Satan Never Sleeps (3 stars)

Satan Never Sleeps, from 1962, is a Leo McCarey drama starring William Holden and Clifton Webb.  Taking on supporting roles in this film, which is based on a Pearl S. Buck novel, are France Nuyen and Weaver Lee.  The movie is set in Southwest China in November, 1949---before the Communists have taken over the country.

Mission priest, Father O'Banion (William Holden) is on his way to his new assignment at the Lang Fo Mission, where he will replace the retiring priest.  Father O'Banion, who has been delayed for a variety of reasons, is traveling with a teenage girl, Siu Lan (France Nuyen), who claims she is in love with him.  After explaining to Siu Lan that he is not in love with her, he leaves her at another nearby mission house and continues his journey to Lang Fo.

Father Bovard (Clifton Webb), the retiring priest, is irritated at O'Banion's days-late arrival, for he knows the Red Army is on the move, and he wants out before they get in.  With barely any explanations to O'Banion, Bovard hightails it away, but he is unable to get very far before being stopped by the Communists and returned to the mission.  As if not getting out wasn't bad enough, when Father Bovard discovers who the leader of the detaining regiment is, he is devastated and shocked, for it is Ho San (Weaver Lee), a man he believed had been converted to Christianity through the mission.  At one point, Bovard felt Ho San would become a priest and take over the mission. 

Meanwhile, following after the man she loves (Father O'Banion), Siu Lan arrives at Lang Fo, where she takes over as cook---the former cook having deserted the mission in order to become a "comrade."  Telling O'Banion that she loves him and wants to marry him, Siu Lan pursues him relentlessly; the priest, though, determined to be faithful to his vows, does his best to keep her at a distance.

As the Communists takeover more and more of the mission, they put pressure on the aging Father Bovard to denounce his Christian faith, something he refuses to do no matter what the cost.  The two priests must work together to keep their people safe, and how that is accomplished is the bulk of the movie.

Here is the link to the movie trailer on IMDB:  (HERE)

Satan Never Sleeps is a troubling movie, but I think it deals honestly with the situation both missionaries and nationals faced when the Communist takeover of China occurred.  It doesn't make for a feel-good movie, of course, but I do think it's very realistic.  For my Catholic friends, I want to make clear that Father O'Banion is never inappropriate towards Siu Lan.  While she threw herself at him, he was steadfast in his commitment, so don't be concerned that this film will portray the priest in a bad light.  If anything, it portrays both priests as completely devoted servants of their faith.

While William Holden gets top billing here, the real star was Clifton Webb.  He was his usual feisty, ill-natured self...you know, exactly what he does best.  I loved him!  This was his final film, and I think he went out in style, giving a very good performance.  William Holden is good, and the chemistry between him and Webb was fantastic.  It looks like they really enjoyed working together.   Holden is 44 here, and although he is beginning to show his age, he is still incredibly handsome.  He appeared to have fun with this role, often rolling his eyes heavenward or chuckling at the old priest's sarcasm. (Yes, while the movie is a hard-hitting drama, there are a few lighthearted, comical moments.) France Nuyen (the girl playing Siu Lan) is 23 here, but she looks considerably younger---like maybe 15.  I'm not quite sure how old her character was supposed to be, but since she looked so young, her supposed romantic love for the 44 year old Holden seemed a bit unbelievable to me.

Anyhow, I enjoyed Satan Never Sleeps and found it to be a very solid 3-star film.  Clifton Webb fans will enjoy seeing him shine in his final performance; and, of course, William Holden fans (like myself!) ought to like this as well.

Happy viewing!!

Good Sam (5 stars)

Good Sam, from 1948, starring Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan, is a touching Leo McCarey comedy very much in the same spirit as the beloved "It's a Wonderful Life."  Since Gary Cooper is one of my great loves, I had been doing a search of his filmography a few years ago, and this lovely film was one that really jumped out at me as a must-see.  So, through the fantastic inter-library loan program, I obtained a VHS copy (from a library in Missouri, as I recall), and I totally fell in love with this little-known gem.  I watched it in the middle of the summer, and because there is a holiday theme to it, I kept hoping TCM would put it on their Christmas movie schedule, and after three years of waiting, they have finally done so---this coming Tuesday!! I couldn't be more thrilled!!

