A Countess from Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
A Countess from Hong Kong is a 1967 British comedy film
and the last film directed by Charlie Chaplin
. It was one of two films Chaplin directed in which he did not play a major role (the other was 1923's A Woman of Paris
), and his only color film. Chaplin's cameo
marked his final screen appearance. The movie starred Marlon Brando
, Sophia Loren
, Tippi Hedren
, and Sydney Earle Chaplin
, Chaplin's second son. The story is based loosely on the life of a woman Chaplin met in France, named Moussia Sodskaya, or "Skaya" as he calls her in his 1922 book "My Trip Abroad". She was a Russian singer and dancer that "was a stateless person marooned in France without a passport." The idea according to a press release written by Chaplin after the movie received a negative reception wrote that the film "resulted from a visit I made to Shanghai in 1931 where I came across a number of titled aristocrats who had escaped the Russian Revolution."
It was originally started as a film called Stowaway in the 1930s, planned for Paulette Goddard, but production was never completed. This resulting film, created nearly 30 years after its inception, was a critical failure and grossed US$2,000,000 (domestic) from a US$3,000,500 budget. However, critics such as Tim Hunter and Andrew Sarris
, as well as the poet John Betjeman
, viewed the film among Chaplin's best works, and Chaplin (although unhappy with the critical and audience reaction) considered it his greatest film at the end of his life.
The film's theme music, written by Chaplin, became the hit song This Is My Song
for Petula Clark
.
Ogden Mears (Marlon Brando) sails back to America after touring the world. He meets Natasha, a Russia
n countess, (Sophia Loren) in Hong Kong
after she sneaks aboard to escape being forced into prostitution
. She has no passport and is forced to stay in his cabin during the voyage. However, Mr. Mears dislikes the situation, being a married man, however partially separated, and worries how it might affect his career if she is found. But he reluctantly agrees to let her stay. They then have to figure out a way to get her off the ship, and it is arranged that she marry his aged valet
Hudson (Patrick Cargill). Although only a formality, Hudson wishes to consummate
the relationship, which isn't wanted by her, and she avoids him, and before docking at port she jumps off the ship and swims ashore. Ogden's wife then joins the cruise, having just missed her. Ogden's lawyer friend Harvey (Sydney Earle Chaplin) who also helped arrange the marriage, meets Natasha and tells her that the immigration officers have accepted her as Hudson's wife. Ogden's wife then confronts him about Natasha, speaking rather roughly about her and the life she led. He then asks if his wife would have done as well under such circumstances. The film ends with Ogden and Natascha meeting in a hotel's cabaret and begin dancing with each other once again, since he has left the cruise and his wife behind. Charlie Chaplin makes two brief appearances as the ship's steward.
.
This is Tippi Hedren
's first feature film
after her break with director Alfred Hitchcock
. She had high hopes for the film, until she received the script. When she realized that she had a small part as Brando's estranged wife, she asked Chaplin to expand her role. Although Chaplin tried to accommodate her, he could not, as the story mostly takes place on a ship, which Hedren's character boards near the end of the film. In the end, she remained in the film and later said that it was a pleasure working for Chaplin.
Chaplin's three eldest daughters
appeared in the film: Geraldine
(at minutes 46 and 1:05), Josephine
and Victoria Chaplin
(at minute 1:32).
It was filmed entirely at Pinewood Studios
in Buckinghamshire, just outside London, in 1966. The film was the second of Universal's European unit, following Fahrenheit 451
.
until 1996, with the VHS
format as part of the Universal Cinema Classics series. Then in 2003 it was released onto DVD
in widescreen
format, and later re-released as part of the DVD set Marlon Brando: The Franchise Collection.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
and the last film directed by Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
. It was one of two films Chaplin directed in which he did not play a major role (the other was 1923's A Woman of Paris
A Woman of Paris
A Woman of Paris is a feature-length silent film that debuted in 1923. The film, an atypical drama film for its creator, was written, directed, produced and later scored by Charlie Chaplin. It is also known as A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate....
), and his only color film. Chaplin's cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
marked his final screen appearance. The movie starred Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
, Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
, Tippi Hedren
Tippi Hedren
Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren is an American actress and former fashion model with a career spanning six decades. She is primarily known for her roles in two Alfred Hitchcock films, The Birds and Marnie, and her extensive efforts in animal rescue at Shambala Preserve, an wildlife habitat which she...
