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:

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:

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

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jennifer Jones reportedly chewed garlic cloves before her love scenes with William Holden, which may have been an effort to deter her notoriously womanizing co-star. Considering how badly they were getting along, Holden suspected that it was Jones' attempt to annoy him.

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Goofs

When Mark is at war writing and a butterfly lands on his typewriter, the close-up of the page clearly shows he was writing to inform her that her "twenty-third letter has arrived". In a scene not long after, the letter has reached her and as she reads, his voice-over differs, saying her "eighth and ninth letters have arrived". A line about his bottom hurting from bouncing around in jeeps matches both letters.

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Quotes

Dr. Han Suyin: Our gorgeous lie did not even last the night.

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Connections

Referenced in Tian mi mi (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.