Much like It's a Wonderful Life, Good Sam is the story of a man who continually touches the lives of others...and ends up broke and in hot water as a result.  Coop is Sam Clayton, a man who would---and usually does---give the shirt off his back to someone in need.  Sam's wife, Lu (Ann Sheridan), is mildly frustrated by Sam's generosity, for it has kept them from having the money to purchase a home of their own.  When they finally do have enough savings for a down payment, Sam loans some of it to a friend.   With the remaining "house money," Sam buys turkeys for a charity giveaway, with the intent to reimburse himself from donations given.  Only problem is, Sam gets robbed, so there is no money with which to pay himself back, which means he won't be able to close on the house...and with Lu already starting to move their things in, Sam is desperately in need of a little help himself.

This movie is totally delightful...I absolutely love it!  It's a warm and fuzzy story, the kind that leaves you feeling good all over. Coop is his usual handsome, loveable self, and Ann Sheridan is totally fantastic.   The two of them had amazing chemistry together and played fabulously off one another. There is one scene in which Ann gets into a major laughing fit...it's quite hysterical to see her going on that long.

I highly recommend adding this movie to your Christmas movie list.  It is on the TCM evening schedule for Tuesday, December 20th.  Check for the time in your area, then set your DVR.  I think this is one you will want to record, as it's not out on DVD and is pretty difficult to track down.  I know I will be recording it to a disc and adding it to my own classic movie library (and, thus, my annual Christmas viewing schedule).

Happy viewing!!

Make Way for Tomorrow (5 stars)

Make Way for Tomorrow is a powerful and sentimental heart-tugging drama from 1937.  Directed by Leo McCarey and starring Beulah Bondi, Victor Moore, Thomas Mitchell, and Fay Bainter, it explores the plight of older couples whose children can't (or don't want to) take care of them.  I first saw this movie about a year and a half ago through Net Flix, and I waited a very long time for it...it had been in my queue in some sort of wait status ("very long," "long," and finally "short") for several months, and when it was finally sent, it was from a facility clear across the country from where I live. But the wait was definitely worth it.

Bark and Lucy Cooper (Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi) are a 50-year married couple of about 70 years of age.  As the film begins, they have called their adult children home for a family meeting.  Four of their five children attend the meeting; their other daughter lives in California and cannot be there.  Because Bart had been out of work for four years and was unable to make the house payments, the bank has taken possession of the house, and Bart and Lucy need to move out.

Since none of their kids have room for both of them, it is decided that Lucy will live with son George (Thomas Mitchell) and his family, while Bark will live with one of their daughters.  The separation is supposed to be for only three months, at which time, one of the other daughters will take them both.  In the meantime, Bark and Lucy are living 300 miles apart and have to depend on the phone and letters to keep in touch.  They miss each other desperately and can hardly wait until the time they are reunited.  Adding to the pain of their separation is the fact that both of them are feeling unwanted and in the way where they are.

Make Way for Tomorrow is an incredibly powerful movie.  After finally seeing it (and loving it!) through Net Flix, I was elated to catch this about a year ago when it had its TCM premiere.  Robert Osborne said that Leo McCarey considered Make Way for Tomorrow to be his finest film.  Also, the same year as this film, McCarey won the Academy Award for directing The Awful Truth, and, according to Osborne, he said in his acceptance speech that he got the award for the wrong film.  McCarey's words speak volumes about the caliber of this movie.

Beulah Bondi is especially fabulous in her role, and it's amazing to think that she was 49 when she did it...playing a 70 year old woman.  In fact, she was only four years older than Thomas Mitchell, who played her son in the film.  The makeup artist did a fabulous job to age Beulah 20 years. Victor Moore was also stellar in his role as the aging father who sees more than his children think he sees.

The emotional tug of this movie makes it a bit painful to watch, but it's also quite beautiful...the couple's 50 year marital love is beyond touching. All of us yearn for such a faithful love.  I must admit, though, I was surprised to find such a movie was made back in 1937...I didn't think people in that generation had that kind of an attitude toward their aging parents.  (I thought such an attitude was more a product of the late 20th and 21st centuries.)

Anyhow, Make Way for Tomorrow, is an absolute must-see, if only because most of us at one time or other are going to be faced with the question of how to care for our aging parents.  The film is available on DVD as well as through YouTube.  (HERE)  Definitely track it down...and expect your eyes to mist over as you watch it. 

Happy viewing!!!