“The World of Suzie Wong” is a romantic drama film starring William Holden as an American businessman who moves to Hong Kong to pursue a career as an artist. He hires a local girl to pose for him, and complications arise when he falls in love with her and discovers she is a prostitute. Director Richard Quine (“It Happened to Jane” 1959) put together a routine romance movie that we have seen before in different forms.
However, it does have good production values, decent performances, and a good script by John Patrick, from the 1958 Broadway play by Paul Osborn, which in turn was adapted from the 1957 novel by Richard Mason. William Holden and Nancy Kwan are authentic enough in the lead roles, with a supporting cast that includes Michael Wilding, Sylvia Syms, Laurence Naismith, Jacqui Chan, Andy Ho, and Yvonne Shima. (William Shatner and France Nuyen headlined the cast on Broadway.)
“The World of Suzie Wong” has numerous scenes filmed in and around Hong Kong, giving us a snapshot of what the British colony looked like in 1960. This watchable and entertaining American-British production was popular at the box office for World Enterprises Inc., Worldfilm Ltd., Paramount British Pictures Ltd., and Paramount Pictures. William Holden was at the height of his career here, one of the biggest box office draws of the 1950’s and 1960’s.
The World of Suzie Wong (1960)
cinema
My Review
“The World of Suzie Wong” is a romantic drama film starring William Holden as an American businessman who moves to Hong Kong to pursue a career as an artist. He hires a local girl to pose for him, and complications arise when he falls in love with her and discovers she is a prostitute. Director Richard Quine (“It Happened to Jane” 1959) put together a routine romance movie that we have seen before in different forms.
However, it does have good production values, decent performances, and a good script by John Patrick, from the 1958 Broadway play by Paul Osborn, which in turn was adapted from the 1957 novel by Richard Mason. William Holden and Nancy Kwan are authentic enough in the lead roles, with a supporting cast that includes Michael Wilding, Sylvia Syms, Laurence Naismith, Jacqui Chan, Andy Ho, and Yvonne Shima. (William Shatner and France Nuyen headlined the cast on Broadway.)
“The World of Suzie Wong” has numerous scenes filmed in and around Hong Kong, giving us a snapshot of what the British colony looked like in 1960. This watchable and entertaining American-British production was popular at the box office for World Enterprises Inc., Worldfilm Ltd., Paramount British Pictures Ltd., and Paramount Pictures. William Holden was at the height of his career here, one of the biggest box office draws of the 1950’s and 1960’s.