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Context Film / LoveIsAManySplendoredThing

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1[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0967.JPG]]
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3''Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing'' is a 1955 American romantic drama film directed by Henry King, [[TheFilmOfTheBook based on]] the 1952 autobiographical novel ''A Many-Splendoured Thing'' by Han Suyin.
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5Set in 1949–50 in Hong Kong during the UsefulNotes/ChineseCivilWar, the film tells the story of married, but separated, American reporter Mark Elliott (Creator/WilliamHolden), who falls in love with Eurasian doctor Han Suyin (Creator/JenniferJones). Although they find happiness together, Han is ostracized and prejudiced by her family and by the greater Chinese community.
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7Nominated for eight UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s, winning for Music/AlfredNewman's music score, Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster's TitleThemeTune, and Charles [=LeMaire=]'s costume design.
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9The film later inspired the 1967–73 Creator/{{CBS}} SoapOpera ''Love Is a Many Splendored Thing'' (notice that it's written without the hyphen), which at first was a sort of SpinOff that centered around Mia Elliott, the daughter of Mark and Han, going to San Francisco to live with her father's family; however, around half a year in the character was written out (due at least in part to [[ExecutiveMeddling network censors']] concerns over having an interracial couple as the leads) and the show focused afterwards on the Elliott and Donnelly families.
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12!!This film contains examples of:
13* ButNotTooForeign: The movie goes out of its way to state that Han Suyin is Eurasian, that is, is a person of mixed Asian and European ancestry.
14* CartwrightCurse: Han is already a widow. Meeting Mark brings her out of her sadness--and he dies too.
15* ComfortingTheWidow: Han Suyin was a widow by the time Mark met and fell in love with her.
16* HeroicBSOD: Han wanders the streets of Hong Kong in a daze after receiving word that Mark has been killed.
17* MalignedMixedMarriage: Han Suyin's family and Chinese society as a whole ostracize her due to her relationship with the Caucasian Mark Elliott. And as indicated by several snide comments, white society isn't too pleased either.
18* MatchCut: From the bomb being dropped on Mark somewhere in Korea, to a spilled cup at Suyin's house, signaling that Mark is dead.
19* MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow: Caucasian Mark Elliott hooks up with the beautiful, submissive and exotic Eurasian Han Suyin.
20* MixedAncestryIsAttractive: The film goes out of its way to state that Han Suyin is an exotic Eurasian beauty.
21* OldFashionedRowboatDate: An unconventional one in that Han and Mark swim across a bay to meet some of her friends, and take a rowboat back.
22* PassFail: Suzanne, one of Suyin's schoolmates who is also biracial, is passing as a white person and recommends that Suyin do the same.
23* SceneryPorn: Like ''Film/{{Sayonara}}'', another movie about a mixed-race relationship set in an Asian country, the movie has some really lovely color photography.
24* ShirtlessScene: Mark gets one on the beach with Han Suyin.
25* SmokingIsGlamorous: This movie does that old trick where the male character uses the lit cigarette in his mouth to light the one in the woman's mouth.
26* {{Yellowface}}: Jennifer Jones dons yellowface to portray Han Suyin. ''Sometimes.'' Sometimes she just looks like Jennifer Jones [[http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/709071/28093261/1552154712970/loveis-johnsuyin.png decided to just wear a]] UsefulNotes/{{Qipao}} for some reason.

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