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The World of Suzie Wong

Play trailer Poster for The World of Suzie Wong 1960 2h 9m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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33% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
When American artist Robert Lomax (William Holden) first meets beautiful Chinese native Suzie Wong (Nancy Kwan) aboard a ferry, she claims to be the virginal daughter of a prominent man. But when Robert spots her again in a Hong Kong brothel, she admits she is actually a prostitute. As Suzie models for Robert's paintings, their friendship deepens into love, to the disapproval of Robert's crusty British friend O'Neill (Laurence Naismith) and his daughter, Kay (Sylvia Syms), who fancies Robert.
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The World of Suzie Wong

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety 05/27/2008
On the decidedly negative side are three passages in which realism is virtually abandoned for theatrical effect. Go to Full Review Time Out 01/26/2006
Denied the chance of being honest about its subject, it soon degenerates into euphemistic soap opera, with vague gestures towards bohemianism and lukewarm titillation. Go to Full Review Bosley Crowther New York Times 05/21/2005
3.5/5
[A] wildly romantic, vividly imagined color film. Go to Full Review Allan Morrison Jet Magazine 01/16/2024
[The screenplay] has adhered most faithfully to the original story, but fails to reproduce the charm and tenderness that made Mason's book such endearing reading. Go to Full Review Isabel Quigly The Spectator 07/18/2018
It is sad to see Richard Quine, once a fair hope for 'mad' comedy, but growing progressively more sentimental and soft, slithering into a fifth-rate weepie like The World of Suzie Wang. Go to Full Review TV Guide 04/17/2012
2/4
The World of Suzie Wong is rife with problems. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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TM S 03/06/2023 Quite dated, of course, 1960. Amazing shots of Hong Kong, the working class areas, not the touristy shots one might expect. One of Hollywood's very first inter-ethnic romances, and with a major leading man of the time, William Holden no less. Of course "Suzie Wong", Nancy Kwan already came from a Chinese-European relationship. Most grating is lack of any middle class or on up Chinese, or working men at all, all are women, and all are prostitutes. No wonder the 1949 revolution was needed! A revealing film of its time. See more D W 12/16/2022 Cute, good location photography, some sweet characters, requires an ability to deal with dated content. See more steve d 07/20/2020 There is not a whole lot to any of it. See more 04/17/2018 A rather strange premise about exploring alternate moralities between cultures. Good cinematography, editing, acting, set decorations, costumes (va-voom), but yet this film will make those with traditional moralities feel uncomfortable - in spite of the Hollywood ending. See more 03/25/2018 Though stereotypical, this interracial romantic melodrama was one of William Holden's most popular films, See more 11/01/2017 I haven't seen every movie, so I can't confirm that this is the most racist and sexist film ever made, only the most sexist and racist film I've ever seen. It tells the tale of a middle-aged white American who, unfulfilled in his normal life, moves to Hong Kong to become an artist. He strikes up a romance with a willful and child-like Chinese prostitute who is half his age. They fall madly in love, despite him doing things like -I shit you not- ripping her clothes off and throwing over a balcony. He's moody and controlling and has a face like a catcher's mitt, but that's okay, because she is a sexy Asian woman-child who acts like a thirteen year old and just needs a man to take care of her. Anything that you could imagine being a problematic representation of sex workers, white people in East Asia, intergenerational relationships, the infantilization of Asians, women, and especially Asian women, this movie has it all. See more Read all reviews
The World of Suzie Wong

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Cast & Crew

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Richard Quine

Director

William Holden

Robert Lomax

Nancy Kwan

Suzie Wong

Sylvia Syms

Kay O'Neill

Michael Wilding

Ben Marlowe

Laurence Naismith

O'Neill

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The World of Suzie Wong

The World of Suzie Wong (1960) The World of Suzie Wong (1960) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When American artist Robert Lomax (William Holden) first meets beautiful Chinese native Suzie Wong (Nancy Kwan) aboard a ferry, she claims to be the virginal daughter of a prominent man. But when Robert spots her again in a Hong Kong brothel, she admits she is actually a prostitute. As Suzie models for Robert's paintings, their friendship deepens into love, to the disapproval of Robert's crusty British friend O'Neill (Laurence Naismith) and his daughter, Kay (Sylvia Syms), who fancies Robert.
Director
Richard Quine
Producer
Ray Stark
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
World Enterprises
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 10, 1960, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 15, 2011
Runtime
2h 9m
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