs and approaches to life we follow a path that isn’t afraid to throw up some obstacles to both character’s preconceived conceptions of life and love, and each of them seem to bounce off the other as if they were enjoying their time spent amidst the creepy crawlies, wild boar and menacing sons of Nippon. Mitchum proves charismatic and a perfect foil for a Kerr who’s depiction of her religious convictions are a little less entrenched than those she presented ten years earlier in “Black Narcissus”. It says a lot for both that they can hold this together for almost two hours by themselves, and it’s wartime message is neatly tempered by an unsentimental dose of humanity. Worth a watch, I’d say.