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Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Year: 1955
Rated: NR
Film Length: 102 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16X9 Enhanced Widescreen (2.55:1)
Subtitles: English and Spanish
The year is still young and already it has been
filled with the release of some terrific classic
films courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox and their
line of Studio Classics. You can easily
forgive me for being so excited over these releases
once you realise that I am seeing most all of these
films for the first time anywhere on any format.
Based on the autobiographical novel by Han Suyin,
Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing is a story
about forbidden love -- an interracial romance
between an American journalist (William Holden) and
a Eurasian doctor (Jennifer Jones) in Hong Kong during
the Korean War. Dr. Han Suyin (Jones) falls in love
with Mark Elliot (Holden), who unfortunately cannot
obtain a divorce from his present wife. This, together
with the disapproval of Dr. Suyin's tradition-bound
relatives and Hong Kong's strict racial laws, forces
the couple to carry on their romance in a secretive
fashion.
From what I have read, LIAMST was the first
of three movies in a new deal with Jennifer Jones
and Twentieth Century Fox. Directed by the talented
Henry King (Carousel), LIAMST was filmed on
location in Hong Kong and was Jennifer's first film
to be shot in the new wide screen technique called
CinemaScope. This film beautifully showcases its
glorious and exotic locations, gorgeous costumes and
authentic sets. I was surprised to learn that
although their chemistry onscreen was excellent,
Holden and Jones reportedly did not get along well
during the filming. Holden had a reputation for
having affairs with his leading ladies. Jennifer
supposedly chewed garlic cloves before their love
scenes to deter him.
The film went on to win three of the eight Oscars
it was nominated for in 1955 including Best Score
(Alfred Newman), Best Song (written by Paul Fain
and Sammy Webster), and Best Costume Design (Charles
LeMaire).
Personally, I found this film to be an eye-opener.
Oh, sure the love story is a little melodramatic,
but one can't help but to fall in love with the
amazing cinematography that showcases the scenic
beauty of 1950`s British colonial Hong Kong. This
is a breathtaking film!
How is the transfer?
This is a transfer that will be talked about for
quite some time. Fox has done an incredible job
with this transfer that truly glorifies the
astonishing color photography by Charles G. Clarke
and Leon Shamroy. Here before us is a film nearly
50 years old and I am amazed by this print that
shows nearly no wear. This transfer shows an amazing
amount of clarity and detail with eye-popping deep
coloration that brings out some of the most gorgeous
blues and reds that I have seen in films of this
period. Facial tones look very natural. Some of
the exterior shots exhibit an abundant amount of
film grain, but I expect that this was unavoidable.
Truly a magnificent transfer!
I was quite taken back by the 4.0 Surround track
that featured a clever audio ploy I had never
previously heard on any film like this before.
The actors voices are cleverly placed amongst the
three front channels, moving from one channel to
another according to their screen placement. It
was a rather neat effect that I found heightened
the viewing experience. Dialogue is very clean and
distinctive as it blends flawlessly with Alfred
Newman's memorable woodwind and string score. The
rears manage to support the film's score, but at
levels that are often drowned out by the fronts.
It was nice to hear a few effect noises thrown to
the rear channels such as fog horns in the harbor
and various crowd noises.
Special Features
First up is a full-length commentary by
Film Historian Sylvia Stoddard (whose particular
interests are in Asian history), Daily Variety
and Los Angeles times music columnist John
Burlingame and director of photography Michael
Lonzo. This is quite a team of individuals
assembled here when you consider that each of
their expertise represents a significant aspect
of this film. As the film begins, Lonzo talks
about the aerial shots of Hong Kong that were taken
from a small plane that Charles G. Clarke had
rented. Lonzo is just amazing to listen to as he
enthusiastically takes us from Hong Kong locales
to Hollywood sets and talks about the various
lighting techniques used in the film -- and the
man does not skimp on detail -- trust me! Scene
by scene, Sylvia Stoddard meticulously explains
the actions happening on screen as well as giving
us background information on the real people this
film is based upon. Stoddard is a real fan of
actress Jennifer Jones and gives us some detailed
information on how she was discovery by David O.
Selznick who persuaded her to change her name and
offered her a film contract in the process. About
40 minutes into the commentary, John Burlingame
begins giving us some background information on
composer Alfred Newman, who came to Hollywood
after a celebrated career on Broadway. Though he
composed some of the greatest film music ever made,
he wasn't a huge fan of composing, opting to conduct
instead in the company of musicians. Ever wonder
where the term "letterbox" came from? You'll find
the answer nearly 80 minutes into the commentary as
Lonzio talks about the earliest Cinemascope films
that were shot at 2.55:1. Though I only had the
opportunity to sample a quarter of what is here, it
is evident that this is just simply an outstanding
commentary.
Always welcome on these Studio Classic DVDs
is another original A&E biography, William
Holden: An untamed spirit. This 44-minute
segment features Ernest Borgnine, Cliff Robertson
and Stefanie Powers as they share their memories of
Hollywood's "Golden Boy."
There are two original MovieTone news
presentations included here. The first, Audience
Awards Presentations shows Holden presenting
Jennifer Jones with an award for Best Performance
by an Actress (1 minute). The second, highlights
the Photoplay Awards where Producer Buddy
Adler and actor William Holden are presented with
achievement honors (1.2 minutes).
Now this is something that needs to be
included on as many DVDs like this as possible.
In order to truly appreciate the amount of work
that went into this film's restoration, one only
needs to look at the restoration comparison
which puts this brand-new 2002 restored print
against an original 1993 VHS master. I really wish
to thank the restorationists for the superb job
they have obviously done here. You'll want to do
same after you see this presentation.
(length approx. 4 minutes)
In addition to the film's original theatrical
trailer, there are trailers for All About
Eve, An Affair to Remember, Gentleman's Agreement,
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, How Green was my Valley
and The Inn of Sixth Happiness.
Final Thoughts
More than any other studio, Fox has been painstakingly
remastering and preserving their most valued historic
releases. The release of these films through their
Studio Classics label will hopefully send a
signal to other studios the importance of preserving
their libraries and the urgency in getting these
films out to a public that have been demanding the
release of their favorite classics.
As for me, I find myself in movie heaven every time
I discover one of these classics on DVD for the very
first time. Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing
is another magnificent addition to the Studio
Classics label, and more importantly, to your
own video collection.
Highly Recommended!
Release Date: May 6, 2003
All screen captures have been further compressed.
They are for illustrative purposes only and do not
represent actual picture quality