Movie spotlight
A priest arrives at a mission-post in China accompanied by a young native girl who has joined him along the way. His job is to relieve the existing priest, who is now too old and weak to continue with the upkeep of the church. However, Communist soldiers arrive at the mission and seize it as a command post. Their leader rapes the native girl and impregnates her, only later to realize that Communism is no good for him. In the end, the foursome flee to the border, but are pursued by Communist forces along the way.
During the Chinese Civil War, a Jesuit priest and a young Chinese woman find themselves caught between a ruthless Communist general and a Nationalist warlord. As the Communists gain control, the priest must protect the woman and fight for his faith amidst increasing persecution.
The film received mixed to negative reviews, with critics largely criticizing its heavy-handed religious themes and melodrama, although some acknowledged the performances of the lead actors.
Criticized for its overt religious messages and melodramatic plot.
Performances by William Holden and Clifton Webb were noted, but often overshadowed by the film's didactic nature.
Seen as an overly simplistic portrayal of the Chinese Civil War and religious conflict.
Google audience: Audience reception is not well-documented with specific summaries, but general sentiment suggests a dated and heavy-handed approach to its subject matter.
The film was controversial for its portrayal of Communism and Catholicism during the Chinese Civil War, leading to some distribution issues in certain territories.
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Clifton Webb is quite effective here as a catholic priest "Fr. Bovard" who must reconcile his rather optimistically dogmatic faith with the arrival of his more worldly and pragmatic assistant "Fr. O'Banion" (William Holden) and the rise of ...