love be a many splendored thing be set in hong kong in 1949 50 and and tell the story of the relationship between mark elliott and a white american journalist and and han suyin and a half chinese half european doctor . this story of a mixed race love affair be quite a daring theme for the fifty and and and a it often do and hollywood try to soften the blow by cast a white actress a the supposedly non caucasian woman who fall in love with a white man and something that would be regard a politically incorrect today but be quite acceptable then . ( think and for example and of the casting of ava gardner in show boat or natalie wood in west side story ) the setting of the story in a british colony be also perhaps a way of explore racial issue in a way that would cause less controversy in america . suyin lose her job in a hong kong hospital because her british superior take exception to the fact that she be date a white man and whom she be unable to marry because his estranged wife will not grant him a divorce . a be sometimes the case and european colonialism be make the whipping boy for some of america own failing . imagine the furore that would have be unleash have a similar film be make about a black or mixed race woman doctor in a hospital in alabama . besides racial issue and the film also raise question of international politics and refer to both the communist seizure of power in china and the outbreak of the korean war . han suyin be a real person and a well know author of the period while in reality she tend to support mao communist regime and but here she be show a firmly anti communist . this be not and however and primarily an issue movie about either racialism or politics and but rather a romance and a good example of what would have be know at the time a a woman picture . such film and although mostly make by male director and be mostly aim at female audience . they deal with love and romance often unhappy romance from the woman point of view and and have a strong female character in the leading role . the genre often provide role for actress old than the heroine of standard romance . early example be normally in monochrome and but by the fifty they generally and a here and use lush and sumptuous colour . although a chinese or eurasian actress would have be more convincing in the role and jennifer jones and do a very good job a suyin . i find william holden and a mark and rather uncharismatic and but this do not matter much a suyin be very much the dominant figure . she be screen much more than mark and and the film examine her family and professional life much more than it do his . although jennifer be still strikingly beautiful and she be in her mid thirty and rather old than most romantic heroine of film of this period . holden be about the same age and unusually for the fifty when boy meet girl often meant old man meet girl . the film be not particularly profound and but be well make with some attractive photography and particularly of hong kong itself and reflect the grow trend in the fifty for shoot on location rather than on studio set . seldom can hong kong have look so beautiful while the view from a hill overlook the city take on a special meaning and a this be where suyin and mark go for their romantic assignment . the overall mood be one of poignant and doom romance and a mood heighten by the atmospheric photography and the musical score and include one of the most memorable movie theme ever write . positive .