The Inn of the Sixth Happiness [DVD] [1958]

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I remember the day when the ‘Japanese bombers’ came to ‘bomb’ the Chinese. It was all very exciting.” The Beddgelert area was chosen by producer Mark Robson as a location scene because of its striking resemblance to Northern China. The work has gone well and , said Mr. Davis: “I am very grateful for the friendliness and co-operation shown by everyone here. They have helped us enormously.” For a short time in 1958, Hollywood came to the hills of Snowdonia and the slopes of Moel Dyniewyd were transformed into a Chinese city.

Aylward became a probationer at the China Inland Mission Centre in London but failed to pass the exams. She wrote to 73-year-old missionary Jeannie Lawson, who was looking for a younger woman to carry on her work in China. The Inn of the Sixth Happiness was the second most popular film at the British box office in 1959, with Carry on Nurse taking the top spot. The below photos show Ingrid, Curt and their fellow cast and crew members filming in Beddgelert and the surrounding area.On The Beach–oh yes. We used to sing “Waltzing Matilda” in grade school here in Los Angeles, however as I watched that movie even at 20-something I thought “Is that the only song ever written in Australia?” But then that earnest Stanley Kramer production (they were always earnest), just stuffed full of Americans, really jangled one’s nerves, not so much because of nuclear annihilation, but because apparently there were no Australians living in Australia at the time. I know I’m exaggerating, but still… In 1958 after being refused entry to China by the Communists, she settled in Taiwan, opened an orphanage and worked there until she died in 1970. She is buried there. And yet this is not altogether a bad film. Bergman might not have been the most appropriate choice to play Aylward, yet she still manages to create the feeling of a truly good person, both compassionate and courageous. Donat gives an excellent performance as the elderly mandarin, a conservative figure who gradually comes to accept the necessity for the changes which Lin Nan and his fellow-reformers are trying to bring about in Chinese society. (The film takes a very positive view of the Kuomintang who ruled China at the time, probably because it was made during the Cold war and they were the avowed enemies of Mao's Communists). This was Donat's last film; he died shortly after it was finished.

For the past month a team of M.G.M. construction men – they are working for the 20th Century Fox on the locale – have been bringing a breath of China to the hills above Nantmor. The “city” walls have been made out of prefabricated plastercasts clipped onto steel tube scaffolding, and from far or near they look just like the real thing. The set is complete with look-out towers of timber and Masonite, and there is a realistic gateway through which mule trains will pass when filming starts. The sets were brought to Nantmor on special lorries. Once in China, she finds her way to an obscure northern city and begins a remarkable "career" which, honestly, no one could ever have been considered qualified for. Through sheer determination, serving the poor, and following her sense of right, she becomes highly influential in the local community. When war with the Japanese threatens the area, she refuses to leave until it becomes clear that someone has to get 100 homeless orphans to a place of safety. And she is that someone. I just recently got the DVD and watched it for the second time after a gap of more than 20 years and I still see the magic of the movie and why it remains inspiring. There are, of course, quite a few creative licenses taken at the expense of the actual life of Gladys Aylward (which IMHO is actually much more inspiring) but that is to be expected with cinema.A commemorative plaque was unveiled at the reunion in North Wales by the actor Burt Kwouk who played the part of schoolteacher Li.

