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The Inn of the Sixth Happiness

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness

List Price: $14.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: When will it come out on DVD?????
Review: One of the greatest movies ever made and about a real person. I still have this movie on an old beta tape(don't laugh) and watch it it twice a year. These are the types of movies that should be preserved for the kids of the U.S.A. Please add my name to a list of DVD hopefuls.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A must for every video library ! An inspiring tear-jerker !!
Review: One rainy afternoon I was channel surfing and came across this movie and fortunately for me it was very close to the beginning. I was so drawn into the story and captivated by Ingrid Bergman's performance that I forgot I was even watching television!! This is one of the most touching and moving stories I have ever seen and (I won't give this part of the movie away) when the Chinese gave "Gladys" a new name and what that translated to in English I thought I was going to go through a whole box of tissues right then and there. The storyline, scenery and acting are superb and the fact that it is based on a true story only makes it more inspiring. My cousin is 18 years old and wants to pursue a career in the mission field and I told her many times that she has to see this film. So I'm not only going to purchase one for MY video library but one for HER'S as well.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Bergman shines in religious epic
Review: Overlong but fairly engrossing bio of Gladys Aylward, an English-woman who, despite her lack of qualifications, becomes a missionary in China. The film is episodic and covers Aylward's brief career as a parlor maid (saving money for her trip to China), her journey to China, her work at the Inn of the Sixth Happiness and the Chinese-Japanese war which results in her guiding 100+ children in an arduous journey through the mountains to a safer village. I didn't find the film as moving as other reviewers but it is well mounted and nice to look at. Bergman is outstanding as are other supporting players, most notably Curt Jergens and Robert Donat. This was Donat's last film (he died before it was released) and his last screen words are prophetic - "We shall not see each other again, I think. Farewell."

What is most notable about this dvd release is the excellent commentary by Nick Redman, Aubrey Solomon and Donald Spoto. Redman talks about the real Gladys Aylward, Solomon talks about the film production and Spoto discusses Ingrid Bergman. There were many things changed for the film version and many of them are small and inexplicable. For example, Aylward's given Chinese name was Ai-weh-deh (not Jenai), an adopted child was actually named Ninepence (Sixpense in the movie), etc. Other changes were more larger in scope - Aylward's journey to China was quite harsh and she almost died several times. The inn-keeper, Jeanne Lawson (memorably played by Athene Seyler) was no as agreeable a woman as portrayed in the film - she was actually a cantankerous person prone to fits and thought to be quite mad by the villagers. Aylward herself was thought by many to be fanatical and to put it bluntly, off her rocker. Many other fascinating aspects about the film and the women (both Aylward and Bergman) are included.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of my all time favorites!
Review: Please note that although 'Inn of the Sixth Happiness' is a well-produced, heartwarming movie starring the great actress Ingrid Bergman it was a thorn in the side of Gladys Aylward. She was deeply embarrassed by the movie because it was so full of inaccuracies. Hollywood also took great liberties with her infatuation with the Chinese Colonel Linnan, even changing him into an Eurasian. But Gladys, the most chaste of women, was horrified to learn the movie had portrayed her in 'love scenes'. She suffered greatly over what she considered her soiled reputation.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Quite simply the best!
Review: Thank you for this DVD of "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness". I am in seventh heaven, now I have the American version [which can be viewed in Europe on suitable DVD players]. The commentary is fascinating, especially what Donald Spoto has to say about Ingrid Bergman. This will be so helpful for my website, which is about the making of the film.
The late 1950s was the time of inspirational epics and, in my opinion, this is the best. On DVD you can see the beautiful scenery of Snowdonia, North Wales, used to best advantage by director Mark Robson and cinematographer Freddie Young. It's almost like watching the film in a cinema again - something I haven't done since 1959. I recommend this DVD to everyone. Ingrid Bergman's acting is hardly acting at all - more like living! She looks so stunning, at a time in her life when she was at her best [in my opinion].
In essence, the film was true to the original biography of Gladys Aylward, as told in "The Small Woman", which was not a novel, by the way.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Quite simply the best!
Review: Thank you for this DVD of "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness". I am in seventh heaven, now I have the American version [which can be viewed in Europe on suitable DVD players]. The commentary is fascinating, especially what Donald Spoto has to say about Ingrid Bergman. This will be so helpful for my website, which is about the making of the film.
The late 1950s was the time of inspirational epics and, in my opinion, this is the best. On DVD you can see the beautiful scenery of Snowdonia, North Wales, used to best advantage by director Mark Robson and cinematographer Freddie Young. It's almost like watching the film in a cinema again - something I haven't done since 1959. I recommend this DVD to everyone. Ingrid Bergman's acting is hardly acting at all - more like living! She looks so stunning, at a time in her life when she was at her best [in my opinion].
In essence, the film was true to the original biography of Gladys Aylward, as told in "The Small Woman", which was not a novel, by the way.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "The Inn of The sixth Happiness" is THE BEST!
Review: The Inn of The sixth Happiness is the best movie in the world! It's funny, touching and romantic! Ingrid is my Idol and THE BEST! NO ONE CAN EVER, EVER EQUAL HER, EVER!She is also my disent cousin and I love her like my own parents. Ingrid and THE INN will always rule! I am only 14 and am one of the BIGGEST Ingrid fans in the universe!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Noah visits the baby Jesus
Review: The Inn of the Sixth Happiness was filmed in Wales and the scenery is beautiful. Ingrid Bergman is in top form as Gladys Aylard would be missionary to China. One of my favorite scenes is when her assistant Yang, who has a fondness for Noah and his ark, is telling the diners at the inn that Noah came in his ark to visit the baby Jesus along with the wise men. When she gives him a disapproving look he goes on to explain that even though Noah was born long before Jesus people lived alot longer back then, so no one could say for sure that he couldn't have been there.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: following God's call
Review: This is a magnificent film in every aspect; the acting is brilliant, the landscapes beautiful, the drama intense. Based on the true story of Gladys Aylward, a house maid in England who was "not qualified" to be sent to China as a missionary, so went there on her own, saving every shilling earned for a ticket on the Trans-Siberian railroad. Taking place in the pre-WWII era, it's an adventure story of great spiritual courage, the chaos of war, and a romance between two independent people who never thought they would find love.

