Rating: 
Summary: OUTSTANDING EFFORT FROM FOX: BUT WHERE ARE THE EXTRAS?!?!
Review: "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" is the fictional account of Gladys Aylward (Ingrid Bergman), a woman of no formal education whose only great desire in life is to become a Christian missionary in China. After much set back and rejection, Gladys makes it to a tiny Mandarin province, presided over by Yang Cheng (Robert Donat). Eager to rid his province of this English woman, Cheng gives Gladys a seemingly impossible task to perform as his foot inspector. However, when Gladys shows remarkable foresight and resilience in her duties, a strange and compelling bond and friendship between the two ensue. This would be Robert Donat's final film. He was greatly ailing from cancer during its production and his on screen farewell with Bergman seems to hits a sublimely poignant note. As the threat of warring factions begins to grow, Gladys succumbs to a romance with Lin Yan (Curt Jurgens) who advises Gladys to get out before its too late. She does but not without rescuing a small army of children to the British missionary post where she is, at long last, welcomed with open arms. This is a lush and lavishly produced romantic epic that really holds its own. Bergman excels as the somewhat backward Gladys who finds within herself a reason to live and thereafter, achieves great things through vigilance and determination.
This is a film I remember first seeing on late night television some ten years ago. Of course then it was not in widescreen and its color negative had been ravaged by time and neglect. FOX Home Video has done an OUTSTANDING JOB on this reissue. The film is presented in its proper Cinemascope aspect ratio and looks years younger. Colors are rich, well balanced and incredible vivid. Black levels are strong. Edge enhancement, aliasing and pixelization or rarely seen. Contrast levels are strong. There is an incredible amount of fine detail rendered throughout, even during the darkest scenes. WOW! After such a stunning video presentation the audio falls a little short of expectations. It's NOT 5.1 but Stereo Surround and, at times, suffers from a muffled characteristic. But again, it is a complete improvement over the state that this film has usually been seen in.
Here's my only beef with this disc - NO EXTRAS - save an audio commentary and movietones trailer. Come on, Fox! A film worthy enough of being in your "Studio Series" deserves at least a making-of featurette or biography on Ingrid Bergman!
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING EFFORT FROM FOX: BUT WHERE ARE THE EXTRAS?!?!
Review: "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" follows a backward woman (Ingrid Bergman)to a Mandarin province where she becomes a missionary and saves the lives of a small army of children. This is a lush, lavishly produced epic that really holds its own.
TRANSFER: This is a film I remember first seeing on late night television some ten years ago. Of course then it was not in widescreen and its color negative had been ravaged by time and neglect. FOX Home Video has done an OUTSTANDING JOB on this reissue. The film is presented in its proper Cinemascope aspect ratio and looks years younger. Colors are rich, well balanced and incredible vivid. Black levels are strong. Edge enhancement, aliasing and pixelization or rarely seen. Contrast levels are strong. There is an incredible amount of fine detail rendered throughout, even during the darkest scenes. WOW! After such a stunning video presentation the audio falls a little short of expectations. It's NOT 5.1 but Stereo Surround and, at times, suffers from a muffled characteristic.
EXTRAS: Here's my only beef with this disc - NO EXTRAS - save an audio commentary and movietones trailer. Come on, Fox! A film worthy enough of being in your "Studio Series" deserves at least a making-of featurette or biography special on star, Ingrid Bergman!
BOTTOM LINE: For sheer entertainment value, couple with a stunning new transfer from Fox, I highly recommend "The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness" as an addition to your home video library!
YES!
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING EFFORT FROM FOX: BUT WHERE ARE THE EXTRAS?!?!
Review: "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" is the fictional account of Gladys Aylward (Ingrid Bergman), a woman of no formal education whose only great desire in life is to become a Christian missionary in China. After much set back and rejection, Gladys makes it to a tiny Mandarin province, presided over by Yang Cheng (Robert Donat). Eager to rid his province of this English woman, Cheng gives Gladys a seemingly impossible task to perform as his foot inspector. However, when Gladys shows remarkable foresight and resilience in her duties, a strange and compelling bond and friendship between the two ensue. This would be Robert Donat?s final film. He was greatly ailing from cancer during its production and his on screen farewell with Bergman seems to hits a sublimely poignant note. As the threat of warring factions begins to grow, Gladys succumbs to a romance with Lin Yan (Curt Jurgens) who advises Gladys to get out before its too late. She does but not without rescuing a small army of children to the British missionary post where she is, at long last, welcomed with open arms. This is a lush and lavishly produced romantic epic that really holds its own. Bergman excels as the somewhat backward Gladys who finds within herself a reason to live and thereafter, achieves great things through vigilance and determination.
