El diablo nunca duerme

Satan Never Sleeps is the final film by great director Leo McCarey, whose finest hour was probably the fondly-remembered Going My Way. This is almost a remake of Going My Way in many ways, but back in 1962 when the film was released it was savaged by critics who found it vulgar, cliche-ridden and boring. When I first saw the film in 1993, I was pleasantly surprised by it. The performances are good, the story maintains a reasonable level of interest, and it is shot colourfully. The film is certainly overlong and some of the characters are painted in too broad strokes, but apart from that the critics were unfairly unkind to the film.

Father O'Banion (William Holden) and Father Bovard (Clifton Webb) are a couple of Catholic priests running a remote mission post in China in 1949. O'Banion has recently befriended a young Chinese woman Siu Lan (France Nuyen), but she makes him feel uncomfortable by frequently flirting with him and hinting that she would like to share his bed. Communist forces move into the area and damage the priests' chapel. To add to their woes, Siu Lan is raped and impregnated, and the Communist forces order the public execution of all Christians in the region. Ultimately, they have to flee for safety, pursued by Communist soldiers.

The film was actually filmed in England and Wales, but only occasionally does the lack of authentic location lensing show. Holden gives a decent performance and Webb, though miscast, is entertaining to watch as his older companion. Nuyen strikes the right balance as the flirtatious native girl. The worst performance comes from Weaver Lee, as a Chinese communist colonel - his character is written as a caricature rather than a realistic person, and he just can't get across a convincing reading of the role. On the whole, Satan Never Sleeps is an engrossing, diverting way to pass a couple of hours - certainly not the mega bomb that the critics would have you believe.

This film, set in Mao's China during the Communist Revolution proved to be an almost infuriating film to view. It was the final film of Leo McCary's fantastic (and eclectic) directing career ("Duck Soup," "The Bells of St. Mary's). The story centers around a young priest, Father O'Bannion (William Holden) sent to relieve an aging priest in a Chinese mission. He meets a wide-eyed, idealistic young Chinese girl (France Nuyen) along the way. When he arrives at the mission, all hell seems to break loose. Without divulging too much plot...our young priest encounters many battles: fending off the affection of the young girl; remaining true to his faith, and abstaining from self-defense and violence (even under extreme duress); and pleasing his aging sage, the older preist (Clifton Webb). Why did this movie bother me? Well, in a nutshell: the young girl professes her love for Father O'Bannion...and he realizes he must send her off, despite his *true* feelings. Later, a character rapes the young girl while Father O'Bannion can only look on in desperation (after being tied up). After the inital horror, the good Father suscribes to the ideal that the resulting son needs a father. No matter who it is. When the rapist returns to see is his son, O'Bannion more or less encourages the young woman to form a family. This after our new "dad" has watched communists kill his parents in cold blood for the simple act of worshipping Christ. I suppose this movie is "pure to the period." But it's a tough movie to view in this day and age. A rapist is never properly punished. A man supresses his true feelings of love for a woman, who then must live with her attacker "just so the child can have a father." The finale is as wacky as forgiving rape for "family's sake." The charming Nuyen and Holden give solid performances, but the message sent, and the film itself, left me frustrated and somber.

William Holden (looking disinterested) and fey Clifton Webb are priests in the 1940s serving at a Chinese mission and being terrorized by the Red Chinese Army. Holden is actually being terrorized in another way as well--by twinkling servant Frances Nuyen, who's anxious to snuggle up to the heavy-sighing Man of the Cloth. Director Leo McCarey helmed this adaptation of Pearl Buck's novel as either a comedy-drama or as a drama with a comedic undermining (I'm not sure which, as the tone of the film strays all over the place). There are Communist takeover sequences such as the crucifix thrown on the fire which should be harrowing, but McCarey directs it thoughtlessly, cartoonishly. We never really fear for Holden or Webb's safety because the direction is so dispassionate (and Holden is so laconic) that fear seems nearly unwarranted. I actually found the Nuyen-seducing-Holden scenes more tasteless than the violence, and the pat conclusion is tacked on for silly relief--but by then the viewer has no idea where to stand emotionally with "Satan Never Sleeps". It's a curiosity, but not a particularly good example of one. ** from ****

William Holden and Clifton Webb make an engaging pair of priests in China at the time of the 1949 Communist take-over.

Since Holden arrives late to replace Webb at the mission, the latter isn't able to get out in time as the Communist forces invade.

This is a story of how 2 different priests in the way of Crosby and Fitzgerald in "Going My Way" come to know one another under such adverse conditions.

The film succeeds due to its depiction of the eventual disillusionment towards Communism of a Chinese person who almost became a priest before being totally brainwashed by the Red system.

France Nuyen is absolutely wonderful as the young girl, who is saved by the Holden character and refuses to leave him. There is definitely a comic take to this fine film as Priest Webb will eventually think that her unborn child is that of Father O'Banion (Holden)

The film shows how the Communists would go to any length, including murder to get their point across. It shows how individual thought is done away with under the Communist system.

William Holden and Clifton Webb star in "Satan Never Sleeps," a 1962 drama also starring France Nuyen. It's directed by Leo McCarey - it's his last film.

The story concerns a priest, Father O'Banion (William Holden) who comes to a mission in China to relieve an elderly priest, Father Bovard (Clifton Webb). A young girl, Siu Lan (Nuyen) is in love with O'Banion and has followed him. The Communists seize the mission, and the leader rapes Siu Lan, who becomes pregnant. The priests have to make an effort to flee China before it becomes too late.

Beautiful scenery is the highlight of this rather slow-moving story, as well as the beauty of young France Nuyen, who plays her part very well. Clifton Webb, as usual, does an excellent job as a tired old priest who is seeing his efforts at Christianity being rubbed out by the Communists, the leader being one of the boys he taught. Holden makes a handsome priest, but let's face it, there was never really anything very priestly about William Holden. One can never imagine such a man being celibate, which is probably why Siu Lan was following him all over the place.

There is a major personality change toward the end of this movie that really renders it foolish - not that such a thing couldn't happen, but not in that short period of time.

"Satan Never Sleeps" is not up to the standards of Leo McCarey, whose 43-year-career included "The Awful Truth," "Bells of St. Mary's" and "Going My Way." There are some good scenes, though, and the actors are likable.