"Satan Never Sleeps" is a truly horrible film and there is little I can say positive about it. It's often dull and promotes a VERY dangerous message--and, while it's meant to be anti-communist, you can't help but think that crap like this actually makes America look really, really stupid.
The film begins with a young priest (William Holden) arriving very late to replace an aging priest (Clifton Webb). The problem is that a weird young lady (France Nuyen) has been following Holden across China--as she's infatuated with him and won't take NO for an answer. This is pretty stupid and is, in a way, a prelude for what is to eventually follow. Webb is VERY perturbed, as he's old and more than ready to leave the country--especially since a communist takeover is imminent.
Soon, the communists do come and their leader is bent on two important tasks--to break the priests and make the them confess to various crimes as well as to rape Nuyen. He's never able to break the men but, and here is where the film gets ugly and despicable, after raping and impregnating Nuyen, the priests encourage her to forgive and forget for the baby's sake!! And, over the course of the film, the nasty rapist leader slowly becomes a really swell guy and helps the folks escape. And, over the course of the film, Nuyen falls in love with him!!! Apparently, rape isn't bad at all in the world of "Satan Never Sleeps" and you wonder who the heck thought this was an acceptable message?! What's next--a film that asks the audience to empathize with a pedophile?! If you can ignore the sick message (and I pray that you can't!), you are left with a very badly written story that is, for the most part, stupid. It's really sad, as it was Clifton Webb's last film---and I loved him in all his other films up until this movie. He and the rest try hard to make this film work, but the script is just awful--so awful that its anti-communist message comes off as stupid and muddled.
PS--I noticed one review says this made it to the book the 50 worst movies of all time. I have a copy of Harry Medved's great book "The 50 Worst Movies of All Time" and it is NOT in this book and I really have no idea what book the other reviewer is referring to.
The film begins with a young priest (William Holden) arriving very late to replace an aging priest (Clifton Webb). The problem is that a weird young lady (France Nuyen) has been following Holden across China--as she's infatuated with him and won't take NO for an answer. This is pretty stupid and is, in a way, a prelude for what is to eventually follow. Webb is VERY perturbed, as he's old and more than ready to leave the country--especially since a communist takeover is imminent.
Soon, the communists do come and their leader is bent on two important tasks--to break the priests and make the them confess to various crimes as well as to rape Nuyen. He's never able to break the men but, and here is where the film gets ugly and despicable, after raping and impregnating Nuyen, the priests encourage her to forgive and forget for the baby's sake!! And, over the course of the film, the nasty rapist leader slowly becomes a really swell guy and helps the folks escape. And, over the course of the film, Nuyen falls in love with him!!! Apparently, rape isn't bad at all in the world of "Satan Never Sleeps" and you wonder who the heck thought this was an acceptable message?! What's next--a film that asks the audience to empathize with a pedophile?! If you can ignore the sick message (and I pray that you can't!), you are left with a very badly written story that is, for the most part, stupid. It's really sad, as it was Clifton Webb's last film---and I loved him in all his other films up until this movie. He and the rest try hard to make this film work, but the script is just awful--so awful that its anti-communist message comes off as stupid and muddled.
PS--I noticed one review says this made it to the book the 50 worst movies of all time. I have a copy of Harry Medved's great book "The 50 Worst Movies of All Time" and it is NOT in this book and I really have no idea what book the other reviewer is referring to.