The latest check at the library brought a book about stem cells (Stem Cell Now, which looks to be a fairly good little volume on the subject), a little booklet entitled Poems & Tales Of Edgar Allan Poe At Fordham, and a DVD -- The Inn of the Sixth Happiness ("the sixth happiness" coming from within, one's own path).
The booklet arises from the fact that Poe moved up to a cottage in Fordham (Bronx, NY, which I recall visiting during some school trip) in a (failed) attempt to help out the health of his beloved ill wife. Back in the 1840s, Fordham was still a small community, though a new college (now named Fordham University) and train stop (which I periodically use) made the area more populated. Poe wrote some familiar poems and tales during his few years there, including "Annabel Lee" and "The Cast of Amontillado." The booklet re-prints the poems and "Landor's Cottage," which was basically a take-off of his cottage. The first poem ("Deep in Earth") was really but a verse perhaps meant for a larger work. Still, it is quite touching, fitting for recent events: "Deep in earth my love is lying / And I must weep alone."
As to the movie, I picked it up for the commentary, since I have watched it twice before. It is an Ingrid Bergman affair (with Curt Jurgens and Robert Donat, his last film -- his last line "We shall not see each other again, I think." Donat, "Mr. Chips," died before the movie was released), in effect a theatrical gloss on a true story. It involves a poor English maid c. 1930 suddenly having a calling to go to China for missionary work, though she had no skill in that department, including knowledge of the language or land. In fact, she was around thirty, so even somewhat old for the work. But, she does go, and becomes a beloved figure for her clear love for the people. And, the finale involves her leading children over the mountains during the war with Japan (which started a few years before Europe's WWII).
The commentary helps us understand the changes in the story as well as its overall charms. There in fact were three narrators -- one for Bergman, one for the missionary, and one for the movie studio. This provides a well rounded approach, though at times a bit confused and not fully matching what went on in the movie at the time -- most commentaries basically are a running discussion of the ongoing events, so this was somewhat different. Still, fairly interesting. One rather surprising fact is the locale of the shooting -- Wales was basicially the stand-in for China, and not a bad one to this causal viewer. And, the movie was made rather quickly, especially given the conditions far away from the usual studios.
Also, not surprisingly, the real historical figures were rather different than the movie version, including the lead ... a more brim and hellfire sort, who in fact was no fan of the film (she did tell her story to a journalist, but how dare they have an adulteress play her! and have her kiss someone!). The movie is enjoyable, but it clearly is a sanitized version of events, having various Hollywood-like (though a British production) qualities, including a pleasant older woman (in real life, a mentally troubled brusque sort) teaching her the ropes. This includes the very nature of her calling -- in real life, Gladys Aylward was a true believer, the sort one sometimes hears voicing their creeds in subways (and she did so too, on street corners). This not putting her passion for the people she served (along with her God) in question.
Given her hardships -- including during the war which the film only briefly touches upon -- such surety is necessary. It does put into perspective, though a few movies tried to be a bit more edgy in this respect (from what I saw of it, Barabbas arguably is one such film), the true nature of some of the characters found in various religious pictures. This is suggested by a comment made by Stephen Carter in his book The Culture of Disbelief. The book is upset by the disrespect given to religion, which it feels is treated in a patronizing manner. An example given is the character of Maria in The Sound of Music, another soft-edged version of real life. In life, Maria clearly put her life in God's hands, an act of faith that many would demean. The cute song that represents this act perhaps does not send the same message.
But, what is faith really? Many a secular liberal sort would honor those who have faith in a movement, even though there is little chance of success, and much hardship. Perhaps, the true hard edge of such realities mandates that popular films must soften the edges -- would the viewing audience really want to address the true dark edge to what they are watching? It would be like watching a sob story that overwhelms us with the visceral bodily viscera that often is involved in such cases, in all its disgusting glory. Ah, rather not see all of that, thank you. So, we have Ingrid Bergman. Still, not a bad job, even if the poverty, hardship, and the lot is just not clearly seen.
Heck, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life would tell you all of that is quite prevalent in Wales too.