[ Thunderclap ]
[ Thunder Continues ]
More tea, Father? No, thanks, Mrs. Sigman. This is fine.
You took a real chance, Father, crossing the mountains alone.
You should have waited for the trading party.
I was anxious to get to the mission as soon as I could, Dr. Sigman.
- [ Knocking ] - What is it, Celeste?
Li Kwan, Miss Anne.
Father, I-- I know you're very tired,
but there's a patient in the ward dying.
He's been clinging to life, waiting for you to get here.
Scotty feels his immortal soul's at stake, Father.
But it is. Now, now, Scotty.
Li Kwan is 80 years old. A beautiful example of the survival of the unfit.
But don't tell me I have to take him seriously as an immortal soul.
Quit it, Dave. Sorry, Scotty.
When you're through with him, Father, I'm going to enjoy doing a postmortem on him.
Well, my bag was lost crossing the river.
The chalice, the holy oils, my vestments--
He really needs your blessing, Father.
Where is this man?
Li Kwan, Father O'Shea is here.
[ Speaking Chinese ]
Bless me, Father.
It's a long time since I've-- I confessed my sins.
Easy, old man. Easy.
[ Speaking Chinese ]
[ Stops Speaking ]
All he prayed for, Father, was to stay alive long enough...
for you to get here and be with him at the end.
He had great faith and endurance.
I'm sorry he couldn't have had the final rites he waited for.
Could we pray, Father?
Why, yes. Yes. Of course.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Hallowed be thy name.
[ Together ] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Well, Scotty's pet is dead.
Let's go home.
[ Door Opens ]
Good morning, Father. You say Mass?
Mass? [ Grunts ]
[ Sighs ]
[ Grunts ]
[ Chuckles ]
I'm sorry. I'm, uh--
I'm not quite awake. What's your name?
John Wong, Father O'Shea. I fix everything for priest.
Take care of house. Sexton for church.
Sometimes altar boy.
Clean and press clothes for you.
I keep list too. Read list now, Father O'Shea?
Yeah. Yeah.
Read the list. Forty-two marriage.
What? Forty-two marriage.
Many months no priest. Oh, I see.
Thirty-six baptizings.
Should be more. Maybe more come now.
Oh, thirty-six is a good score. What else?
Many people want confessing. Make quickly.
[ Chuckles ]
This work sure piles up, doesn't it?
How long since the last trade caravan came through here?
Long time since last caravan.
Oh.
All right, John. I'll get dressed.
Yes, Father.
Oh, morning. I'll be right with you.
Yeah. Take him into the clinic and finish checking him.
Sit down. I'm glad you came over.
Cigar? No, thanks.
My last box. I ordered some from the coast, if the caravan ever gets here.
Wong tells me it's been a long time since the last caravan came through here.
That's right.
I suppose they told you in Sinkiang I've recommended closing the mission.
What did the bishop decide to do?
Well,
would I have been sent all this distance if the bishop decided to close the mission?
We'll keep it open, of course.
The bishop is mistaken. The mission should be closed.
You saw my clinic. One unwashed patient.
Once there were scores like him. It's a waste of time and money.
There's a lot more to this mission than just your clinic, isn't there, Doctor?
Is there?
Look. One of our priests was killed in a rock slide.
Father Coleman, the priest who was here before you, overtaxed his heart.
The Chinese figure there must be something wrong...
with a religion that can't keep its own priests healthy.
They feel the same way about my hospital.
So they stay away in droves.
There's no earthly reason to keep the mission going.
The trouble is the bishop doesn't think that...
earthly reasons are as important as spiritual ones.
That's the difference between my profession and yours.
I may be more interested in material things than you think, Doctor.
Let's get to the point.
It's not only a question of my clinic.
Up there in the mountains there's a warlord named Yang.
We're sitting on the edge of his territory. Did the bishop tell you about him?
Yes, I think so. Although I understood that Yang's policy...
was not to interfere with the missions.
Some of his troops have raided the outlying villages.
But in addition to Yang, there's the political danger now.
Did they tell you in Sinkiang how many missions have been forced to close?
I, um-- I don't think I know the exact number.
I'm surprised, Father, that the bishop sent you out here with so little information.
Perhaps he didn't think it important. I resent that answer.
There are three of us with our lives at stake in this mission:
my wife, an American nurse and myself!
China's being ripped apart by civil war!
I think we're entitled to any information the bishop gave you.
Well, the bishop and I are not exactly, uh, buddies.
Is that supposed to be funny?
This place has already killed two priests.
I don't intend to add myself and my wife to the list of martyrs. Get that straight.
When I ask a question, I expect a civil answer.
You're not talking to one of your parishioners now.
And you're not talking to one of your coolie patients.
Don't depend too much on that collar, Father O'Shea.
Would you like me to take it off?
[ Sighs ] I guess I have been too abrupt.
My wife asked me to invite you to dinner tonight.
She seems to think you must be tired of Chinese cooking.
Well, thanks. I am.
We can continue the discussion over a drop of something medicinal.
I look forward to it, Doctor.
** [ Children Singing In Chinese ]
** [ Continues ]
[ O'Shea ] Morning. Good morning, Father.
I was going to the village. But if you'd like to see the hospital, I'd be happy--
The hospital is probably very interesting, but I--
I think I'd rather take a look around the village.
