Movie Night - The Inn of the Sixth Happiness

We recently read this wonderful biography of Gladys Aylward, missionary to China. It was an amazing account of what an ordinary person can do when they are obedient to God's call. After being turned down by a mission organization as "not qualified" to become a missionary, Gladys figured out a way to get to China on her own. She worked in a remote region in mountainous north China, and transformed from a hesitant, frightened woman to a confident, beloved, fluent Chinese speaking member of the town, even forsaking her British citizenship and becoming a Chinese citizen. When the Japanese invaded her region, she singlehandedly (well, with God's help!) led a group of 94 children more than 200 miles out of the war zone to safety. It was truly an inspirational read, and it was thrilling to share with all the children.


We decided to watch the movie adaptation, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, for movie night. We told the children it would differ from the actual account in numerous ways, and boy were we right! They condensed her harrowing 6 week journey to even GET to China (which included being kidnapped in Russia and narrowly escaping being sent to Siberia to work on machines for the rest of her life) into just one long train ride and a short jaunt on a mule, and in true Hollywood style they added in a romance with a Nationalist Chinese Army officer that did not exist in real life. The real Gladys was horrified by the movie version of her life, feeling that her reputation was forever tarnished.

However, we are learning that movie versions rarely equal the book version of someone's life story, and to discern the differences and then focus on the major themes that both share. The movie, despite veering from the truth in several places, did have as its major theme the determination Gladys had in following what she believed to be God's call on her life, and the ways in which God helped her and provided for her as she obeyed that call.

The movie is very well done and was fun to watch. As long as you read the book first and know the true story of her life, this is highly recommended! And again, I am so very thankful that Tapestry of Grace schedules these biographies as part of their curriculum. It has impacted me personally in a very deep way to read these true accounts of ordinary christians in our time who are sold out for Christ and determined to follow Him no matter what. Now we are reading a biography of Corrie Ten Boom, as we focus our history studies on World War II for a few weeks. Talk about inspirational!! When we finish the book, we will be watching The Hiding Place with our older children.