THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS (1958) C widescreen 158m dir: Mark Robson

w/Ingrid Bergman, Curt Jurgens, Robert Donat, Ronald Squire, Athene Seyler, Peter Chong

Excellently acted drama of a missionary woman during the Chino-Japanese War and her attempts to lead some children to safety on a perilous trek through enemy territory. The film's a bit long, but the performances of Bergman and Donat (THE 39 STEPS, GOODBYE MR. CHIPS) are splendid.

From Variety's review of the film: "Bergman's early scenes as she strives to get to China and begins the urgent task of winning the confidence of the Chinese are brilliantly done with humor and a sense of urgent dedication.

"A standout performance comes from Robert Donat as an astute yet benign mandarin. It was Donat's swan song before his untimely death and only rarely can signs of his physical collapse be detected.

"The film was shot in Wales and in the Elstree studio, converted expertly to a Chinese village. Mark Robson's direction slickly catches both the sweep of the crowd sequences and the more intimate ones."

Robson received an Oscar nomination for his direction.