The village hasn't seen you either. It will be a great occasion.
I doubt that.
It's been a long time since I went walking out with a pretty girl.
Do you always startle people like that, Father?
Why? One doesn't think of priests ever walking out with girls.
Well, I wasn't born a priest. As a matter of fact,
I can remember the day when I was voted the loudest dresser in college.
Really, Father?
Where's your home back in the States? Columbus, Ohio.
Must be lonely for you out here.
Sometimes. But Beryl and I do things together, and there's always my work.
Beryl? Dr. Sigman's wife.
She's amazing. I've learned a lot from her.
Small place to boast two amazing women.
That has the ring of the Blarney stone, Father O'Shea.
There's nothing amazing about me.
It's amazing, at least to me, that you should be here.
It's a long story, Father, and I'll probably bore you with it sometime,
if you're kind enough to listen.
[ Chattering ]
I told you you were a celebrity, Father.
So it seems. Good morning, Shen-fu.
This is Peng Tso Lin, Father. Morning.
We waited a long time for you, Shen-fu. I'm very happy to be here.
[ Man Shouts In Chinese ]
This, Shen-fu, is the oldest man in our village, the father of uncounted sons.
He seeks your blessing.
[ Crowd Murmuring ]
I, too, seek a blessing.
[ Crowd Murmuring ]
It was magnificent.
You knew them so well. It was just the thing to do to impress the village.
Perhaps it was just a little too magnificent.
Oh, the Chinese love a gesture like that. You'll see.
They'll flock to the mission now.
Ah, that'll make Dr. Sigman happy.
I'll fill his clinic, and the mission can now stay open.
Aren't you glad, Father, to have the mission continue?
Uh-huh. Where does that road lead to? Number Five Village.
Nowhere else? No.
Dr. Sigman tells me the trade caravans come through here often.
They used to. It's been months since the last caravan.
There's no other means of transportation to the coast?
You mean without the caravan? Mm-hmm.
I'm afraid not.
Hmm. I see.
Oh, you're stuck here, Father O'Shea, whether you like it or not.
[ Chuckles ] Yeah. That's the way it looks, doesn't it?
[ Knocks ]
Sorry to interrupt, Father. I make bed.
Uh, no, thank you, John. I'll, uh--
I'll take care of the bed myself.
Father must visit six villages soon and meet people.
I must? Very necessary.
Today visit one village and bless people. Christ die for all.
You got a good point, John. Christ died for all. No favorites.
You say Mass tomorrow, Father?
Well, I'm afraid I won't be able to celebrate Mass tomorrow, John.
Tomorrow Sunday. Will be first Mass at St. Mary since Father Coleman died.
Well, the bag I lost in the river contained my vestments and chalice.
I'm afraid we'll have to wait until I can replace them.
Whole village be in church tomorrow.
Well, they'll have to wait. They can carry their sins around with them a little longer.
No. Father O'Shea wrong.
Sins cannot wait. People tired.
Carry sins with them long time since Father Coleman.
Heavy. Father O'Shea lift. Then people not tired.
Well, what would you suggest, John?
Father O'Shea preach strong sermon.
Very well. I'll see that the parish gets an extra-strong sermon tomorrow.
Good night, John. Yes, Father.
[ Sighs ]
Good morning. You'll have to gulp.
John Wong will excommunicate you if you're late.
Mmm. Shalimar. I had a little left.
For church? You look nice too, Anne.
Technically it's spring. Mmm.
Of course, Father O'Shea does have a terrific lot of appeal.
Beryl, please.
Is that sacrilege, darling? But he does, you know.
It's partly his eyes, I guess. They're so beautifully unhappy.
Beryl, please. You can't talk like that.
But, darling, I'm complimenting him.
He's a good priest or he wouldn't be away out here in this wilderness.
It's just-- Oh, well, if a man has magnetism, he has it.
It hasn't anything to do with the collar he wears.
Look, Beryl. Father O'Shea is a priest.
I know you're not a Catholic, but you know what that means to me.
I can't think of him as a man. I mustn't.
I know. I understand.
Now you've got me all flustered, and I can't even think straight.
I feel self-conscious about getting dressed up.
Of course. It is spring. I added a few touches myself.
And I wasn't thinking of trading Dave in either.
"Beloved, I exhort you as strangers and pilgrims...
"to abstain from carnal desires which war against the soul.
"For such is the will of God, that by doing good...
"you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
"Live as freemen,
"yet not using your freedom as a cloak for malice but as servants of God.
"Honor all men;
"love the brotherhood;
fear God; honor the king."
I have just read you a letter from a very good friend of yours.
St. Peter--
[ Chuckles ]
[ Speaking Chinese ]
What are you doing here?
[ Murmuring ]
Fix tea. Slippers.
No, thanks. Father Coleman always take tea after church.
Never mind. Forget it. I don't want any. [ Knocking ]
Good morning. Good morning.
Forgive me, Father. I-- I had to see if you were all right.
Oh. Of course I'm all right. Sit down, won't you?
Want a cup of tea? Wong fixed it with all the loving care of a wife.
No, thank you. Wife for priest no good.
Thanks for reminding me.
That man-- the man you hit--
he was a stranger, wasn't he?
I've never seen him in any of the villages.
He spit, and I forgot for a moment I was a priest.
