The World of Suzie Wong (1960)

Robert Lomax tired of working in an office, wants to be an artist. So he moves to Hong Kong to try his hand at painting. Finding a cheap hotel he checks in, only to find it's used by ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Paul Osborn (adaptation), Richard Mason (novel),

Stars:

William Holden, Nancy Kwan, Sylvia Syms

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Holden	...	Robert Lomax
Nancy Kwan	...	Suzie Wong
Sylvia Syms	...	Kay O'Neill
Michael Wilding	...	Ben Marlowe
Jacqui Chan	...	Gwennie Lee
Laurence Naismith	...	O'Neill
Yvonne Shima	...	Minnie Ho
Andy Ho	...	Ah Tong
Lier Hwang	...	Wednesday Lu
Bernard Cribbins	...	Otis
Edwina Carroll	...	Mrs. Marlowe
Dervis Ward	...	British Sailor
Marian Spencer	...	Dinner Guest
Lionel Blair	...	Dancing Sailor

Storyline

Robert Lomax tired of working in an office, wants to be an artist. So he moves to Hong Kong to try his hand at painting. Finding a cheap hotel he checks in, only to find it's used by prostitutes and their 'dates' who meet in the bar downstairs. Since he never picks up any of ladies, they all want to know more about him. Eventually he does hire one to model for him, but soon falls in love. But, since he's on a limited budget, he can't afford her exclusively, and doesn't want to 'share' her.

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Plot Keywords:

hong kong | artist | single parent | negative asian stereotype | tragedy | 

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Taglines:

You are the first man I ever loved... and the world has only just begun...

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

1961 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Die Welt der Suzie Wong

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

World Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jack Clayton was asked to direct this film.

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Goofs

When Robert Lomax (Holden) begins to strip the European clothes off Suzy Wong (Kwan), her hair is piled smartly up under her cap and can be seen to remain that way. However, when Lomax goes to pull the cap off her head, Suzy's long tresses are fully down and covering her back.

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Connections

Referenced in The Joy Luck Club (1993)

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Soundtracks

"The World of Suzie Wong"
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen

User Reviews

The Original "Pretty Woman"

Long before "Pretty Woman", "Maid in Manhattan" and "In the Mood For Love" were dreamed up, we have this beautiful film from the fifties which is the meatiest of them all.

True the film is a bit long, but this does not detract from the general impression it gives to the spectator.

The dialogues are sublime, the technicolor is wonderful and both protagonists are very beaufiful actors. I saw this on TV and would dearly love to have it on DVD ( chance would be a fine thing !!! ) to have a better sound quality for the dialogues.

For pure unadulterated romance and passion, this film is hard to beat. One gets the impression that it was rather ahead of its time when it came out.

Lastly, those frightening landslide sequences close to the end are really impressive, and the "baby's funeral" also leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

A truly magnificent film, seemingly little known today, and which would gain from being made better known to the general public .......