JOURNEY INTO LIGHT
US, 1951, 87 minutes, Black-and-white.
Sterling Hayden, Viveca Lindfors, Thomas Mitchell, Ludwig Donath, H.B.Warner, Jane Darwell.
Directed by Stuart Heisler.
It is somewhat surprising to watch this film in the 21st-century. It is a film of its time, the early 1950s, a time of more straightforward faith and religious living. It may seem rather quaint and naive to later audiences. However, it was an inspirational film of its time.
It is surprising to see Sterling Hayden in the central role, playing a pastor, John, a good man who is succeeding in his ministry, over-confident, his wife suffering to miscarriages, seeing her walk drunk along the aisle during a ceremony, her not wanting to hold him back, her killing herself. John reacts badly to the response of the congregation and walks away from his ministry, walks away from his faith, going across the US to Los Angeles, finishing up on Skid Row, trying to get jobs, despairing, anti-faith in God, and preachers. He takes up with a genial conman, Gandy, Thomas Mitchell. One day he gets involved in denouncing a street preacher, arguing, with G taking up a collection and thinking this is John’s job for the future.
Interestingly, H.B.Warner, who would play Jesus in De Mille’s King of Kings in 1927 and had appeared in many films as a character actor over the decades, plays a bum who is alcoholic.
John collapses, is taken in by the preacher and his blind daughter, initially reacting badly, taking on the job as janitor, Gandy bringing the other bums to work in the church. Christine has a transforming effect on John, expecting him to propose, but his wanting to leave. She is hurt in an accident, hospitalised, the bums come to church, John having to lead them in the service – and recovering his faith, experiencing redemption.
1. An inspirational film? Drama of faith and loss of faith? Redemption?
2. American religious sensibilities at the beginning of the 1950s? More straightforward? Response of later generations?
3. The title, John’s story, his ministry, marriage, his wife’s death, the congregation, collapse of faith, anti-God, running away, Skid Row, the gutter, work, bitterness against the church, a new opportunity?
4. The initial setting, the comfortable community, the church and preaching, the pastor’s house? The contrast with the travel across the United States? Los Angeles, Skid Row? The flop houses, the gutter, the city mission? The church? The musical score? Hymns?
5. Sterling Hayden and his screen presence, commanding? Preaching and his eloquence? The content of his sermons? The congregation’s response? His wife entering, wandering the aisle, guided out? John talking with his wife, the experience of the miscarriages, her drinking, her guilty feelings, not wanting to impede John, his response to her, her drinking, breaking the bottle, her suicide?
6. The impact on John, the funeral, his behaviour, reaction to the congregation and their comforting? The bishop? The shock, his wanting to move away? The travel across the US, the superimposition of the states and his gradual deterioration?
7. In Los Angeles, considered a bum, jobs, payment, the woman robbing him, his collapse, her returning the money? The encounter with Gandy, cheerful, the conman? Jobs and failures? In the gutter? In the flophouse? His challenging the preacher, his eloquence, collapse? Gandy and his taking up money from the crowds?
8. John’s collapse, being taken in by the preacher, Christine? Kindness, his being unwilling? Discovering Christine was blind? His job in the church, janitor, her playing the organ? Gandy turning up? Gandy’s plan and all the bums doing the work, his collecting the money?
9. Gandy and action, the arrival of the church, the welcome, Christine and her words, the musician and his talent at the diner, wanting to play the organ? The men getting to work? Wiz, drinking the wine, the bottle smashing, his upset? The payment, Gandy taking his coat, giving it to John?
10. John taking Christine to the fair, the rollercoasters, the shooting gallery, the ice cream? John telling his story? Her thinking that he would propose? His wanting to leave? Her being hit, going to hospital? Her father staying with her in the hospital?
11. The pastor, working with the down and out bums, with Christine, his preaching, enjoying discussing rational arguments, kindness towards John?
12. The church, Christine and hospital, the preacher staying with her, John and the Bible, his leading the service?
13. The marriage, happiness, the Bishop, John staying at Skid Row?
14. God, faith, loss of faith, self-focus, shock and suffering, bitterness, the depths, people reaching out, the possibility for redemption?