You're disappointed in me, aren't you?
Violence wasn't quite what you expected from Father O'Shea.
It's difficult to be what one is expected to be all of the time.
Yeah. I just found that out.
Anne,
I'm thinking of closing the mission.
Closing the mission? Mm-hmm.
But you can't close the mission, Father. Why not?
Because these people need a priest.
No more than any people anywhere. You can't believe that.
Even Father Coleman didn't accomplish as much as you have...
in the short time you've been here. I haven't accomplished anything.
I've been talking with Dr. Sigman.
He thinks it's dangerous to stay here, and he's right.
You saw what happened today in the compound.
China's becoming a nightmare, Anne.
Here we are, four of us. What are we really doing for these people?
You stick a thermometer in their mouths, check their temperature,
and I, uh, check their souls.
You're wrong, Father. Am I?
I get the villagers in the church,
and I preach them a sermon about love and brotherhood.
Then I walk out and hit the first stranger I see.
I don't belong here, Anne. Neither do you.
You belong back in the States.
Married. Raising a family.
I was married, Father.
Yes. That's why I'm in China.
He was a pilot. He crashed somewhere up there.
I had a stupid romantic idea that Tom might be brought into a mission hospital,
and I was a nurse.
I know now it's hopeless.
And yet you stayed on.
What else is there to do?
There's so much work to be done here. Somebody had to do it.
Even if we fail, Father, we'd still be leaving something of ourselves in China.
The things we're doing, for whatever reasons we're doing them,
are the things that are necessary for the people of these villages.
They need them-- medicine or grace.
And we have them to give.
No, Father. Even if you closed the mission, I'd stay.
Alone if I had to.
These people really mean so much to you?
Yes, Father. And you'd stay in spite of the danger?
Yes, Father.
I'm sorry. I-- I didn't mean to make a speech.
Good-bye, Father.
[ Sighs ]
You know, Father, our professions aren't too dissimilar.
I have my trinity too: diagnosis, prognosis and cure.
The difference is my profession ends where yours begins.
What do you mean?
Well, for example, there's a beer joint, the Yellow House,
down in Number One Village.
It's owned by a couple of rather notorious women.
You didn't know that? No, I didn't.
Well, it's there, and it's filthy.
I had the women in and treated them,
bawled out the town elders, but that's as far as I can go.
If these women are such a bad influence, why don't you, uh,
go a little further and make the town elders put the women out of business?
Check.
That's stepping out of my field.
Morality is your department, Father.
Then you think, as a priest, I should do something about it. Not necessarily.
Of course, the old method used to be to stone women like that to death.
That's not the way Christ handled the problem.
Check. No. I believe not.
But you seem to favor direct action.
My wife tells me you knocked down one of the villagers a few days ago.
He was not a villager. Oh, I'm not objecting, Father.
I like to see a man get violent now and then. It's good for the circulation.
I only wondered, when I heard the incident,
what technique you'd use on those women.
Well, I'm, uh-- I'm certainly not going to stone them.
Check.
Well, when you, uh, decide what you're going to do, Father,
let me know, will you?
I think I've got you, Father.
Not yet.
Mate.
You know, Father, I may have underestimated you. [ Chuckles ]
The boy'll be well soon, Mi Lu.
Keep him warm, as the doctor told you. Thank you, Shen-fu.
Shen-fu! Shen-fu! Shen-fu!
Sick call, Father. You must come.
This is my busy day. Lead the way, son.
This is Chun Tien, Father.
You run along.
The baby was born dead, Shen-fu.
Leave us, please.
Tell me a story, Father.
What story would you like?
About... the stable,
the mother...
and St. Joseph.
Well, there was a woman named Mary,
lying on a bed of straw in a stable,
waiting for her child to be born.
Is she dead, Father?
Yes. Where's her husband?
He has gone to the Yellow House, Father.
Chun Tien saw the baby born dead.
He will stay in the Yellow House and drink now to forget his own pain.
Well, he should be here.
Show me the way, Dan. It's not the place for Shen-fu to go.
Show me the house. It's a bad place, Father.
All right, Dan.
You go back to the village.
Chun Tien.
Pao Chu is dead.
I loved her, Shen-fu.
I think she's with someone who loves her as much as you did.
I'm sure that where she is now, Pao Chu is happy.
You believe that, Father?
Yes. I believe it.
Come on.
Let's go, Father. There's nothing more either of us can do here.
Those blasted midwives.
If they'd sent for me in time, that kid wouldn't have been butchered.
Stupid, ignorant old women.
It's the most backward village in the whole lot.
The man who said "Ignorance is bliss" should have been boiled in oil.
[ Chuckles ] Oh, uh,
the boy told me you went up the hill to the Yellow House.
How'd you make out? You can't win all the time.
You gonna let it go at that?
Don't tell me the church gives up on them, Father. Medicine doesn't give up.
Moves right in wherever it finds the thing it fights.
When medicine reaches a point where it never has to walk hopelessly away from a case,
then you can criticize the church because it left some...
spiritual illness uncured.
[ Whispering ]
I wish O'Shea would drink. He's too tense.
This concern for Father O'Shea is new, isn't it?
I suppose he does his job as well as he can.
In China you can't ask for more.
But you were so certain there was something odd about him.
I could have been wrong. I'm not so sure.
