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Love is a Many-Splendored Thing: Fox Studio Classics
Independent and strong willed, Eurasian doctor Han Suyin (Jennifer Jones) has decided how life for her is going to be. Widowed and alone, she finds strength in her work and seeks acceptance from the Asian culture she embraces. The last thing Dr. Suyin needs is to fall in love with a charming, sensitive American war correspondent, but when Mark Elliott (William Holden) arrives in Hong Kong at the dawn of the Korean war, the attraction between the two is undeniable. Based on the autobiographical novel by Han Suyin, Henry King's 1955 Love Is a Many Splendored Thing has become required viewing for romance fans over the years, with its sweeping, memorable cinematography and a story that gracefully moves from scene to scene. Many subplots reveal themselves from the simple premise, and the tension between Jones and Holden thrives with each encounter. An entertaining film, this one also was ambitious for Fox at the time, shot on location in Hong Kong in glorious CinemaScope, which took advantage of the beautiful local scenery to maximize the color photography of Leon Shamroy. The investment paid off with Academy Awards for costumes, score, and individual song, and a nomination for Best Picture (it even won a Golden Globe for "Best Film Promoting International Understanding" in pre-PC 1956). A good genre choice for those who enjoy a four-Kleenex spin. Fox's DVD release of Love is a Many Splendored Thing, part of the "Fox Studio Classics" imprint, features a crisp anamorphic transfer (2.35:1) from restored materials, with audio in either Dolby Digital 4.0 or Dolby 2.0 Surround. Extras include the "A&E" Biography" episode on William Holden's life and film career (44 min.), the theatrical trailer, two newsreels, a restoration demonstration, and a trailer gallery featuring other titles in the Fox Studio Classics series. Keep-case.
—JJB