The treatment of the Lin Nan episode shows just how strange Hollywood's racial politics could be in the fifties. Lin was a real person, but contrary to the impression given here he was not Dutch on his father's side; this was a detail added to placate American public opinion which would apparently not accept a romance between a white woman and a wholly Asian man but would accept one between a white woman and a Eurasian man if he were played by a white actor. (in this case Curt Jürgens). In 1958 it was still considered politically correct for the British actor Robert Donat to play a Chinese character in "yellowface". You wouldn't get away with that nowadays. There are a number of other inaccuracies- the inn which Aylward ran in Yangcheng was actually named "the Inn of the Eight Happinesses", the number eight being considered auspicious in China, but for some reason this was changed to the "Inn of the Sixth Happiness", hence the title. The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness is a good movie and as I have said, tells a worthwhile story. It teaches us about courage and doing the right thing. When Gladys is outside the prison I particularly like the line "Yes, I am afraid. Open the gate". Unfortunately due to a few errors of judgement, it misses out on being the great classic I feel it should have been. One major issue is the length of the movie. Running 158 minutes was just too long considering what filled that time. I feel it could have been cut down to at least 110 minutes. The final product would have been a sharper, more exciting and polished film. I feel that the decision to add in a fictional love interest was foolish. I understand that Robson was trying to increase the drama and warmth of the story with this and to add a new dimension by having a trio of main characters. But I feel that with the depth to Gladys' story and the amount the movie had already committed to covering, an additional side story was not required. Besides, the relationships between the existing characters were enough to pull at the heart strings. My daughter recently participated in a 4th grade living wax museum. The students chose a famous person to learn about and then presented information about what made this person special in history. If I were asked to do this right now, I would choose to represent Gladys Aylward and this would be my rough draft 20 second speech. *SPOILER ALERT* The film tells the story of how Gladys happily runs an inn at the town of Yang Cheng after being rejected as a missionary. Japan's invasion of China soon interrupts the life she has built, and Gladys finds herself leading a group of orphans to safety by embarking on a dangerous mountain journey with the help of Captain Lin Nan, played by Curt Jürgens. Gradually, Gladys wins over the people of the area, with her good works and humble, friendly approach... Soon she is known as "Jan-Ai" (The One Who Loves People).That being said the movie does have its faults. The characters seem to be a very mixed bag. You have an English lady, played by a Swede. A German, playing a Eurasian officer. And a Chinese Mandarin played by an English gent. I don't think that this was the most credible cast that Mark Robson (Director) could have put together. I think more time should have been spent sourcing a more accurate cast for a film that puts such importance on nationality. There is no doubting Ingrid Bergman's ability, she doesn't give her best performance but her acting is not bad by any stretch of the imagination. For her role, I guess I would have been more inclined to look at Vivian Lee, Deborah Kerr or Googie Withers. Again, not taking anything away from Ingrid Bergman, she is a first rate actress but I do feel it was clear on many occasions that Gladys should have been played by an English actress. I feel the same way about Curd Jürgens. Great actor, but why appoint a German to play a Eurasian? Moving on to Robert Donat, I am definitely a fan. He is yet another great actor. His abilities as displayed in Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Citadel and The 39 Steps are brilliant. But to play a Chinese Mandarin was a step too far, it just wasn't believable. For the legend that is Robert Donat, this should not have been his final film (he died the same year it was released aged 53). Latham, R. O. (1952), Gladys Aylward, One of the Undefeated: The Story of Gladys Aylward, Edinburgh House Press, OCLC 24941398 Benge, Janet; Benge, Geoff (1998), Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime, ISBN 978-1-57658-019-6 Year Of Profitable British Films." Times [London, England] 1 Jan. 1960: 13. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness is based on the true story of Gladys Aylward, played by Bergman. Gladys was a British woman who became a missionary in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The film portrayed Aylward as an utterly fearless, faith-filled and dutiful Englishwoman who went to China as a missionary, ran an inn for muleteers, took in orphans, fell in love with a Chinese officer, and then led 100 orphan children across the mountains to safety from the invading Japanese forces. After reading the book, I have to say it goes a lot more in depth on Gladys's story (as books tend to do). I was particularly impressed by the character's dauntless courage through everything. But the book humanizes her a lot more. She wasn't totally fearless. She had struggles, internal as well as external. Her faith in God helped her through a lot. But she was not without fear.Fairly good transfer from book to screen. Ms. Bergman brings vitality to the portrayal, if not a bit showier than I would expect Ms. Aylward to have been. I suppose there's more interest in that posture than accomplishing in a more self-effacing manner. While Ms. Aylward developed strength and leadership ability, I can't see her being so much the center of attention. One of her gifts was the ability to promote others and involve them in her vision. Hunter, C (1971), Gladys Aylward: Her Personal Story, Coverdale House Publishers, ISBN 0-902088-25-4 A well written, thrilling, easy to read story by Alan Burgess that was the foundation for the classic film, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. The book goes into much more detail and doesn't omit the Christian elements. (Oh. And doesn't have a romance with Kurt Jurgens.) I enjoyed it even more than the film and I enjoyed the film a-plenty. What surprised me even more was that Robert Donat who played the Mandarin (the literal translation of his title in the movie would be County Governor; ie. Hsien Chang or 縣長) actually spoke better Mandarin than Peter Chong who played Yang the cook who I assume isn't a native Mandarin speaker. Mr Lee explained how as well as the fun of making the film the children were called upon to stretch themselves in some scenes - including diving into cow pats.