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

In Hong Kong in 1949, Mark Elliott is an American reporter covering the Chinese civil war. Undergoing a trial separation from his wife, he meets the beautiful Dr. Han Suyin, a widowed physician from mainland China. As the pair fall in love, they encounter disapproval from both her family and his friends about their interracial romance. Although the film was a commercial success upon release, the casting of Jones in an Asian role has since been criticized.

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Plot Keywords:

scandal | gossip | war correspondent | swimming | beach | 

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Taglines:

The price they pay when they come out of their secret garden and face the world in modern-day Hong Kong - makes this one of the screen's unforgettable experiences!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

26 September 1955 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Alle Herrlichkeit auf Erden

Filming Locations:

Topanga Canyon, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,780,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$4,000,000, 31 December 1955

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Color by Deluxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The aircraft that returns Mark to Hong Kong is Pan American World Airways N6535C, named "Clipper Mercury". It was a Douglas DC-6B, which entered service in 1952 and left service in 1961.

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Goofs

The story takes place in 1949, but the aircraft that returns Mark to Hong Kong is Pan American World Airways N6535C, named "Clipper Mercury". It was a Douglas DC-6B, which entered service in 1952 and left service in 1961.

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Quotes

Dr. Han Suyin: I will make no mistakes in the name of loneliness. I have my work and an uncomplicated life. I don't want to feel anything again... ever.

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Connections

Referenced in Better Days Ahead (1989)

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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

Chinese Proverbs, knowing butterflies, fortunes told...nothing can stop fate!

Han Suyin's autobiographical novel "A Many-Splendored Thing" becomes glossy, unconvincingly clean and luxurious romance set in Hong Kong, 1949, wherein a widowed female doctor of Chinese-English descent falls for an American correspondent stuck in a loveless marriage. John Patrick adapted Suyin's story, apparently turning her heartfelt remembrances into swooning romantic dross complete with poor dialogue exchanges (He: "I can't believe you're a doctor." .. She: "Too bad we don't have a scalpel, I could make a small incision."). Dark-haired, pale-skinned Jennifer Jones meets handsome, smiling William Holden at a party and immediately feigns indignance, as if widowed women bury their sexuality (or feel they must appear to) once a man takes an interest in them. Henry King directs the proceedings with a gentle touch, bringing it all to a misty-eyed flourish, yet Jones' character is never an embraceable one. Constantly referring to her heritage (and the fact she's "Eurasian"), this lady is forthright in all the wrong ways (she'd be more likely to turn off Holden's reporter rather than keep him around). Jones (who got an Oscar nomination) and Holden do create a loving rapport which becomes sweeter once Jennifer loosens up. This hard-working woman curiously puts a great deal of stock into superstitions (omens, Proverbs, butterflies), which seems out of step with such a no-nonsense lady; the sequence where she travels back home to Chunking to visit relatives is also odd (it doesn't take shape, it just appears as though she's running away). Holden performs in a low, easy key and glides through rather unperturbed (nothing ruffles this guy, but there's nothing to explain his devotion either; the man is obviously touched by this woman, but that doesn't tell us much about him). Alfred Newman's Oscar-winning music (and the memorable, Oscar-winning theme song by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster) are lovely, and the locations are gorgeous, though the obvious studio shots are too tidy--even the hospital where Jones works seems overly opulent. A nice-enough weeper for soap fans, though one without the substance to entice a wider audience. **1/2 from ****