, and Sydney Earle Chaplin
Sydney Earle Chaplin
Sydney Earle Chaplin was a film and theatre actor.-Biography:The third son of Sir Charles Chaplin and the second by his second wife, Mexican-American actress Lita Grey, Sydney Chaplin was named after his uncle Sydney Chaplin .Lita Grey was 16 when she married the 35-year-old Charles Chaplin in 1924...
, Chaplin's second son. The story is based loosely on the life of a woman Chaplin met in France, named Moussia Sodskaya, or "Skaya" as he calls her in his 1922 book "My Trip Abroad". She was a Russian singer and dancer that "was a stateless person marooned in France without a passport." The idea according to a press release written by Chaplin after the movie received a negative reception wrote that the film "resulted from a visit I made to Shanghai in 1931 where I came across a number of titled aristocrats who had escaped the Russian Revolution."
It was originally started as a film called Stowaway in the 1930s, planned for Paulette Goddard, but production was never completed. This resulting film, created nearly 30 years after its inception, was a critical failure and grossed US$2,000,000 (domestic) from a US$3,000,500 budget. However, critics such as Tim Hunter and Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris is an American film critic and a leading proponent of the auteur theory of criticism.-Career:Sarris is generally credited with popularizing the auteur theory in the U.S...
, as well as the poet John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
, viewed the film among Chaplin's best works, and Chaplin (although unhappy with the critical and audience reaction) considered it his greatest film at the end of his life.
The film's theme music, written by Chaplin, became the hit song This Is My Song
This Is My Song (1967 song)
"This Is My Song" is a song written by Charlie Chaplin in 1966 and performed by Petula Clark.-Origin/ Petula Clark recording:"This is My Song" was intended for the film, A Countess from Hong Kong, which Charlie Chaplin wrote and directed...
for Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
.
Plot summary
Ambassador-designate to Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
Ogden Mears (Marlon Brando) sails back to America after touring the world. He meets Natasha, a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n countess, (Sophia Loren) in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
after she sneaks aboard to escape being forced into prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
. She has no passport and is forced to stay in his cabin during the voyage. However, Mr. Mears dislikes the situation, being a married man, however partially separated, and worries how it might affect his career if she is found. But he reluctantly agrees to let her stay. They then have to figure out a way to get her off the ship, and it is arranged that she marry his aged valet
Valet
Valet and varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer.- Word origins :In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
Hudson (Patrick Cargill). Although only a formality, Hudson wishes to consummate
Consummate
Consummation or consummation of a marriage, in many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, is the first act of sexual intercourse between two individuals, following their marriage to each other...
the relationship, which isn't wanted by her, and she avoids him, and before docking at port she jumps off the ship and swims ashore. Ogden's wife then joins the cruise, having just missed her. Ogden's lawyer friend Harvey (Sydney Earle Chaplin) who also helped arrange the marriage, meets Natasha and tells her that the immigration officers have accepted her as Hudson's wife. Ogden's wife then confronts him about Natasha, speaking rather roughly about her and the life she led. He then asks if his wife would have done as well under such circumstances. The film ends with Ogden and Natascha meeting in a hotel's cabaret and begin dancing with each other once again, since he has left the cruise and his wife behind. Charlie Chaplin makes two brief appearances as the ship's steward.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St... |
Ogden Mears |
| Sophia Loren Sophia Loren Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance... |
Natasha |
| Sydney Earle Chaplin Sydney Earle Chaplin Sydney Earle Chaplin was a film and theatre actor.-Biography:The third son of Sir Charles Chaplin and the second by his second wife, Mexican-American actress Lita Grey, Sydney Chaplin was named after his uncle Sydney Chaplin .Lita Grey was 16 when she married the 35-year-old Charles Chaplin in 1924... |
Harvey |
| Tippi Hedren Tippi Hedren Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren is an American actress and former fashion model with a career spanning six decades. She is primarily known for her roles in two Alfred Hitchcock films, The Birds and Marnie, and her extensive efforts in animal rescue at Shambala Preserve, an wildlife habitat which she... |
Martha |
| Patrick Cargill Patrick Cargill Patrick Cargill was a British actor known for his role on the British television sitcom Father, Dear Father.-Career:... |
Hudson |
| Oliver Johnston | Clark |
| Michael Medwin | John Felix |
| John Paul John Paul -People with forenames John Paul and known only by forenames:* Pope John Paul I* Pope John Paul II* John Paul Puthusery Malayalam Screenwriter usually simply known as John Paul-People with surname Paul:* John Paul * John Paul... |
Captain |
| Margaret Rutherford Margaret Rutherford Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford DBE was an English character actress, who first came to prominence following World War II in the film adaptations of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest... |
Miss Gaulswallow |
| Angela Scoular Angela Scoular Angela Margaret Scoular was an English actress.-Early life:Her father was an engineer and she was born in London. She attended St.George's School, Harpenden, Queen's College, Harley Street and RADA.-Career:... |
Society girl |
| Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Leigh Chaplin is an English-American actress and the daughter of Charlie Chaplin.Chaplin first came to prominence for her Golden Globe-nominated role of Tonya in David Lean's Doctor Zhivago . She received her second Golden Globe nomination for Robert Altman's Nashville... |
Girl at dance |
| Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I... |
An old steward |
Production
This was Chaplin's first film in ten years after 1957's A King in New YorkA King in New York
A King in New York is a 1957 British comedy film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin in his last leading role, which presents a satirical view of certain aspects of United States politics and society. The film was produced in Europe after Chaplin's exile from the US in 1952...
