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Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
Rate:
3
Viewed:
10/14
10/14:
Who can believe Jennifer Jones as a Chinese, an Eurasian, an European, or whatever the hell she's supposed to
be in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing?
Some of my favorite lines from her character are: "My father was Chinese. My mother was English. I think of
myself as Chinese, however," "Like all Chinese, I'm spellbound by my own country," "No Chinese girl would dare
dine alone with an American she had just met," "I am still Chinese," "I'm Eurasian," "My Chinese side was
debating with my European side," "In my heart, I am Chinese," and "I'm proud to be Eurasian."
Hey, Suyin, do me a favor...please shut the fuck up. Besides, where does she come off thinking that being
Chinese or Eurasian would make her so damned special? Her corny fortune-cookie talk is hard to bear. On the
other hand, William Holden is okay, but his character is a cad. There's no chemistry between him and Jennifer
Jones. Every scene has been as if they just met on the first day of filming. In fact, both didn't get along
during the entire time. According to Wikipedia:
"Holden was turned off by Jones' obsessive involvement with her character and complaints about her makeup,
which she said made her 'look old,' costumes, and dialogue. According to Holden's biography, Jones was also
generally rude and abrasive to everyone involved in the production."
The plot is as cardboard as it gets which basically goes like this. A man sees a doctor at the party. He asks
her out for a date. The next day, they go for a swim. Within a month, they get married despite the fact that he
has no time for her. Finally, he dies during the war. Hence, it's the weepiest love story of all time. The things
they said, I just wanted to bury my head in sand.
Oscar-nominated for Best Cinematography in Color, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing looks fake because of
the extensive use of mattes. It turns out that most of the film was shot on location in California, not Hong Kong,
including the couple's special meeting place with a solitary tree atop the hill.
Ironically, two Chinese characters, Ann and Suyin's sister, are played by white females because the theme of the
film is about overcoming racism. I mean, one billion people in China, and they still couldn't find anyone? Hands
down the most ridiculous and corniest scene ever is when Jennifer Jones and William Holden kissed each other
with their cigarettes. What?!? Please pile on more sand over my head.
All in all, The World of Suzie Wong is an infinitely better
film than Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.