In telling the story of a Catholic priest sent to a remote mission in China, Stahl is less concerned with religious doctrine, politics, or culture than with the nuances of individual character. The young Gregory Peck garnered an Oscar nomination for his performance as Father Francis Chisholm, a humble Scotsman who refuses to buy converts but wins them anyway through compassion, tolerance, and common sense. Any risk of sentimental sanctimony is relieved by Thomas Mitchell as an endearing, unrepentant atheist and Vincent Price as an officious cleric whose ambition defines the difference between a career and a calling.

—Juliet Clark