"We have not missed you & I... that many-splendored thing!"
We all want to fall in love..because that experience makes us feel completely alive..where every sense is heightened, every emotion is magnified..our every day reality is shattered & we are flying into the heavens..It may only last a moment..an hour..an afternoon..But that doesn't diminish its value..because we are left with memories that we treasure for the rest of our lives..
I love watching people fall in love..It must have something to do with the excellent chemistry between the main characters..
Mark Elliott ( charming, sensitive American war correspondent who arrives in Hong Kong at the dawn of the Korean war..married- but not that connected with his wife..) 'found her beauty & grace irresistible'...[separated but not divorced]
Han Suyin (widowed & alone..seeks acceptance from the Asian culture she embraces..) was 'captivated by his tenderness & insight'..
There's an instant attraction that's impossible to deny.. ("Mark, there is an old Chinese proverb : Never wake a sleeping tiger..").. The two have a passionate affair..leading them to fall in love.
Their love story is so strong..so deep..so wonderfully expressed that highlights the difficulties of the troubled time of the Korean War, communism & race relations..(regarded - at that time - as an objective report of conditions in Asia)..Their story was an authentic portrayal of love blooming between two people who are 'not' destined to be together..
Holden is an inspired choice for the role..Not only does he have an imposing screen presence, but he brings the perfect mix of enlightenment, compassion & emotion to the part..
Opposite him Oscar Winner Jennifer Jones (for "The Song of Bernadette", 1943) perfect in her oriental look..radiantly beautiful..(specially that evening in a party wearing a refined blue dress--'cheongsam')..Jones floods her role with personal emotion (romance relies on ineffable mystery & destiny) giving her character a charismatic life of its own..As always, she delivers a heartfelt performance & turns her character into a woman who undergoes a spiritual & emotional awakening..
The scene (in the climax of the film) of the verdant hill where Suyin takes refuge (after reading in the newspaper that Mark has been killed) that she associates with Mark's spirit & their love & where she hardly tries to communicate her feelings & her wishes..was exquisitely touching specially when we heard Mark's voice whispering : "We have not missed you & I...We have not missed that many splendored thing."...Henry King (who has established himself as a masterful director of romances) spreads the romantic score by Alfred Newman (written by Sammy Fain & Paul Webster) in the air above the cosmopolitan harbor...
The film is colorful..with excellent cinematography, set design & gorgeous costumes..(the only embarrassing segment of it is the mainland China scenes when Suyin returns to visit because of a family crisis)..
Nominated for 8 Academy Awards, the film won three : Best Costume Design; Best Music & Best Score.
In real life, Holden and Jones HATED each other so they did some good acting to convince us otherwise. Also this doesn't count as a war movie.