In 1946 Holland, just after the end of World War II, police inspector Peter Jongman (Stephen Boyd) and his colleague Sergeant Wolters (Donald Pleasence) are investigating ex-Nazi Thorens (Marius Goring) who has promised to smuggle Lisa Held (Dolores Hart), a young Jewish girl who was imprisoned at Auschwitz, into Palestine but is actually planning to send her to South America as a sex slave. After rescuing Lisa from Thorens, Peter risks his life, job, and freedom to see that Lisa gets to her promised land.
Lisa is based on The Inspector, a 1960 novel by Dutch playwright Jan de Hartog. The novel was adapted for the movie by American screenwriter Nelson Gidding.
As the boat approaches the Israeli coast, they are suddenly ambushed by gun runners from North Africa, and Lisa is wounded in the crossfire. At dawn, they make their landing on the beach where they are met by the Haganah. Peter carries Lisa ashore and over to a tank bearing the star of David. 'Get her to that doctor!' he orders as he and Lisa fight back parting tears. The tank carries Lisa away as Peter and Captain Ayoob (Harry Andrews) watch the British patrol boat waiting for them. 'How foolish they are,' Ayoob laughs. 'They think we are bringing someone they want out of Palesstine.' 'We are,' Peter replies. 'Me.'
Madre Dolorosa translates as 'sorrowful mother.' Spanish dolor ('sorrow') is also the root of the name 'Dolores'. Many viewers do a double-take when they realize that the name of the boat could be translated as 'Mother Dolores', a portent of what was to become Dolores Hart's future. In 1963, Hart left Hollywood to enter a convent and is currently known as Mother Dolores, prioress of Regina Laudis Abbey in Bethlehem, Connecticut.
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