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Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

Cast against the backdrop of America's confrontations with Japan in World War II, "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" tells the story of Marine Corporal Allison (Robert Mitchum), recently shipwrekced on a seemingly deserted island in the Pacific. Deserted, that is, until he happens upon an old abandoned church, inhabited by a nun, Sister Angela (Deborah Kerr), who ended up there after refusing to allow a now-deceased priest to travel alone. The nature of their separate vocations provides for some getting-to-know-you chat and a blossoming romance before the Japanese make their arrival and set up camp; once they leave, however, the bond between our two lovestruck islanders is stretched to its limit as Sister Angela begins questioning her vows. ***

A smarmy yet effectively catchy wartime romance, "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" is ripe with gorgeous island scenery, some effective action that gains its intensity from the peril of the two would-be lovers, and the terrific casting choices. Robert Mitchum recalls his "Pursued" days and manages to be an even better romantic lead here, while his co-actress, Deborah Kerr, is brimming with all the confusion and emotional thunderstorms of her character's inner thoughts. They have a great deal of onscreen chemistry that makes them a likeable, root-worthy couple, and despite a few instances of sguary dialogue and situations, the moments in which they examine their lives ring true. In light of the more recent modern romances of this type (Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor," for instance), it's nice to see a film that manages to last the test of time and still pull at the heartstrings.

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" looks pretty good on DVD. Aside from a few noticeable scratches and some minor film grain, the transfer looks rather clean, albeit for some compression artifacts and slight enhancement halos. Clarity is the best it has been on a home viewing format, with sharp edges and nice detail throughout. Color saturation is also commendable, with vivid hues and accurate fleshtones. Contrast needs some minor work in a few places, but is otherwise quite nice, with solid blacks and good shadow detail. Considering all that could have gone wrong, this one is pretty admirable. ***

The sound is available in both a Dolby 2.0 Stereo track and a 2.0 Mono track, although the only difference between the two is the use of the front channels and some very faint surround signals now and then for the former. The stereo track basically expands into the other channels without much distinction or separation; dialogue bleeds into the front speakers, and sound effects are the same monaural effects just placed into multiple channels. However, it does sound pretty good for its age, although a few pops can be heard here and there.