A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (original screenplay)

Release Date:

15 March 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Fun at Sea! His Cabin, His PJs, Her Move!

Plot:

Natascha, a White Russian countess, stows away on a luxury liner at Hong Kong, determined to seek a new life in America...

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Beautiful Woman | City Name In Title | Title In Title | Place Name In Title

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Ogden Mears
Sophia Loren	...	Natascha
Sydney Chaplin	...	Harvey
Tippi Hedren	...	Martha
Patrick Cargill	...	Hudson
Michael Medwin	...	John Felix
Oliver Johnston	...	Clark
John Paul	...	The Captain
Angela Scoular	...	The Society Girl
Margaret Rutherford	...	Miss Gaulswallow
Peter Bartlett	...	Steward
Bill Nagy	...	Crawford
Dilys Laye	...	Saleswoman
Angela Pringle	...	Baroness
Jenny Bridges	...	Countess

Runtime:

120 min | USA:108 min (US version)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Spain:13 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (2005) | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Chaplin Film Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

The film was shortened by approximately 15 minutes since its premiere. In an interview, Charles Chaplin said he felt the shortened version (which is the version currently available on home video and DVD) almost did not feel like his film and that he preferred the longer one.

Goofs:

Continuity: During "everybody is getting sea-sick" scene Ogden, Natascha and Harvey push an ashtray around the table until Ogden angrily swipes it off the table. Shortly after it's back on the table in front of Natascha's chair and in the next shot it moves over to be in front of Ogden's chair, although nobody is at the table at that time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Brando (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

(Love,) This Is My Song

This could have been a much better movie--as it is, it's still an interesting film

This film has a pretty poor reputation and in some ways it is deserved, but I also wonder if maybe the reason critics were so hard on the film was because they expected too much from director, Charlie Chaplin. It was the last film he directed and in this sense, it is a disappointment that he made such an ordinary film. But, if they had thought that the director was Homer Noodleman or Myron Lipschitz, would they have been so hostile towards THE COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG?

The biggest problem about the film is probably the choice of stars for the film. While Marlon Brando was brilliant in some films, he also often acted well outside his range--this film is a great example. He just isn't a funny actor no matter how much he tries in the film. The part appears to have been written for someone like Cary Grant or David Niven--but not Brando. And Sophia Loren, while not as badly miscast, also really isn't in her element. Also, Chaplin himself only appears for a few seconds, and I am sure many were disappointed at only seeing this ever so brief cameo.

Now as for the plot, I read one review that said this film was made in the wrong decade, and I agree wholeheartedly. The movie looks much like a romantic-comedy from the late 1930s. This isn't really a criticism--more that this film would have played better and been embraced more in this decade instead of the more jaded and "hip" 1960s. I'm sure than many potential viewers were turned off by it being a movie "for their parents".

Unfortunately, the film apart from these minor criticisms wasn't really a bad film. While not the perfect culmination to his career like it would have been if LIMELIGHT had been his final film, Chaplin had nothing to be ashamed of other than miscasting.