The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)

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(4,246 ratings)

Alan Burgess' novel The Small Woman was the source for the British/American co-production Inn of the Sixth Happiness. Set in the China of the 1930s, the film stars Ingrid Bergman as real-life missionary Gladys Aylward. Against the advice of practically everyone, Gladys heads into the war-ravaged… More Alan Burgess' novel The Small Woman was the source for the British/American co-production Inn of the Sixth Happiness. Set in the China of the 1930s, the film stars Ingrid Bergman as real-life missionary Gladys Aylward. Against the advice of practically everyone, Gladys heads into the war-ravaged interior to spread the Christian gospel. She finds a powerful ally in the form of an elderly Mandarin (Robert Donat) who, despite his early efforts to rid himself of the troublesome Gladys, eventually converts to Christianity. Gladys' burgeoning romance with Chinese army officer Lin Nan (Curt Jurgens) is interrupted when she is obliged to guide a group of Chinese children to safety over some of the most treacherous of Northern China's mountain regions. Inn of the Sixth Happiness retains its entertainment value some four decades after its production, even allowing for the preponderance of Occidental actors in Oriental roles. The film also served to breathe new life into the old children's nonsense song "This Old Man" (aka "Knick, Knack, Paddywhack"). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Mark Robson
Written By: Isobel Lennart, Alan Burgess
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1958 Wide
On DVD: Aug 5, 2003
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Mark Robson's loose adaptation of a British missionary's tale is well intentioned and well acted by Ingrod Bergman, but suffers from the casting of the Asian roles with actors like Robert Donat or Curt Jurgens.

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Finely wrought drama of a truly brave selfless woman. Not a lot of Hollywood artifice just a simple story of someone who felt a calling and pursued it with single minded determination to find it made her life one of meaning and importance. Ingrid Bergman is perfectly cast here and… More
Finely wrought drama of a truly brave selfless woman. Not a lot of Hollywood artifice just a simple story of someone who felt a calling and pursued it with single minded determination to find it made her life one of meaning and importance. Ingrid Bergman is perfectly cast here and give a beautiful performance supported by a fine Curt Jurgens and especially the touching and dignified Robert Donat in his last film. A winner.
Randy T

Ingrid Bergman is both beautiful and compelling in this story of an English missionary in China. Her presence elevates what would otherwise be an ethnocentric and somewhat dated film.
Dean M

Extraordinary and courage true story of an English missionary, Glady Aylward, in China who leaded 100 orphaned Chinese children to safety across enemy-hold terrian through WWII.