Drama

Satan Never Sleeps

- How Violators of Human Decency Work Their Terror Countdown!

A priest arrives at a mission-post in China accompanied by a young native girl who has joined him along the way. His job is to relieve the existing priest, who is now too old and weak to continue with the upkeep of the church. However, Communist soldiers arrive at the mission and seize it as a command post. Their leader rapes the native girl and impregnates her, only later to realize that Communism is no good for him. In the end, the foursome flee to the border, but are pursued by Communist forces along the way.

Release Date : 1962-02-22

Language :CantoneseEnglish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : 20th Century Fox

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Father O'Banion

Original Name : William Holden

Gender : Male

Character Name : Father Bovard

Original Name : Clifton Webb

Gender : Male

Character Name : Siu Lan

Original Name : France Nuyen

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sister Agness

Original Name : Athene Seyler

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kuznietsky

Original Name : Martin Benson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sister Theresa

Original Name : Edith Sharpe

Gender : Female

Character Name : Chung Ren

Original Name : Robert Lee

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ho San's Mother

Original Name : Marie Yang

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ho San's father

Original Name : Andy Ho

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ah Wang

Original Name : Burt Kwouk

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ho San's Driver

Original Name : Anthony Chinn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sister Justine

Original Name : Noel Hood

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ho San

Original Name : Weaver Levy

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-04-24

Clifton Webb is quite effective here as a catholic priest "Fr. Bovard" who must reconcile his rather optimistically dogmatic faith with the arrival of his more worldly and pragmatic assistant "Fr. O'Banion" (William Holden) and the rise of the Communist party as exemplified by his former student "Chung Ten" (Robert Lee) who takes some pleasure in making his erstwhile friend suffer whilst violating their new young cook "Siu Lan" (France Nuyen). What now ensues is a battle of wills that increasingly polarises both men of principle with an underwhelming Holden treading the middle ground. The frequently quite appalling subject matter is pretty clunkily handled; the plot oversimplifies just about everything it touches and ultimately we are left with characterisations that offer the audience little to like or to, until right at the very end, sympathise with. This last film from the usually engaging Webb is hardly a fitting cinematic epitaph, but at least he does do his job - something no-one else on either side of the camera can reasonably claim to do well here.