Oil for the Lamps of China

An earnest fellow struggles in the Orient for years as the employee of a huge corporation, trying to provide OIL FOR THE LAMPS OF CHINA. Never faltering in his devotion, even at the expense of family & friends, he is repeatedly mistreated or ignored by The Company...

This intriguing film, based on the best-selling novel by Alice Tisdale Hobart, shows the eternal struggle between the Cog & the Wheel, the little man and the giant corporation. In this case, The Company is the epitome of every heartless bureaucracy, commercial or political, which controls the lives of its workers, demands unswerving obedience, and offers very little in return.

The cast all do very well in their roles: Pat O'Brien, constantly called on to choose between The Company and his family; Josephine Hutchinson as his wife, who must become a tower of strength while blaming The Company for the death of her son; Lyle Talbot, John Eldredge, Henry O'Neill, William B. Davidson & George Meeker, as various Company functionaries & executives, who move through their lives for good or ill; and Jean Muir, as a young Company wife driven near to desperation.

Christian Rub as an old doctor & Keye Luke as a young Communist officer both standout in key roles. Willie Fung, who appeared uncredited numerous times in tiny bit parts during Hollywood's Golden Age, here receives proper recognition in what was probably his finest performance, that of O'Brien's servant.

Special nods should go to Arthur Byron & dour Donald Crisp, wonderful in small roles as bosses who make the ultimate sacrifice for The Company.

Warners didn't stint on producing fine atmospherics for this film. The Chinese scenes are especially well mounted.

Pat O'Brien is dedicated to his job at the power company. He's trying to get ahead and get a name for himself and a little recognition. At a work seminar, the speaker says select workers are being sent to China to learn from them, to think like them, to be as efficient as them – to learn their work ethic. He is transferred but is told that the company frowns upon married men in China as the wives can't take the time alone there, as much is demanded on each man by the company. But Pat was engaged. He was, until he received a wire, saying she backed out from coming to a strange land. But he had to get someone to save face. Enter Josephine Hutchinson was traveling with her father, a lover and teacher of the Orient, who passed away while traveling. Their conversations lead to them being married and an understanding was made between them. What I consider a poor man's "The Good Earth," "Oil for the Lamps of China" is a story of two people finding themselves and understanding each other's roles in the world. I love the title, as it feels very old and yet very resourceful and inventive. Based on a novel, this was a captivating story of American people thrust in the Chinese world. Through their ups and downs, trials and tribulations, he is trying to ahead in the company, doing and dying for them, while she is trying to be a strong and devoted wife to her man. Josephine Hutchinson was a good actress who has virtually been forgotten, but a lot of that is due to the fact she was not cast as the female lead very often. This was probably her biggest and best role in Hollywood ever. She was also seen in Lana Turner's "Cass Timberlane" and Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" in a very small role. If you ever get a chance to see "Oil for the Lamps of China," a very rare, intelligent and engrossing film, please watch it and enjoy films the way they were years ago and were meant to be – entertaining while informative of a country, people, of a way of life, of a way to live, of a new perspective.

You might recognize that title line from How To Succeed In Business as Robert Morse sings his philosophy of life in the business world. But that was from the safety of Madison Avenue in New York, not in the frontier atmosphere of Kuomintang China. Pat O'Brien endures all for the sake of the company which is never referred to by its actual name which is the Atlantis Oil Company. It is reverently and in semi-hushed tones always referred to in Oil For The Lamps Of China as "THE COMPANY", in the same way the Central Intelligence Agency is called that in much espionage fiction.

From what I was able to gather the Atlantis Oil Company does what oil companies do. One of the byproducts of petroleum is kerosene and since China is hardly wired for electricity, they depend on oil lamps for illumination. So this company has a nice market there, drilling the oil from China and selling it back to them. And its all presented in such awe as spreading the benefits of civilization, western civilization that is.

So Pat O'Brien goes to China with the zeal of a missionary. He gets dumped by the woman he was supposed to marry, but then meets up with Josephine Hutchinson who was on an oriental tour with her father who was a professor of oriental history, but who died on the boat. Two lonely people commiserate and fall in love.

After they marry the film turns absolutely bizarre. O'Brien and Hutchinson endure so much for THE COMPANY, like the loss of a child, long separation, outright theft of an idea for a new type kerosene lamp O'Brien events. I hate to say this but Pat should have taken up a new career. Anyone else would have, but he carries on strong in his faith in THE COMPANY.

The film was based on a novel by Alice Tisdale Hobart and the book was first and foremost a romance novel between two people in an exotic location, exotic for Americans of the time that is. As romance it's all right, the sociological implications are frightening however.

Remember that How To Succeed In Business was a satire, this film was never meant to be that.

Pat O'Brien is magnificent as the loyal company man whose values are repeatedly called into question when it becomes obvious, even to him, that the company is costing both the Americans and the Chinese their lives in the name of maximizing profit. Even the death of his own son does not totally convince O'Brien. The supporting cast is marvelous, and the view of 1935 China is a special treat. This one is good for repeated viewings to understand the forces that drove a completely different world.

Stephen Chase (Pat O'Brien) is sent by his American oil company and tasked to introduce oil for lamps in China. He is in Japan to marry his girlfriend but he gets stood up. He meets Hester Adams (Josephine Hutchinson) and convinces her to join him. He is a loyal company man even when the company isn't loyal to him. China descends into a chaotic revolution.

It's an interesting drama of a man with certain initial ideals. I don't agree with them but that's besides the point. It's an interesting start and a fine turn. I like this and then the movie ends in a certain way which deflates a lot of this. Still, it's an interesting film worth watching.