Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)

A widowed doctor of both Chinese and European descent falls in love with a married American correspondent in Hong Kong during China's Communist revolution.

Directors:

Henry King, Otto Lang (uncredited)

Writers:

John Patrick (screenplay), Han Suyin (novel)

Stars:

William Holden, Jennifer Jones, Torin Thatcher

Won 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Holden	...	Mark Elliott
Jennifer Jones	...	Dr. Han Suyin
Torin Thatcher	...	Humphrey Palmer-Jones
Isobel Elsom	...	Adeline Palmer-Jones
Murray Matheson	...	Dr. John Keith
Virginia Gregg	...	Anne Richards
Richard Loo	...	Robert Hung
Soo Yong	...	Nora Hung
Philip Ahn	...	Third Uncle
Jorja Curtright	...	Suzanne
Donna Martell	...	Suchen, Suyin's sister

Storyline

Newsman Mark Elliott is an American war correspondent in Hong Kong, separated from his wife. During the closing days of the Chinese Civil War, he meets and pursues a beautiful Eurasian doctor, the widow of a Nationalist general. But when they begin to fall in love, their friends and her Chinese family pressure them to stop the cross-cultural relationship.

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Plot Keywords:

love | hong kong | doctor | widow | eurasian | 

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Taglines:

She was Han Suyin, the fascinating Eurasian. He was Mark Elliot, American correspondent... In each other's arms... they found a love that defied 5000 years of tradition!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

15 December 1955 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Alle Herrlichkeit auf Erden

Filming Locations:

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording) (optical prints) 4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (magnetic prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jennifer Jones reportedly complained incessantly. Among other topics, she felt that her makeup made her look old. This might explain why the "yellowface" prosthetics (to make her eyes seem Asian) vary from shot to shot. Sometimes they're very obvious, and other times she seems not to be wearing them at all.

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Goofs

During the scene with Mark and Suyin in the airplane: after they land and the announcement says they can remove their seat belts, both actors do as they are supposed to and release their belts. Then Mark stands up but you can clearly see through the aircraft window that the scenery still shows them in a taxi movement.

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Quotes

Third Uncle: We shall now have tea and speak of absurdities.

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Connections

Referenced in The Nanny: Love Is a Many Blundered Thing (1996)

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Soundtracks

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Music by Sammy Fain
Performed by Chorus

User Reviews

"A Great Many Mistakes Are Made In the Name of Loneliness"

Those prophetic words were spoken by William Holden (as a war reporter) to the beauteous Jennifer Jones (as a Eurasian doctor), explaining his failing marriage on the beach. They start an affair, despite huge odds of adultery and racial issues. In Hollywood of the 1950s, interracial romance was allowed but only with dire consequences at the end. Beautiful Hong Kong scenery (although some beach scenes look studio-bound), a famous title tune, poetic script, lovely background music (by Alfred Newman), great costumes, outstanding performances, especially Jones (directed here by Henry King, who also did "The Song of Bernadette - 1943, an Oscar for Jones) still make this a world-class romance weeper.