There seems to be so much in him that wasn't intended to be a priest.
That magnetism again?
Yes.
Women can't understand celibacy.
Priests are men. That's just female vanity.
The priesthood is also a conditioning, a discipline.
O'Shea hasn't got anything that's more important to him than being a priest.
What I'm worried about is his health.
All that tension. It killed Father Coleman.
Light me a cigarette, will you, Dave?
There's something else I wish you'd worry about.
What's that? I think Anne ought to go home.
Scotty? What's wrong with her? She's been too long in China.
She's been too long at this mission.
She looks all right to me.
Does she?
How nice and blind you are.
She's all churned up inside.
Well, what about? Father O'Shea.
You don't know what you're talking about.
Don't I?
Say, that won't do.
You'd better speak to her. I've tried.
And? It's not her fault.
Females are simple biological structures.
Their bodies pay very little attention to their minds.
I told you. There's so much in O'Shea that isn't or wasn't meant to be a priest.
Her mind knows he's a priest, but...
how she feels--
I don't like it, Dave.
Okay. She's a good nurse, but we can't have her become a China case.
Will she go? Home? I don't know.
I think she should, on the next caravan.
I wonder if we'll become China cases too.
I'd hoped they'd close the mission, but obviously they aren't going to.
Would you respect me if I quit?
We never have before, have we, Dave?
** [ Singing "My Old Kentucky Home" In Chinese ]
[ Speaking Chinese ]
"Kentucky."
[ All ] Kentucky. [ Chinese ]
** [ Singing In Chinese ]
[ Clapping ]
Well, thank you. Could you use a slightly older soprano?
Well, you'll have to audition first. All right.
Now, let's see.
Ah! Here's one. ** [ Piano ]
* Oh, a maiden went to Hong Kong *
* Then she went to Singapore *
* Then she went to Shanghai * Oh, you know it?
* To buy a loaf of bread * * To buy a loaf of bread *
* The boatman smiled in Hong Kong *
* The soldier smiled in Singapore *
* The farmer smiled in Shanghai *
[ Together ] * Now which one will she wed *
- * All three * - * No, not me *
- * Two * - * That will never do *
- * Which one * - * Only one, for him my love is true *
* Well, the boatman stayed in Hong Kong *
* The soldier stayed in Singapore **
You win, Father. I've forgotten the rest.
Besides, it's their bedtime. Come on.
They can find their way. Good night, kids.
[ All ] Good night!
Well, what do you want? "Kon-tucky"!
Do you remember this one?
* Once in a while *
** [ Vocalizing ]
Please, Father. I'd rather not sing anymore. It's-- It's late, and I should go.
[ Chimes Jingle ]
The mountains stand like sentinels in the night.
[ O'Shea ] Listening to our concert. I wonder what they thought.
Oh, I think they liked it. Probably sounded Chinese to them.
It was nice singing.
We had fun, didn't we?
If you say a High Mass, Father, perhaps I could be your soloist.
Oh, that'd be fine.
I want to explain something, Father.
I know you must have wondered why I haven't been to confession.
I hadn't thought about it. I can't, Father. Not yet.
And I can't explain why.
Suppose we discuss it some other time, not in the confessional.
Good night, Father.
Isn't it time you went to bed, John? Much work to do, Father.
Where'd this come from?
Doctor give to Father Coleman. Good for heart.
Spray pews in church too.
What? Many people. Many bugs.
That's a waste of good scotch, isn't it?
All right, John. You can finish that tomorrow. Good night.
Good night, Father. Spray tomorrow.
[ Knocking ]
Good evening, Father. May I come in? Oh, by all means.
The mission's a lonely place, isn't it, Father?
For some of us, yes. One feels so isolated, so cut off.
At least I always do.
China's a difficult country to adjust to. Don't you find it so?
Sometimes I do. But then a priest has his church.
Of course. I didn't mean quite that.
I was thinking--
Well, to be frank, I was speaking of Anne.
It is lonely here, and--
well, I think she has a crush on you, Father.
- That's impossible. - That's not so impossible.
Whether you like it or not, you have a problem.
Would you think me presumptuous, Father, if I made a suggestion?
No. Not at all.
When Dave has a problem, I try talking to him.
But it doesn't always help.
What he needs most at a time like that is someone like himself.
Another doctor, professional man.
Somebody, I mean, who's had those problems himself and can understand them.
I think you need that too, Father.
Do I?
There's a small Protestant mission on the other side of the mountain.
Oh? I didn't know that.
Reverend Marvin has been in China a long time, Father.
Yes. I-- I think I see what you mean.
You may be right. Thanks for the suggestion.
Mr. Marvin may be able to solve some of my difficulties at that.
But do you think it's possible Yang could have...
cut the road across the mountains to the mission?
He hasn't bothered it before.
Father Coleman made the journey once. Mr. Marvin visited here.
I'm sure you won't have any trouble.
I seem to attract trouble, don't I?
Well, we all do.
It is a bright moon, isn't it?
Good night, Father.
You know, I worked very closely with your people in Ning-po during the war, Father O'Shea.
There were French and Belgian priests down there.
And one Irish priest I'll never forget.
How long have you been in China, Mr. Marvin? Twelve years.
We're a small establishment here. However, I don't think we've entirely failed.
Our people are deeply loyal.
Our people won't leave us either if we run out of rice.