Ingrid Bergman is luminous as Gladys. It is one of her very best performances, and my personal favorite. Robert Donat, who passed away before the film was released, is also marvelous as the Mandarin of Yang Cheng, and Curt Jurgens as Captain Lin Nan is handsome and believable as the man who falls in love with Gladys. In a small but pivotal part, Athene Seyler is terrific as Jennie Lawson, the elderly missionary who helps Gladys in her early years, and Peter Chong is a delight as Yang the cook.
It is odd that the only Oscar nomination went to director Mark Robson; perhaps Bergman was overlooked because she had received a "Best Actress" for "Anastasia" two years earlier, but Bergman fans will give this film their own five-star award.

The fabulous location filming by Freddie Young was done in Snowdonia National Park, North Wales, a remarkable substitute for Shaanxi Province, in the heart of China. The village reproductions are very well done, and look incredibly similar to films I have seen shot in China. The lovely score by Malcolm Arnold adds much to the film, and Alan Burgess, whose book "The Small Woman" is the basis of the story, wrote the script, which is witty, wise and wonderful, with Isobel Lennart.
Many times I've laughed out loud , and many times I've cried watching this film; it's good for several viewings, as it is epic in scope, and the script has an intelligence that makes it a rare gem. total running time is 158 minutes.

In the film, Chinese tradition has five "Happiness" wishes: Wealth, longevity, good health, virtue, and a peaceful old age and death. "Each person must decide in their heart what the sixth happiness is".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: following God's call
Review: This is a magnificent film in every aspect; the acting is brilliant, the landscapes beautiful, the drama intense. Based on the true story of Gladys Aylward, a house maid in England who was "not qualified" to be sent to China as a missionary, so went there on her own, saving every shilling earned for a ticket on the Trans-Siberian railroad. Taking place in the pre-WWII era, it's an adventure story of great spiritual courage, the chaos of war, and a romance between two independent people who never thought they would find love.

Ingrid Bergman is luminous as Gladys. It is one of her very best performances, and my personal favorite. Robert Donat, who passed away before the film was released, is also marvelous as the Mandarin of Yang Cheng, and Curt Jurgens as Captain Lin Nan is handsome and believable as the man who falls in love with Gladys. In a small but pivotal part, Athene Seyler is terrific as Jennie Lawson, the elderly missionary who helps Gladys in her early years, and Peter Chong is a delight as Yang the cook.
It is odd that the only Oscar nomination went to director Mark Robson; perhaps Bergman was overlooked because she had received a "Best Actress" for "Anastasia" two years earlier, but Bergman fans will give this film their own five-star award.

The fabulous location filming by Freddie Young was done in Snowdonia National Park, North Wales, a remarkable substitute for Shaanxi Province, in the heart of China. The village reproductions are very well done, and look incredibly similar to films I have seen shot in China. The lovely score by Malcolm Arnold adds much to the film, and Alan Burgess, whose book "The Small Woman" is the basis of the story, wrote the script, which is witty, wise and wonderful, with Isobel Lennart.
Many times I've laughed out loud , and many times I've cried watching this film; it's good for several viewings, as it is epic in scope, and the script has an intelligence that makes it a rare gem. total running time is 158 minutes.

In the film, Chinese tradition has five "Happiness" wishes: Wealth, longevity, good health, virtue, and a peaceful old age and death. "Each person must decide in their heart what the sixth happiness is".


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