The World of Suzie Wong

An aspiring American artist (William Holden) falls for his prostitute model (Nancy Kwan) in Hong Kong.

If The World of Suzie Wong sounds a bit familiar, it’s because the film was likely an attempt to cash-in on the success of star William Holden’s earlier film, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing which also featured Holden as a fish-out-of-water in Hong Kong, overcoming racial and cultural differences as he falls in love with a local girl.

This time around however, the setting is more contemporary, and we have an actual Asian, not Jennifer Jones in bad makeup, playing the love interest. Unfortunately, the results are pretty similar.

Once again, the problem lies in the female lead. Nancy Kwan tries her heart out, but her character, as written, isn’t very compelling and never wins over the audience the way she wins over Holden’s character on screen. As a result the entire story feels dull and forced; melodrama at its worst.

Granted, it’s not all bad. Holden’s good even if his performance feels a bit too familiar, and director Richard Quine makes great use of the Hong Kong locales, but neither of these can overcome the stilted, predictable plot. There may be a story here worth telling, but it’s lost amid the concessions made to the genre and the late 1950’s sensibilities.