The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness begins with an intertitle that states, "This story is based upon the life of Gladys Aylward, a woman of our time, who was, and is dedicated to the simple, joyful and rare belief that we are all responsible for each other."
Although this biographical drama deviates from the historical details of her life, it accurately depicts Miss Aylward’s dedication to her faith, her calling to China, to the people of a mountainous region and the orphans she lead to safety during the second Sino-Japanese War (1937- 1945).
Gladys (Ingrid Bergman) disembarks the train from Liverpool at the London station and walks to the offices of the China Missionary Society. She carries with her one suitcase holding all of her belongings and the expectation to begin her dream of traveling to China as a missionary.
Dr. Robinson politely tells Gladys that she lacks the education and qualifications to be a missionary. Concerned for her well-being, he sends her to the home of Sir Francis Jamison, an explorer living in Chelsea, to begin work as a second maid. Along the way the resolute Gladys stops at a travel agency where she places a down payment on a one-way ticket to China.
By day Gladys works multiple jobs and saves her money; by night she reads about China from books surreptitiously borrowed from Sir Francis’s library. Unable to dissuade her of her dream, Sir Francis writes to veteran missionary Jeannie Lawson (Athene Seyler) to ask if Gladys can be of assistance to her.
After an arduous overland trip Gladys arrives at Yangcheng in northern China. With the help of Gladys and a Chinese cook, Mrs. Lawson opens The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, located beside the mule train route. One of Gladys’s tasks is to attract lodgers by snagging the lead mules and guiding them into the courtyard.
Taking advantage of the Chinese people’s love of stories, Mrs. Lawson recites Bible stories during dinner knowing the travelers will repeat them to others along the route to their destination.
Before Gladys can get a secure grasp on the language, Mrs. Lawson is killed in an accident. One week later Gladys receives a letter from the missionary authorities declining her request for funds to keep the inn open.
Her friend, a Chinese intelligence officer with the Republic of China, tries to dissuade Gladys from staying in China. Concerned for her well-being, Captain Lin Nan (Curt Jurgens) asks the Mandarin, the province governor, to help Gladys leave the country.
Instead, the Mandarin (Robert Donat) asks Gladys to become his official foot inspector and enforce the government’s ban on foot binding. Determined to stay in China, Gladys strikes a deal with the Mandarin by accepting the job in exchange for the promise of credit in order to obtain supplies for the inn. She continues Mrs. Lawson’s spiritual plan by having the cook recite the stories.
To fashion the desired shape of a lotus bud, the tiny feet of girls as young as four had been bound and fit into slippers. Unable to walk on the soles of the 'lotus feet' these women were forced to take short steps while balancing their weight on the heels of their feet. This restriction kept the women near the home and submissive under the authority of the men who found their dainty gait attractive.
Overcoming the resistance to the abolition of this thousand-year cultural practice, Gladys oversees the unbinding of the feet of all females under the age of thirty. In addition to her official duties in her travels throughout the province, she administers first aid to the injured, brings textbook readers to encourage education and does all she can to alleviate suffering. As a result of her unconditional compassion the name, Jenni, which means 'the one who loves people' is bestowed upon her.
Years later when Jenni and Lin next meet he has been promoted to Colonel and has come to the village to warn of an eminent Japanese attack. Traveling with her on official duties Lin comes to see the strength of Gladys’s character and the trust the peasants and the highway bandits have for her.
When Jenni is offered a neglected baby for cash she pays six pence and takes the child. Concerned for her well-being, Lin tells her, 'You can’t adopt every abandoned baby in China.' She replies, 'No, just the ones I’m offered.' Naturally, he falls in love with her and she with him.
When the bombs begin to fall Jenni gathers up fifty parentless children and cares for them. As they prepare to leave the village the number of children swells to one hundred. With the help of Li (Burt Kwouk), a prisoner whom she befriended while quelling a prison riot, she begins a hike to deliver the children to safety. Lin catches up with her and explains that she is headed for a Japanese roadblock.
When Jenni insists on continuing with the children, Lin finally joins the cook, the Mandarin, the peasants, the bandits, the prisoners and the children in trusting Jenni’s judgment. He maps out a path for her and what had begun as a week-long trip along the highway becomes a thee-week trek over the mountains. When the singing children near their destination the townspeople stop and listen before rushing to them with open arms.
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness was based on the book The Small Woman by Alan Burgess. Curt Jurgens was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Foreign Actor and Ingrid Bergman was nominated for Best Foreign Actress. Mark Robson was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director.
Jenni’s romantic relationship with Lin is a beautiful love story. An equally beautiful relationship is Jenni friendship with the Mandarin. What begins as polite respect progresses to mutual confidence and admiration. With the freedom to openly speak their minds about their shared concerns for the people, they form a team that brings positive changes to the province.
When Gladys first arrived in China she asked Mrs. Lawson about the meaning of the sixth happiness. Mrs. Lawson replied, 'Each person must decide in his heart what the sixth happiness is.' For Gladys that meant 'making each man believe that he counts.'
It was this quality of extending compassion while treating each person as her equal that kept her safe inside the prison and the bandit’s lair, caused the children to be entrusted to her care and brought friendship to her from people of all walks of life.