Humphrey Bogart as a Catholic priest in China. He comes, he takes over for a priest who died from th
Humphrey Bogart as a Catholic priest in China. He comes, he takes over for a priest who died from the stress of the mission. From the get-go the script is Very Aware of the strangeness of Bogart-As-Man-Of-God. The tone starts out very dour, giving us permission to see this priest (who begins by crossing a river and mountains) as a tired man, perfunctory in his duties. He has excuses and wakes up late. He’s certainly not shy about admitting his attraction to the missionary nurse who assists the irreligious doctor (Dr. Sigmund!!!) and his wife at the hospital. The nurse for her part seems to regard Father O'Shea with respect but secretly falls for him, or so the doctor’s wife tells him, in an effort to save her from staying in China. Bogart is encouragedd to visit the Methodist mission on the other side of the mountain to give the love pinings some space. There are some subplots. Some business about a warlord who won’t attack on certain conditions, a pilot spouse who crashed, and a fun piano scene where Bogart plays and sings (it’s okay, he has enough bravura for the rest of us and somehow pulls it off). Anyways, Bogart goes to the Methodist reverand for a collegial tete-a-tete and it is at this point that we meet The Volta, and the film transforms dramatically (no really, the drama changes) and then refolds back upon itself, ending neatly but with a bit too much self gratification. In no way an unworthy film. There are problems, the ones you’d suspect: dubbing the parishioners, garish chinese-y music (the music in general is overweaning - have the plaintive violins ever made themselves so self-evident?), and despite a brilliant village set and a generous loan by the natural scenery there are no real Chinese characters who matter. On the other hand, the dialogue is pretty snappy and rarely lags. The characters of Dr. Sigmund and his wife Beryl are very capably fleshed out by EG Marshall and Agnes Moorehead. Gene Tierney plays “Scotty” the priest-smitten nurse. The stand out is Bogart as this priest who is (as the film self consciously reminds us) so very magnetic. @humphreybogart #thelefthandofgod #humphreybogart #film #movie #movies #classicfilms (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4CNs5NJDBs/?igshid=1ec5pfkbsbjng -- source link
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