This is a film I remember first seeing on late night television some ten years ago. Of course then it was not in widescreen and its color negative had been ravaged by time and neglect. FOX Home Video has done an OUTSTANDING JOB on this reissue. The film is presented in its proper Cinemascope aspect ratio and looks years younger. Colors are rich, well balanced and incredible vivid. Black levels are strong. Edge enhancement, aliasing and pixelization or rarely seen. Contrast levels are strong. There is an incredible amount of fine detail rendered throughout, even during the darkest scenes. WOW! After such a stunning video presentation the audio falls a little short of expectations. It's NOT 5.1 but Stereo Surround and, at times, suffers from a muffled characteristic. But again, it is a complete improvement over the state that this film has usually been seen in.
Here's my only beef with this disc - NO EXTRAS - save an audio commentary and movietones trailer. Come on, Fox! A film worthy enough of being in your "Studio Series" deserves at least a making-of featurette or biography on Ingrid Bergman!
Rating:
Summary: Break out the Kleenex...
Review: ...for this manipulative, mawkish tear-jerker. The story feels superficial (you never get a feeling for Aylward's sense of spirituality, only the very ocassional bit of tacked-on religiosity), and it's all grossly sentimental. All those feel-good moments with singing kids and long hugs actually detract from the important message about selfless service by making self-sacrifice seem all too easy and romantic, even in the face of brutal Japanese invasion. The casting choices will try your suspsension of disbelief, to say the least: a Swede as an Englishwoman, a hulking German as a half-Dutch/half-Chinese colonel, and an Englishman as a Chinese mandarin. That said, this is still a fun film if you take it for what it is. It boasts an unusual story and exotic setting, and Bergman is as radiant as ever (even if she overacts in a couple scenes). Donat and Jurgens are uqually winning, in their own way. Hardly Bergman's best film, but certainly worth a watch if you're a fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Inn of the Sixth Happiness
Review: An absolutely wonderful true story of one woman's undying faith and trust in God.
Rating:
Summary: Love Prevails
Review: An excellent accounting of how Love picks out a person to do Love's bidding irrespective of what the will of established or institutional government and religion would decide! A movie that has inspired me to this day!
Rating:
Summary: Love Prevails
Review: An excellent accounting of how Love picks out a person to do Love's bidding irrespective of what the will of established or institutional religion would decide! A movie that has inspired me to this day! Scott M. Huber
Rating:
Summary: A great family movie, with a hint of romance and drama.
Review: Based on the true story of an Englishwoman in China during the middle of the 20th century, this film shows the resilence, courage, perseverance and faith with which one person faced physical, cultural and spiritual challenges. While not all parts are historically accurate, the film's climaxing journey is based on actual fact. A delight for Bergman fans and those interested in China or missionary endeavors.
Rating:
Summary: A Missionary with a true mission in life!!
Review: I have fond memories of watching this movie with my Grandparents at their cabin when I was young. It was a little hard to follow because I was a kid then. As I've gotten older, this movie has come to mean a lot to me. With hard work, anyone can accomplish anything. This is a wonderful example of someone who is willing to do anything that needs doing, including helping so many children to safety during the war. This movie continues to move me when I watch it as it has throughout my life. I was a little disappointed by the ending because you don't know what happens to the gentleman who was the Mayor of the town; he bids Jenai good-bye and you hope he continues to go on with his life, he was such a nice guy! I will always hold this movie with high regard and Hollywood definately needs to make more movies like this one in light of what happened on 9/11 this year.
I recommend this movie for family viewing although it may be terrifying for young children; war scenes, carnage, etc.
Rating:
Summary: Finally Inn Of THe Sixth Happiness is on DVD
Review: I just recently bought this DVD and I love it a lot. I also like the fact that it has a lot of neat specail features. A Brief Description: This Movie takes place in war-torn Japan. Ingrid Bergman is a helper and she helps take the Japaneese children to safety. This movie is a real tear-jerker for me. I think it is really cute when she teaches the kids how to sing. This Old Man. As they are walking to saftey. It also has some romance in it. Great Movie. 5 Star Rating.
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