[ Chuckles ]
I guess I deserved that. A bit competitive, wasn't I?
A bit.
I haven't any right to compete with you, Mr. Marvin.
I don't understand, Father O'Shea.
Well, I mean that's not my name, and I'm not a priest.
Well, who are you then?
I'm a former pilot. My name is James Carmody.
I was badly hurt three years ago when I crashed in a DC-3 flying the hump.
I was picked up in the mountains by a warlord named Mieh Yang.
I went to work for him.
It wasn't a setup I was happy with.
I was supposed to be his second in command, but I was really his prisoner.
[ Gunshot ]
That shot was from our scouting party.
[ Shouts ] Come on!
[ Groans ]
Who shot him? Who knows, Captain?
The shen-fu rode into the village alone.
I tried to question him. There was a shot.
You heard my orders. I said no shooting.
When I give an order, I expect it to be obeyed.
Put the shen-fu on a litter.
[ Carmody Narrating ] Yang's headquarters was an old Buddhist lamasery in the mountains.
He'd even imported a girl from Chungking to keep me happy.
[ Chattering Excitedly ]
Have Jan Teng look at his wounds.
[ Chuckles ] Tickles.
[ Chuckles ] It's so dull here when you're gone.
You know, you should have stayed in Chungking.
Why? Well, it isn't dull there, and it's...
20 days nearer the coast.
Are you so tired of China?
It's not only China.
Three years I've been running Yang's tin army.
Get tired of anything in three years.
Poor Carmody. Other men would envy what you have.
[ Chuckles ] What, this? You can buy this stuff at auction.
Could I be bought at auction too?
Yeah. Yeah, you could if they-- if they were selling calendars.
Why do you stay here if you hate it so?
Stay? How do I get out of here?
This is the greatest prison in the world.
Sure, the accommodations are nice, but out there's thousands of miles of...
deserts and mountains and no way to cross them without a passport from Yang.
Well, hold the fort. He likes his boys punctual.
So do I, Carmody.
[ Knocks ]
Hello, Jimmy. Still healthy.
Still healthy, Yang.
What did you find? Well, the report was true.
There was a scientific expedition. Mapping or exploring, I guess.
Lao Tsu's men wiped them out. And the loot?
Some binoculars-- Russian. Half a dozen automatics-- one of them Japanese.
Some sheep-lined coats, medical supplies and canned goods.
I had an inventory made. You did well.
Mmm. Payday.
[ Rattles ] One roll or three?
One. [ Rattling ]
[ Yang ] Beat three fives.
[ Rattling ]
I weep for you, Jimmy. Yeah.
You paid me double last month. [ Laughs ]
For the gold trousers of Mary Yin?
You'll have to shoot dice with Mary Yin for that.
Perhaps I will someday. Anything else?
Yes.
Pao Ching shot a priest in one of the villages. An American. I had him brought here.
A missionary? That's unfortunate.
Is the shen-fu still alive?
Mm-hmm. Shooting a priest isn't smart, Yang. You know that.
Suppose there's an investigation.
By whom?
No, but I think you're right. I think the offense is serious.
I shall fine Pao Ching 600 yen.
For shooting a priest?
Too high? I'd make it 300 yen if he were not an American.
After all, I'm a graduate of one of your universities.
I think 600 yen is a fair price.
Of course, it would be awkward if the shen-fu lives.
Why? You know we can't afford survivors, Jimmy.
Besides, you were a little harsh with Pao Ching.
It isn't diplomatic, Jimmy, for you to whip a Chinese.
He disobeyed orders. Whose orders?
- Mine. - I give the orders, Jimmy.
The important ones.
But... why argue?
We'll see to it that our clerical friend gets to heaven a little...
sooner than expected.
And you'll apologize to Pao Ching in the morning.
I think you'll have to get yourself another boy, Yang.
This a joke?
Yes, a Chinese joke. I want out.
Out? You know I never accept resignations, Jimmy.
The priest concerns you? [ Scoffs ]
I haven't been at church since I was an altar boy. Then why?
Look, Yang, three years ago, you picked me out of a DC-3...
and had Jan Teng patch up what was left of me.
You gave me a job. Military adviser.
Tax collector. Number one boy.
Well, I've paid you back. I'm tired of this teahouse.
I quit.
Jimmy!
The priest of Christ is dead, Excellency.
We quarreled for nothing.
He came all this way to do good.
Some stupid, greasy peasant with a gun that never did anything but feed his own gut...
killed him.
I'm sick of the whole stinking mess.
Only his body died.
It is his soul a man must save. Uh-huh.
I'd gamble the soul if I could get the body out alive.
Every man finds his own path.
It's 72 days to the coast. That's a difficult path to find.
Trade caravans make the journey.
Ah. No trader would take me without Yang's permission.
If I tried to go it alone, every gun in the hills would be turned against me.
It is a great pity the priest of Christ did not get to his mission.
It is only a week's journey across the mountains. Huh?
Having been punished, the hillmen would be afraid to harm another priest.
Such a man would be safe.
Yes. For a time.
It is said that the caravans which go to the coast...
stop there, at the mission.
Good night, Carmody.
[ Carmody Narrating ] So there was my choice.
I could stay as Yang's bullyboy...
or take a long shot and try for the mission.
I decided to try for the mission.
