Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing *** (1955, William Holden, Jennifer Jones, Torin Thatcher, Isobel Elsom, Virginia Gregg, Murray Matheson, Keye Luke) – Classic Movie Review 4567

Director Henry King’s 1955 movie is just the very kind of film they don’t make any more – a plush, lovely looking, well-meaning, impressively crafted escapist movie about a tearful romance between the gorgeous Eurasian doctor Dr Han Suyin (Oscar-nominated Jennifer Jones) and a nice married American journalist Mark Elliott (William Holden) in Hong Kong.

Separated from his wife, war correspondent Mark meets Han, widow of a Chinese Nationalist general. But her family and his friends try to get them to stop their cross-cultural relationship.

Cinematographer Leon Shamroy’s glossy photography beautifully complements the high-flown dialogue (‘In the next life, let us be birds,’ says Jones) in John Patrick’s screenplay, based on Han Suyin’s novel. And the title song, once heard, remains obstinately memorable.

It is a bit lumbering and cumbersome, and of course now very dated, but Jones and Holden work hard for it, and true romantics may well still succumb to this one.

There were eight Oscar nominations and three wins: for Best Colour Costume Design (Charles Le Maire), Best Original Song (Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, music by Sammy Fain; lyrics by Paul Francis Webster) and Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Alfred Newman).

Also in the cast are Torin Thatcher, Isobel Elsom, Virginia Gregg, Murray Matheson, Keye Luke, Richard Loo, Soo Yong, Philip Ahn, James Hong, Candace Lee, Jorja Curtwright and Donna Martell.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4567

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