The World of Suzie Wong (1960)

Wonderful character development!

How sad is this?

A different way of telling a story

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The World of Suzie Wong is a tragic insight into colonization from the west in any form. The film does not capture this, but wants us to feel relaxed about Asians who talk cool, and dress in the same manner.With this established the union of Suzie and Holden is racially OK. ( See Sayonara with Brando and see how that film shocks the senisbilities of viewers even today.As it should.) William Holden is alright here but he is a great talent and he cannot get over the terrible direction and the watered-down play as screenplay. There's no characterization and he moves on to better things in his career, Paris When It Sizzles, is not one of his good moves, with the same bad director of Suzie Wong. Wong ans Paris are perhaps the nadir for Holden, but he does make it to Network.Nancy Kwan is light years behind France Nuyen who essayed the part on Broadway. Ms. Kwan has no acting skills that would even begin to unfurl this complicated character for us.The film could be remade..it should be, with the uncut play as a basis for it.

William Holden plays Robert, an artist whose plan is to go to Hong Kong for a year to paint portraits. He meets Susie Wong, a hostess girl played by Nancy Kwan. The movie is about their relationship, the ups and downs, the folly and the serious, the happiness and the frustration. Its a good film about a relationship between two cultures, and probably depicts a way of life at that time in Hong Kong, but it still doesn't feel wholly authentic somehow to me. Nancy Kwan does a good job, but her character sometimes annoys me. I guess the thing is you have to believe William Holden would be willing to have the patience to deal with her, especially given the fact that she has multiple "boyfriends". In the end, what we have is a well made film with good performances, but a film you finish kind of shaking your head to. Recommended, but don't expect a great film.

I haven't seen "The World of Suzie Wong" for many years but I will never forget the impact it made on me! I remember a particular scene with wind chimes. The woman goes to the window, and peers out, saying, "In my house, when (where?) the wind sings; love dwells." That is all I remember. I think the man came to stand next to her. I think it was from "TWOSW," but I can't remember!!! Nancy Kwan was the first Asian actress who made a name for herself in Hollywood, as I recall. She was phenomenally beautiful, and, a good actress. Bill Holden is one of my all-time favorites! Who could ever forget him opposite Kim Novak in "Picnic?"!!

I saw this movie again after not seeing it in about 10 years. Because I heard the DVD had come out I bought it and watched it again. The other comments made me want to write a comment for a couple reasons: Suzie Wong is not a culturally condescending movie, indeed for its time it must have been scandalous--showing real poverty, colonialism, racism and the sad world of people trapped in desperation. It is nothing like Pretty Woman and such a comparison belittles the accomplishment of this movie--two characters who are both on the verge of Not being able to fulfill themselves--but when together they can become their best selves. It is a good drama and a realistic love story with some tragedy but still happy and fitting consequences.A man in a trench coat ("Robert" played by William Holden) boards a ferry for Hong Kong, an excited tourist. He takes out a sketchpad and draws others on a ferry, notably a young Chinese woman ("Suzie Wong" played by Nancy Kwan), also in a trench coat. What immediately follows is a verbal spat that could have taken place between a couple, happily married for ten years. Always comfortable, yet unnerved from the beginning is the meeting of Suzie and Robert. She presents herself as a haughty "virgin" rich girl called Mei Ling, and he's a visiting artist, in Hong Kong for the first time.Later, Robert, who wants to get immersed in his surroundings gets lodging in a hotel in the Wan Chai district, a poor part of town where "Chinese" live. He later sees the girl from the ferry at the Hotel Bar, dressed very differently--in a seductive flaming red dress, hanging around the sailors as the other Wan Chai girls do. Her manner is different--cold and calculating, not a "virgin" at all. Robert realizes that he is in a bar of escorts, and the clientèle are largely the military men docked in Hong Kong.Suzie is fascinating to Robert, but he still sees her differently than his first meeting, though she is no less beautiful. He rebuffs her offer to be his "regular girlfriend". Suzie is annoyed at being rebuffed, and angrily shoots back "A month is a long time in Hong Kong, you'll get lonely...i wait". But rather than professional pride being injured maybe we see the first instance of Suzie seeing Robert as someone other than a customer, as she doesn't dismiss him--she reacts like a jealous woman and strides away to grab another man and kisses him.Robert isn't a tourist for "action" he wants to paint. He is an architect who was unhappy with his life and sets up a bank account for year to stay and see if he can make it as a painter. While he wants to immerse himself in culture, his immersion stops at his heart, and maybe even his body. Therein lies my issue with many of the other commenters. Robert doesn't "help" Suzie, she helps him. Robert is no different than Suzie in many ways. His soul was being killed by a job that didn't make him happy, and maybe by a woman that didn't make him happy. He is no savior to a woman trapped in prostitution--he's trapped too. And in essence his trap is harder to get out of, because he thinks he is "all there" simply because he is a respectable man, and honourable towards women. His trap is in his head. In the evening he stares at the building he's painted and it doesn't seem to thrill him much. He calls the downstairs desk and has the 'concierge' send up Suzie. SHe runs upstairs like an excited girl on her first date. She is angry when Robert tells her he doesn't want her for her body, but for her "bones" and he paints her. But she stays to save face.Then starts the pattern that repeats throughout the movie, is that Suzie needs to talk to him and find ways of continuing to talk to him, and order him around as if she is his affectionate wife-mother. And he listens but doesn't completely give in. The first night she models for a painting, she sings him a folk song and insists on telling him the story of a boy cloud and girl cloud, and how they finally get together when the boy cloud proves he has a good heart, an analogy for the entire movie.Trouble brews when Suzie feels threatened by a banker's daughter. when Robert mixes with the Hong Kong "society" folk he is surprised by their bigotry, but he continues to mix out of financial need to sell his paintings. Suzie feels jealous & desperate, maybe for both love and money, and agrees to be the "permanent girlfriend" of a wealthy usually drunk businessman played with hilarity by Michael Wilding (he is superb).After many misunderstandings and a tragedy, Suzie and a much changed Robert are able to have future together.This movie doesn't shy away from showing poverty--if anything it is discussed openly "you never have to do a dirty job like me" and "many hungry people in Hong Kong" and we find out that Suzie is illiterate in both English and Chinese. Also--some very frank racist discussion that is important to establish the supposed "two worlds". The Banker (father of Kay) acts as the Anglo conscience.The acting is great and natural. The scenes of Hong Kong and the score are gorgeous. I suppose I avoided seeing this movie again for a long time because it hits too close to home in some ways. No special stuff on the DVD but the print is great.It's a great under-watched and under-appreciated movie. It is also a perfect movie for those who haven't quite found their place in the world or in their hearts, looking for a peaceful resting place.