It's an incredible story, Carmody.
A scandal that touches any mission in China hurts all of us.
Doesn't it strike you as dangerous for the mission if Yang knows you're there?
That's why I wanted to get away.
I'm afraid you can't escape the consequences of your actions, Carmody.
Since you've offended against the church,
you must inform the mission authorities at once.
Now, I can give you the name of your bishop, if you don't know it,
and I'd suggest you write him a letter.
I'll dispatch it for you. I have a courier service to Sinkiang.
You don't understand. I-I don't want to write a letter.
I want to go with the courier in person.
Well, that's that, I guess,
since you choose to save your own skin.
No, it isn't a question of saving my own skin.
There's a girl, a-a nurse.
I-- Well, I-- I can't go back to the mission.
I've taken this collar off, and I'm not going to put it back on.
Father O'Shea is dead. The masquerade is over.
From now on in, I'm James Carmody.
[ Speaking Chinese ]
[ Chinese ]
[ Knocking ] Come in.
Excuse me, sir, for intruding.
What is it, Ta Hsi? This gentleman, sir, has news.
Allah be with thee.
It is Mieh Yang, Shen-fu. He's marching across the mountains.
You saw him? I'm only the bearer of rumors.
A driver of mules saw him in a village west of the mountains.
Did the rumors say where Yang was going?
Toward the seven villages east of the mountains, so they say.
All right, Ta Hsi. You can go.
[ Door Closes ] You'd better put the collar on again.
No. You're not going back?
You'll leave the mission unprotected?
Yang wants me. If I'm not there, he won't bother with the mission.
He'll be out in the hills looking for me.
So you'll desert again.
Seems to be my specialty, doesn't it?
Before, you were only masquerading in that cloth.
Now you're dishonoring it.
I'm fresh out of faith, hope and charity, Reverend.
Wait a minute.
You might find this handy again...
to protect your neck.
Well--
Why not? Stuck way out, isn't it?
[ Chattering ]
Five days. Where's O'Shea?
I'll bet he's headed south now as fast as a mule will carry him.
He wouldn't desert us, with Yang here.
He picked a strange time to make a social call. Why?
Why does Yang whip these poor devils and send them here saying the shen-fu will cure them?
Why should O'Shea mean anything at all to Yang?
I said it from the beginning. There's the smell of fish about our theological friend.
He wouldn't leave us without any explanation. Wouldn't he?
What odds would you give? What odds would you take?
[ Anne ] Father.
How many of them has Yang beaten like this?
There's been a half dozen come into the hospital. Where have you been?
I was beginning to think-- Dr. Sigman thought you were lost in the mountains.
I was, temporarily. I want to talk to you, Father.
All right. In the office.
Sit down, Father. Forgive me if I skip the polite preamble.
We've been waiting for you to get back.
It never occurred to me that Yang would march on us. Well, I thought he would.
You-- Why didn't you tell us?
There didn't seem much point to it. There wasn't much you could do about him anyway.
We could have prepared. Prepared what?
I've been talking with representatives of all the villages.
Yang has only a hundred men. We can raise double that.
Armed how? There are a few rifles, not many.
But at least 50 men in the villages are veterans. They can fight.
We'll have the hills. Yang will be outnumbered.
The villagers will be defending their homes.
If Yang only had 20 troopers, he could still take the villages.
Your people aren't soldiers, Doctor. They're farmers, coolies.
No. No, I won't sanction it.
I won't have the mission turned into a fort.
That's not realistic, Father. Yang's an animal.
Are you thinking of what your policy of meekness would mean to our girls? To Anne? To me?
We can't leave ourselves to the mercy of someone who doesn't know what mercy means.
I'm not going to trust to his mercy.
Exactly what are we going to trust, Father? A few loud hymns?
I'm asking you to trust me. Let me deal with Yang alone.
If you fail, Father O'Shea, you'll have the consolation that we trusted you.
But what will we have? His prayers.
I'm sorry, Mrs. Sigman. I can't give you a gold-sealed guarantee.
But we can't fight, and we can't run.
[ Thinking ] Here I am, Lord.
I'm not going to pray.
What I have to say, I'd like to say standing on my feet.
These people think I'm a priest.
I had nothing to offer but faith in a God I didn't believe in...
or think existed.
It doesn't matter now whether I was right or wrong in what I did.
It's too late.
You dive into a pit easy,
then you have to crawl out hard.
Then there's nothing left to do...
but try to square the account a little.
Well, that's just about how it stands.
I wanted you to know.
[ Snoring ]
Wake up, John.
We have to go now.
[ Sigman ] Wong, Wong, where is he? Where is that military mastermind?
You weren't going to turn the mission into a fort. Look at that mob outside.
I see it. I let you take the play away from me yesterday.
Now we've got that two-bit Napoléon camping on our doorstep.
You're the mastermind here. What do we do now? Now, look, Doctor.
Those men are Yang's boys.
They're not going to harm these people. They've come for me.
I'm going down to the village to meet him. Are you crazy?
Well-- Wait. If you're serious, I'd better go along.
They may need you here. You got a gun? No.
Here. Take this. I'll explain sometime how I happen to have it.
It's a very interesting story.
[ Chattering ]
Have mercy, Excellency. The harvest has been bad.
There has been much sickness.
Why do you stop? Because of the shen-fu?
