Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Based on the most recent user reviews of this film, the reasons why the movie achieved such a low IMDb rating include (1) an excessively sentimental and melodramatic script, (2) the absence of sufficient passion between the two leads, (3) resentment that Jennifer Jones played a Eurasian woman, and (4) an overbearing theme song that repeated itself too much.I disagree with all four criticisms, and I am no ordinary fan of the romantic genre, least of all the soap opera variety. Is this a soap opera? It is based on the autobiographical novel of Dr. Han Suyin, a Eurasian physician in Hong Kong, who fell in love with a British journalist by the name of Ian Morrison, whose life followed the same pattern as the movie's Mark Elliot.If Jennifer Jones and William Holden disliked each other in real life, their negative feelings for each other may have been an obstacle to their ability to play their parts, but they surely succeeded in overcoming this unavoidable barrier that stood between them. This achievement only underlines their talent as professionals. As to criticism that a "white woman" played a Eurasian character, who among the critics have analyzed Ms. Jones' dna to confirm her racial status? As a native Oklahoman, perhaps she had a significant amount of Native American blood but chose not to exploit it for career purposes, as others have done. Regardless, I think that it is reprehensible for any reviewers to criticize a professional on the basis of their race rather than their ability.I was six years old when Sammy Fain's haunting song hit the radio charts in 1955. I loved the song then, still love it, and would never say that it was played too often in this film, especially in the way that Alfred Newman arranged it for the screen. The combination of the song and the cinematography by director Henry King and photographer Leon Shamroy within and around a very photogenic Hong Kong was enough to keep me engaged after several viewings. For me, the very appealing presence of Jones and Holden was icing on the cake. Overall, this was a well constructed film centered on the very important, timeless subject of cultural conflict, which is still relevant to this day, and it surely deserves a higher rating than what IMDb subscribers have given it.

I am a fan of William Holden and this starring film at this time should have been better. Despite all the great scenery in Hong Kong, the script lets this one down. No wonder the theme song is much more famous than the film.Holden is a journalist and he meets a Female Doctor who has been widowed. Holden's wife who we never meet does not want to let him go, even though she has not seen him in 6 years. Such is the confusion of this plot, and the Doctor falls in love and carries a flame for this guy throughout. What is missing for everybody here is a back story.The ending is so predictable that I guessed it about the first 10 minutes. The scenery is the neat stuff here. The car Holden drives around is not the usual model. There is a CAT Vehicle at one point.Oh, if this really had a story, but it tries to wet 3 hankies without really drawing the viewer into anything except feeling how odd this relationship is. I got out the hankie when I realized how good this movie could have been, but it just does not get anywhere near where it should be.Sometimes the tree at the top of the hill needs to get cut down. I had the urge to rent a chain saw for the last scenes and say "enough already." The song Love is a Many Splendored Thing" is the only claim to long term fame this one has.

A widowed doctor of both Chinese and European descent (Jennifer Jones) falls in love with a married American correspondent (William Holden) in Hong Kong during China's Communist revolution.I love William Holden, so I appreciate him in this story. Jennifer Jones I am not as familiar with. Looking back now, it seems sort of racist to have a white woman play a Chinese woman, but at least she is only half-Chinese, so it is not as blatant as the roles that Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre were playing.How close this fits into the actual story from the memoir, I do not know. But as someone who loves the history of the Korean War, I appreciate how this has factored in. For those who have forgotten, between World War II and the Korean War, the Chinese switched from being American allies to American enemies. How that might affect a Sino-American romance is something only those in one could know.

Some movies just stands up to the changes of time. This is one such movie. Why it never gets old is because it's a quality production, with good settings and story.I really love this movie, although the story is kind of simple, the situation is not. Jennifer Jones plays an Eurasian woman from Chung King, and William Holden a reporter from Singapore. Two people from a very different background meet in one of the most international city in the world - Hong Kong - where old Chinese culture and new capitalism meet. Now that would be confusing to anyone who's trying to sort out their relationship.The movie combines all these elements well, and exotic Hong Kong location adds to the beauty of the story. It's interesting to see Hong Kong in 1955, comparing it to Hong Kong of today. Some places looks similar like the Victoria Peak (although it has no high rise buildings), but Aberdeen was much less crowded.Music score is a real tear jerker.If you like romance, this is one of the best movie you can watch.