A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (original screenplay)

Release Date:

15 March 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Fun at Sea! His Cabin, His PJs, Her Move!

Plot:

Natascha, a White Russian countess, stows away on a luxury liner at Hong Kong, determined to seek a new life in America...

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Beautiful Woman | City Name In Title | Title In Title | Place Name In Title

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Ogden Mears
Sophia Loren	...	Natascha
Sydney Chaplin	...	Harvey
Tippi Hedren	...	Martha
Patrick Cargill	...	Hudson
Michael Medwin	...	John Felix
Oliver Johnston	...	Clark
John Paul	...	The Captain
Angela Scoular	...	The Society Girl
Margaret Rutherford	...	Miss Gaulswallow
Peter Bartlett	...	Steward
Bill Nagy	...	Crawford
Dilys Laye	...	Saleswoman
Angela Pringle	...	Baroness
Jenny Bridges	...	Countess
Arthur Gross	...	Immigration officer
Balbina	...	French maid
Anthony Chinn	...	Hawaiian (as Anthony Chin)
Jose Sukhum Boonlve	...	Hawaiian
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Girl at dance
Janine Hill	...	Girl #2 at dance
Burnell Tucker	...	Hotel receptionist
Leonard Trolley	...	Purser
Len Lowe	...	Electrician
Francis Dux	...	Head waiter
Cecil Cheng	...	Taxi driver
Ronald Rubin	...	American sailor
Michael Spice	...	American sailor
Ray Barlow	...	American sailor (as Ray Marlowe)
Josephine Chaplin	...	Young girl
Victoria Chaplin	...	Young girl
Kevin Manser	...	Photographer
Marianne Stone	...	Reporter
Lew Luton	...	Reporter
Larry Cross	...	Reporter
Bill Edwards	...	Reporter
Drew Russell	...	Reporter
John Sterland	...	Reporter
Paul Carson	...	Reporter
Paul Tamarin	...	Reporter
Carol Cleveland	...	Nurse
Charles Chaplin	...	An old steward
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jerome Epstein	...	Barman (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Chaplin

Writing credits
Charles Chaplin		(original screenplay)

Produced by
Charles Chaplin	....	producer
Jerome Epstein	....	producer

Original Music by
Charles Chaplin

Cinematography by
Arthur Ibbetson

Film Editing by
Gordon Hales

Production Design by
Donald M. Ashton		(as Don Ashton)

Art Direction by
Robert Cartwright		(as Bob Cartwright)

Set Decoration by
Vernon Dixon		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Helen Penfold	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Denis Johnson	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Causey	....	assistant director
Ariel Levy	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Vernon Dixon	....	set dresser
Alan Evans	....	scenic artist

Sound Department
Ken Barker	....	sound recordist
Bill Daniels	....	sound recordist
Mike Hopkins	....	sound editor (as Michael Hopkins)

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Wilson	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rosemary Burrows	....	wardrobe supervisor
Olga Lehmann	....	costume designer: Tippi Hedren (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Richard Hiscott	....	assistant editor
Brian Sinclair	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Eric James	....	musical associate
Lambert Williamson	....	conductor
Lambert Williamson	....	music arranger
Milton Gabler	....	soundtrack album producer (uncredited)

Other crew
Harry Mendelsohn	....	unit publicist
Geoff Freeman	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Gordon Shadrick	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Chaplin Film Productions Ltd. (for)
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1967) (UK) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1969) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Studios USA Television (USA)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Gordon Shadrick Enterprises  title design
• Pinewood Studios  movie studio

Runtime:

120 min | USA:108 min (US version)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Spain:13 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (2005) | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Chaplin Film Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

Charles Chaplin originally conceived the idea for this movie 30 years previously (and was titled "Stowaway"), as a starring vehicle for his then-wife Paulette Goddard.

Goofs:

Continuity: During "everybody is getting sea-sick" scene Ogden, Natascha and Harvey push an ashtray around the table until Ogden angrily swipes it off the table. Shortly after it's back on the table in front of Natascha's chair and in the next shot it moves over to be in front of Ogden's chair, although nobody is at the table at that time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Olivia Newton-John (#7.20)" (1982)

Soundtrack:

(Love,) This Is My Song

A Countess From Nowhere

Charles Chaplin's last film A Countess from Hong Kong could have been a great one, but for the unreal miscasting of Marlon Brando as an unhappily married diplomat.

Brando, great talent that he was, did not have any great knack for comedy. Probably he could have gotten by in comedy had he stuck closely to some of the dramatic images he created, maybe so, maybe not. But in A Countess from Hong Kong, Brando is doing a part that Cary Grant or Rock Hudson would have fitted in nicely, but is an absolute disaster with Brando. I wonder if Chaplin tried to get Hudson or talk Cary Grant out of retirement.

On the other hand Sophia Loren as the mysterious Countess who's among the flotsam and jetsam of refugees in Hong Kong without any official status anywhere. She says she was a countess back in old mother Russia, she is a prostitute in Hong Kong. Whatever she is, she's perfect.

A night of entertaining a party of wealthy Americans including Brando finds her stowing away on his ocean liner bound for Honolulu. Brando maybe unhappily married to ice princess Tippi Hedren, but married he still is and about to be named U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Don't want any scandal where those people are concerned. And Tippi's coming to Honolulu to meet up with him.

Stuff that Rock Hudson could have handled, that Cary Grant could have phoned in lays like a lead balloon in Marlon's hands. It's a comedy that just ain't funny around him.

Best performance in the film, Patrick Cargill as Brando's valet Hudson who is asked to perform some unusual service for his boss. Some might even call it a dream assignment.

I will say this, among his other talents Charles Chaplin was a great composer as well and the number This is My Song comes from this film. He composed the soundtrack for the whole film and did a fabulous job.

If he had only cast the male lead better.