.
This is Tippi Hedren
Tippi Hedren
Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren is an American actress and former fashion model with a career spanning six decades. She is primarily known for her roles in two Alfred Hitchcock films, The Birds and Marnie, and her extensive efforts in animal rescue at Shambala Preserve, an wildlife habitat which she...
's first feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
after her break with director Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
. She had high hopes for the film, until she received the script. When she realized that she had a small part as Brando's estranged wife, she asked Chaplin to expand her role. Although Chaplin tried to accommodate her, he could not, as the story mostly takes place on a ship, which Hedren's character boards near the end of the film. In the end, she remained in the film and later said that it was a pleasure working for Chaplin.
Chaplin's three eldest daughters
Chaplin family
The Chaplin family is an English/American/Swiss acting family. There are the descendants of Hannah Chaplin, chiefly known as the mother of Charlie Chaplin, the Academy Award-winning English comedic actor and filmmaker. Hannah Chaplin's mother was half-Roma...
appeared in the film: Geraldine
Geraldine Chaplin
Geraldine Leigh Chaplin is an English-American actress and the daughter of Charlie Chaplin.Chaplin first came to prominence for her Golden Globe-nominated role of Tonya in David Lean's Doctor Zhivago . She received her second Golden Globe nomination for Robert Altman's Nashville...
(at minutes 46 and 1:05), Josephine
Josephine Chaplin
Josephine Hannah Chaplin is an actress and the daughter of actor/comedian/director Charlie Chaplin and his last wife, Oona O'Neill. Her siblings include Geraldine Chaplin, Christopher Chaplin and Michael Chaplin. She was also half-sister to Sydney Chaplin, Charles Chaplin, Jr...
and Victoria Chaplin
Victoria Chaplin
Victoria Chaplin is an Anglo-American actress, the daughter of actor/comedian Charlie Chaplin and Oona O'Neill Chaplin, and the granddaughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill....
(at minute 1:32).
It was filmed entirely at Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
in Buckinghamshire, just outside London, in 1966. The film was the second of Universal's European unit, following Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film)
Fahrenheit 451 is a 1966 film directed by François Truffaut, in his first colour film as well as his only English-language film. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury....
.
Video Release
The movie was not released on home videoHome video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
until 1996, with the VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
format as part of the Universal Cinema Classics series. Then in 2003 it was released onto DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
format, and later re-released as part of the DVD set Marlon Brando: The Franchise Collection.
Reception
- The New York Times review for March 17, 1967 stated that "if an old fan of Mr. Chaplin's movies could have his charitable way, he would draw the curtain fast on this embarrassment and pretend it never occurred."
- Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 1995, gave it one and a half stars, stating that it was; "Badly shot, badly timed, badly scored."
- TV GuideTV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
gave the movie one star. With the comment, "a dismal, uninviting comedy." - RadioTimes gave the movie two stars stating that; "it's all too staid and too stagey."
- The Harvard CrimsonThe Harvard CrimsonThe Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
, for April 25, 1967 gave it a fairly good review saying: "Take the new Chaplin film on its own terms; contrary to all those patronizing critics, the old man hasn't really lost his touch, and Countess is a glorious romance." - FilmCritic.com gave the movie three stars, however stated that; "the repetitive story (with Loren repeatedly running to hide in Brando's bathroom when there's a knock on the door) gets tiresome."