The Left Hand of God (1955)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Alfred Hayes (screenplay)
William E. Barrett (novel)

Release Date:

14 November 1955 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Bogart...In a new type of action role!

Plot:

At a Catholic mission in China, long-awaited "Father O'Shea" proves to be a tough guy, disturbingly attractive to mission nurse Anne.

Plot Keywords:

China | Catholic | Nurse | Assumed Identity | Stolen Identity

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	James 'Jim' Carmody
Gene Tierney	...	Anne 'Scotty' Scott
Lee J. Cobb	...	Mieh Yang
Agnes Moorehead	...	Beryl Sigman
E.G. Marshall	...	Dr. David Sigman
Jean Porter	...	Mary Yin
Carl Benton Reid	...	Father Cornelius (bishop's envoy)
Victor Sen Yung	...	John Wong (church sexton)
Philip Ahn	...	Jan Teng (Buddhist priest)
Benson Fong	...	Chun Tien (husband of dying woman)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (magnetic prints) | Mono (Western Electric Recording) (optical prints)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #17452) | West Germany:12 (f) | UK:A (passed with cuts) | Finland:S | Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Quotes:

Dr. David Sigman: [of prostitutes] Don't tell me the Church gives up on 'em, father! Medicine doesn't give up...
Jim Carmody: When medicine reaches a point where it never has to walk hopelessly away from a case, then you can criticize the Church because it left some... spiritual illness uncured.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bogart: The Untold Story (1996) (TV)

Soundtrack:

A LOAF OF BREAD

Roll the dice.

Father O'Shea, arrives at a Catholic mission in 1947 China, though his methods at first seem heavy handed, the villagers come to admire and respect him. But the longer he stays there the closer he gets to Anne, a pretty nurse who herself is strangely drawn to this unorthodox priest, it is just a matter of time before the truth will out and secrets are about to become uncovered.

Based on the novel by William E. Barrett, The Left Hand Of God just about registers as an interesting piece. I would go as far to say that it's merely the presence of some big name actors that have stopped this one from being panned wholesale. The acting is fine, Humphrey Bogart takes the lead as Father O'Shea, restrained and committed to the role he is, but it's not really a role calling for anything out of the ordinary. Gene Tierney plays Anne and barely has enough written for her to flourish, and this accounts for a distinct lack of chemistry between herself and Bogart. Gruff nasty villain duties fall to Lee J. Cobb, who in his oriental makeup now looks incredibly dated and sadly, laughable. The story will be of interest to those of religious beliefs, and at its heart the redemption fable is to be roundly applauded, but the whole movie drags to its inevitable conclusion and come the warm finale i personally felt that it's such a waste of talent. Yes it's touching at times, and yes its point is well and truly made, but ultimately it's a very forgettable piece of interest to Bogart and religious purists only. 5/10