The shen-fu knows this is a miserable village.
Your merchandise isn't worth the sweat of my horses.
Your men haven't the skill to empty my slop buckets.
And your women are old and withered.
The shen-fu knows you're a fool to ask me to even think...
of a vile dung heap like this village, or to care what happens to it.
It should be burned down to the ground to purify the air!
Isn't that true, Father?
Clear the square. Bring a chair for the shen-fu.
[ Chinese ]
That's a poor uniform, Jimmy. You've come down in the world.
It's better than it looks, Yang.
Your troops would never recognize you.
You wear skirts.
Mission territory is neutral. You've always respected it.
Why change a wise policy?
You were here, Jimmy.
You're a deserter.
I don't like deserters, Jimmy.
You were getting fat and sloppy while I did all the work.
Leaving you was good for you. You're fit again. You look tough.
I am tough.
I could have you flayed with bullwhips, hang you up by your thumbs.
Yes, you could, but consider this:
If I stood the torture well, people would say I was strong and that Yang couldn't break me.
If I were weak and stood it badly,
they'd marvel that such a man commanded your troops.
You'd lose face, and the soldiers would begin to wonder...
if maybe you, too, were weak.
That would be bad, if the soldiers started to wonder.
Shooting you might be better, Jimmy, now that I think of it.
I could have it done with simple dignity, with sadness almost,
right here in the village square,
where all might see that shooting you was a regrettable but necessary thing.
[ Sighs ] Well, that's a good way to die,
but, uh, I deny your right to kill me.
[ Chuckles ] Come now, Jimmy. You know better than to talk about rights.
You were never stupid.
But I don't want to shoot you. I want you to work for me again.
What, in skirts?
They are unbecoming. You should get rid of them quickly.
They offend me.
Not yet. You've told me what you want. That isn't polite.
You're in my territory. You should ask what I want.
[ Laughing ]
You should have some troops, Jimmy, before you start bargaining.
They always help. What is it you want?
I want the safety of the mission.
I want the safety of the people and their possessions in these villages.
I want you to go home and leave them in peace.
You want a lot. In exchange you offer what?
Not a thing.
It's an unreasonable bargain, Jimmy.
So I'll take what I want.
Ah, look at it. What is there to steal?
Cheap loot not worth carting away, a burnt mission and a lot of ill will.
Is it worth it?
I could take you back with me, Jimmy, make you work for me.
As a prisoner?
You're right. You wouldn't be much fun as a prisoner.
Slick, Jimmy. Very slick.
How else could you have deceived both the mission and me?
But you don't bore me, and that's an important talent.
I'll tell you what--
I'll give you your mission and your villages...
if you'll come back and serve me loyally...
for three years.
Those are good terms, Jimmy.
There'll be no more bargaining.
All or nothing, Yang. Bring out your dice.
Pao Ching, the dice.
Now, let me be clear, Jimmy.
I withdraw and leave you and these miserable people...
and their stinking villages and your den of superstition...
if I lose.
If I win, you come with me,
and no further escaping and no treachery...
for five years.
Three years.
Five years, Jimmy.
This is no longer a sure thing.
All right. Agreed. Five years.
[ Rattling ]
You can't win at dice in those clothes, Jimmy.
Never mind the clothes. Just roll.
[ Chuckles ]
Three sixes. Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Four threes. You lose.
You shouldn't have invoked the Trinity.
There's another mission--
the Protestant.
It's smaller than this, so you'll only have to...
bet three years of your life against it.
Or does your God have only one house?
There's a text in the Book you don't believe in, Yang.
It says, "They parted by garment amongst them,
and upon my vesture they cast lots."
I know. Two soldiers shooting dice in Jerusalem.
You see, Jimmy, I read too.
A pair of threes.
[ Loud Laughing ]
[ Laughing Continues ] Roll.
[ Dice Rattling ]
Twos. You lose.
Come back with me, Jimmy. I'll double your salary.
You'd have to shoot me sometime. I like being boss too.
Don't be a fool. I stopped the caravan in the hills.
There were two priests from Sinkiang. They know who you are.
You'll be unmasked. You'll be disgraced.
Don't you worry about it, Yang. They're here in answer to a letter I wrote.
[ Sighs ] Well, I wouldn't have enjoyed shooting you anyway.
Now I suppose I'll have to act benevolent and create a legend.
I've been touched by the Holy Spirit...
and have decided to spare these villages.
You'll become the most celebrated priest in China.
They'll light bonfires of thanksgiving. It'll be a miracle.
I, myself, will proclaim it.
[ Chuckling ]
You gave up a good woman in Mary Yin, Jimmy.
[ Cheering ] [ Firecrackers Popping ]
Then Yang feel touch again.
"Who touch me?" he say to Father O'Shea.
And Father O'Shea say,
"Holy Ghost touch you, Mieh Yang."
And Mieh Yang look around,
and he say, "I don't see Holy Ghost."
And Father O'Shea say,
"Holy Ghost everywhere."
And Mieh Yang is afraid Holy Ghost will touch him again.
And he kneel down and he say to Father O'Shea,
"I will not burn Number One Village, Shen-fu."
Dr. Sigman and Beryl were looking for you, Father,
but you left the house so suddenly, I didn't have the chance to thank you...
for what you did today for all of us.
Oh, there's nothing to thank me for.
