Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing

Synopsis: Newsman Mark Elliott is an American war correspondent in Hong Kong, separated from his wife. During the closing days of the Chinese Civil War, he meets and pursues a beautiful Eurasian doctor, the widow of a Nationalist general. But when they begin to fall in love, their friends and her Chinese family pressure them to stop the cross-cultural relationship.
Director(s): Henry King, Otto Lang
Production: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation
  Won 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.6
Rotten Tomatoes:
50%
UNRATED
Year:
1955
102 min
784 Views


(siren)

Dr Han?

Dr Keith would like you to come to

the emergency ward as soon as you can.

(groaning)

- What's the trouble, John?

- This child was hit by a car and is in shock.

- Who is she?

- A refugee from China.

One of the 3,000 new ones.

They pour in every day.

- Has she a family?

- I don't know.

- She was alone at the time of the accident.

- Will you take over?

I've given her pantopon.

She may be injured internally.

Boy, move her to x-ray immediately.

You had better come along

with me, Officer, for the report.

Dr Han? I am Mei Loo. You remember?

Oh, Mei Loo, I hardly knew you.

Is this the little boy who was so ill?

But now it is my husband.

Make him well, Dr Han.

We have no money, but... we will sell the boy.

Our little one is intelligent and well-made.

We come from a good family.

We will do what we can, Mei Loo.

But don't you ever try to sell your little boy.

- You couldn't anyhow.

- I'll take care of him.

Anyway, Dr Sen's on his way down.

- I wish I were ten people.

- You need diversion.

- I wish I were ten people.

- You need diversion.

I'm going to a cocktail party this afternoon.

Why don't you come with me?

Dr Sen will take over here.

Why don't I? A sense of balance

might restore my sense of humour.

Why anyone would want to live anywhere

but Hong Kong I can't understand.

Where else could you get

ten servants for the price of one?

By next month, the ratio will be 12:1.

Shanghai's fallen, you know.

- The Reds will have all of China soon.

- We must all keep our heads here.

I hope you'll write something dreadful for

your paper about those ungrateful Chi...

Oh! John Keith.

Now my party is a success.

Adeline, this is Han Suyin,

my friend and colleague.

Han Suyin, I feel I've known you

a long, long time.

- You're a great artist, I understand.

- I'm a doctor.

Oh, well, doctors are artists in their way.

I knew I'd heard something wonderful about

you. John, you know everybody, don't you?

- Suyin, I hardly expected to find you here.

- Doctor's orders.

Adeline's husband is a hospital director.

You must let me speak to him, Dr Han.

There might be a place for you on the staff.

- Thank you, but I am already on the staff.

- Oh, how nice.

Well, then, we won't have to tell him, will we?

I want you to meet Father Lowe.

He just escaped from China, too.

But I havent just escaped from China.

I've been studying medicine in England.

I haven't been back to China for ten years.

- But you are Chinese.

- Eurasian.

My father was Chinese.

My mother was English.

I think of myself as Chinese, however.

I know exactly how you feel. The minute

I put on a Chinese frock, I feel Chinese.

If you have capital invested, you can double

your money in Hong Kong in three months...

If you have capital invested, you can double

your money in Hong Kong in three months...

Money, money, money. It's so sordid, dear.

I want you to meet Dr Han.

This mercenary man is my husband.

- Delighted, Doctor.

- And this is Father Lowe.

- And Mr Beager, Mr Wong and Mr...

- Bohannen, dear.

Oh, yes. And Mrs Wong, Madame Monet,

Mr Daney and Fiona Manton.

Father Lowe is fresh out of North China.

All the really nice people are getting out.

- I was thrown out.

- Rice converts, that's what they were.

- Rice converts.

- I loved them.

I knew them as I knew the back of my hand.

But they turned me out.

I'm sure I'll find China

much changed when I return.

- You're going back, Doctor?

- Don't tell us you're a Communist!

No, but I became a doctor to help my people.

Like all Chinese,

I'm spellbound by my own country.

- You'll be shot.

- I hope not!

- I'm not a politician or a missionary.

- Really, I must say...

You must say something

to your other guests.

- We know. I'll pilot Suyin around.

- Oh, thank you, John, thank you.

- Oh, dear, I'm saying all the wrong things.

- Not at all.

- Getting your sense of balance back?

- Yeah. And my sense of humour.

I'd heard that these parties were...

- Oh. I left my fan.

- Where?

Well... I think I put it down

when I was handed a cocktail.

I'll get it for you. Wait here.

- Dr Han? Is this yours?

- Thank you.

- And these.

- Thank you.

I'm Mark Elliott.

- Kind of a dull party, isn't it?

- No, thank you.

- Well, I'm a guest, Mr Elliott.

- I'm a guest, too.

That gives me the right to call it dull.

I was supposed to meet you two weeks ago.

- Were you?

- Mm-hm.

Fred Dixon wrote me,

asked me to look you up.

I didn't as I thought you'd be

an intellectual, with glasses.

Oh. And where is Mr Dixon now?

Oh, he's still in Malaya.

Would you have dinner with me tonight?

I'm a very pleasant man.

Oh, I'm sure of that, but... I'm on duty.

When are you not on duty?

If we were in Chungking, Mr Elliott,

Third Uncle would consider it

unpardonable to accept.

No Chinese girl would dare dine alone

with an American she had just met.

- But we're not in Chungking.

- I am still Chinese.

And half European. I just heard you say so.

Now, will your European side reconsider?

- Why don't you call me at the hospital?

- I'll do that.

- Oh, I see you found it.

- Oh, this is Mr Elliott. Dr John Keith.

- We've met before. Nice to see you again.

- Yes. Nice to see you.

I really can't believe

that you're a doctor, Doctor.

What a shame we haven't a scalpel with us.

I could make a slight incision

to convince you.

Tell me about Mark Elliott.

Don't know much. He's a newspaperman.

Been around a couple of months.

A reporter. Why?

He's invited me to dinner.

- Accepting?

- I haven't decided.

- He's married, Suyin.

- So are you, John, and I go out with you.

I happen to be in love with my wife. He isn't.

And how do you know so much?

Hong Kong is a small place.

Well, I dislike being a small person.

I'm not remotely interested in Mr Elliott.

I doubt if he'll call anyhow.

(phone rings)

- Dr Han here.

- Are you on duty Wednesday?

I have Wednesday afternoons off.

Good. It's the night of the Moon Festival.

Will you have dinner with me?

- Where can I pick you up?

- Well...

I'll meet you at the staff entrance

of the hospital at six.

- You're wearing European clothes.

- My European side is going out with you.

- I don't suppose you'd change?

- I certainly would not.

- I love the dress you had on the other day.

- I'll make you a present of it.

- So you're a reporter?

- Please, a correspondent.

- What's the difference?

- About a hundred dollars a week.

(chattering in Cantonese)

The sky is clear.

It is a good omen for the Moon Festival.

I arranged a full moon for you.

I arranged a full moon for you.

- Have you ever been in Peking?

- Many times.

Do you know that in Peking, the moon

is larger than anyplace else in the world?

Now, that's very unscientific.

It's the same size everywhere.

Oh, no. The moon is larger in Peking.

Much larger than in Hong Kong and London.

All right, if you insist.

When were you in Peking last?

I was studying at

the University of Peking in 1939.

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John Patrick

John Patrick was an American playwright and screenwriter. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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