East-West romance

A love that defied 5,000 years of tradition.

That’s the catchline of Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, a blockbuster in the ‘50s. It tells of an East-West real-life romance: The Eurasian novelist Han Suyin and the American correspondent Mark Elliot. Then a forbidden liaison. Set in Hong Kong, the film is based on Han Suyin’s bestseller.

The team-up of William Holden and Jennifer Jones was a casting coup, the two stars being box-office attractions and Oscar awardees. Holden was Best Actor for Stalag 17 and Jones Best Actress for The Song of Bernadette.— RKC

(Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of classic Hollywood romantic movies.)