My luck ran good, that's all.
Luck? Call it that.
Oh, I'm sure it's more than that. Even Dr. Sigman thinks so.
You've finally overawed him. He's willing to admit now you were right.
Anne, I'm leaving the mission tomorrow with the caravan.
You?
But that's impossible. How can you, after today?
My work is finished.
I'm not a priest, Anne. I never was.
Not a--
What do you mean, Father? I-- I don't understand.
There are two priests arriving here tomorrow by caravan,
sent by the bishop from Sinkiang.
They know who I am.
I wanted you to know now, before they came.
I won't believe it.
You couldn't have done what you did today and not have been Father O'Shea.
Why, the people kissed the hem of your cassock.
They followed you as they would a saint.
A saint.
Do you know how I got rid of Yang? I shot dice with him.
Dice? A crap game.
There wasn't any question of faith. There weren't any miracles.
I just got lucky with the dice cup, that's all.
But if you're not a priest, Father, who are you?
A flier, like your husband.
I crashed up there, only I survived.
And then I made one big mistake.
I tried to get out of Yang's trap,
and I walked right into a bigger one-- this one, this mission-- God's.
And I found that his trap is tougher to get out of than Yang's.
Well, now it's over.
Tomorrow everybody will know-- Dr. Sigman, the villagers--
that I was a fake,
that nothing I did had any authority.
Whatever the church decides, I'll do.
You're not the only one who has something to atone for.
I have too. You?
I fell in love with a priest.
While a man who wasn't a priest...
was falling in love with you.
I'm afraid, Joseph, I'm a little too old for transportation like this.
I'm not quite young enough myself, Father Cornelius.
Good afternoon. Good afternoon.
I'm Father Cornelius. This is Father Keller.
Do you want to wash up? I'll have the rectory made ready.
Thank you.
Shen-fu, the child is very sick.
Shen-fu.
Go to the hospital. Miss Scott will take care of you.
She'll know what to do.
It's nice to know that you still use the hospital now and then...
and limit your number of miracles.
I read your extraordinary letter. You express yourself well.
I was inclined to accept your sincerity.
I assume you understand how the church regards sacrilege such as yours.
Yes, I do, Father. Good evening, Doctor.
Well, if you need me, I'll be over at the clinic.
I'd like to ask about Mieh Yang. [ Door Closes ]
I heard in the villages as we came here several versions of what happened.
The very fact that you permitted these people to think of it as a miracle...
makes me doubt the sincerity with which I credited you.
Precisely what were the terms of your bargain with Mieh Yang?
What was the price of that alleged miracle, that so-called answer to prayer?
Well, I shot dice with Yang.
The stakes were five years of my life against this parish.
Five years of your life? And if you lost?
It may not have been justified, Father, but I had an odd feeling I wasn't going to lose.
Sit down, Carmody.
Thank you.
Are you asking me to condone a sin because a good came of it?
I'm not asking for anything.
I know that I wasn't meant to be a priest. Takes a different kind of a man.
But maybe there's a little bit of what it takes to make a priest in every man.
Not much, but a little.
Well, it's an interesting theory.
In your letter you said you were willing to accept the discipline of the church.
Then this is the bishop's decision.
You will continue to wear the cassock...
and maintain the outward appearance and dignity of a priest...
until you see the bishop himself in Sinkiang.
He will talk to you then, and he will have my report to guide him.
You mean no one is to know that I'm not a priest?
Would it be good for them to know? No.
Since no spiritual harm has come to the parish,
it's better to preserve the faith of the people than to expose you.
You'll leave with the caravan tomorrow.
The parish will continue to think you're what you pretended to be.
I'll remain here with Father Keller.
There's another matter, Father. You mean Miss Scott?
Yes. Does she know that you're not a priest?
Yes, since last night.
There was nothing between you before then? Nothing.
I think it's best for you not to discuss the matter any further with Miss Scott.
Thank you. Good night. Good night.
Shen-fu. You will go away?
Yes, John. Tomorrow. Tomorrow?
Church know best.
I shall miss you very much, John.
You shouldn't let them do this to you. You're giving in too easy, Father.
Why don't you-- Don't, Dave. You're only making it more difficult.
What Dave means is that we've become very fond of you.
Don't be sentimental. O'Shea knows we're fond of him.
Where's Scotty? With Father Cornelius, I think.
I thought I'd fallen in love with a priest,
and I-- I couldn't confess it...
because the only priest I could go to was the man I'd fallen in love with.
But you didn't know that-- That he wasn't a priest?
To me he was, as much as to the people of these villages.
A good priest, Father, who came here because we needed him.
Not quite, my dear.
He had other reasons.
All I know is that whoever he was and for whatever reasons he came here,
he earned the real love of these people.
They put their faith in him, just as I did,
and he didn't fail them.
The bishop will understand that, won't he, Father?
You'll make that clear, won't you?
Hmm.
For a man with so little to recommend him,
he seems to have aroused a remarkable amount of devotion in this parish.
** [ Children Singing In Chinese ] Let me show you how much.
** [ Children Singing "My Old Kentucky Home" In Chinese ]
** [ Continues ]
You know, Father. I-- I don't even know his name.
Carmody, my dear. James Carmody.
** [ Continues ] [ Bell Tolling ]
[ Tolling Continues ]