China Doll

"China Doll" is highly flawed Borzage romantic melodrama set in China in the 50s. It stars Victor Mature as an American pilot Cliff Brandon taking part in a war against the Japanese. He falls in love and marries a Chinese housekeeper Shu-Jen, played by Li Li Hua. The continuing exploration of love transcending everything - race, religion, war, death - is competently stated. The film is also very poignant in some passages, as is most of Borzage. However, if you look at it closely, it doesn't really jell.

The expert Borzage scholar John Belton, whom I owe a lot in my understanding of Borzage, ranks "China Doll" with the director's other melodramas - "7th Seventh", "A Farewell to Arms", "Man's Castle", "The Mortal Storm", "Three Comrades", "Till We Meet Again". Belton notes that all these works "contain hostile backgrounds which Borzage's fragile characters ultimately surpass."

But I find "China Doll" significantly problematic and less memorable than those films. I get the feeling that something is missing; much of it is characterized by an air of aimlessness or uncertainty. I didn't get that haunting spark that underlies the luminous lovers in much of Borzage's best work.

There is an apparent misalliance between Mature and Li Li Hua. I find Mature's character to be stiff, callow and frail. His careless demeanor does not contrast well with Hua's innocence or devotion. And ultimately (and regrettably) "China Doll" falls very short of greatness.

An interesting medium-low budget film that brings together all the narrative ingredients that Hollywood is known for, but in this case, due to the budget, there are no flashy visuals or grand fireworks. The narrative line is quite well-constructed, and the characters, though sometimes a bit too caricatured, fit the stereotypes of the era. The film's interest lies in its thematic focus, which places the action at the airfield the Americans improvised in the Chinese city of Kunming. The Americans intervened in the Sino-Japanese War, first incognito in Chinese uniforms and later, after the declaration of war against Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor, in American uniforms. And it was precisely in Kunming where the Flying Tigers were established, the volunteer aviators of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) who significantly contributed with their flight expertise to the still immature Chinese air defense at that time.

This film is reminiscent of The Good Earth in the sense that it sticks very close to actual Chinese mores and customs. Li Hua Li gives a sensitive performance as the romantic interest of Victor Mature. The movie is unexpectedly a two-hanky affair, and not just another GI Joe in Asia adventure.

The film highlights the Flying Tigers, a military unit that struck petrifying fear in the hearts of the Japanese occupation forces within China during WW 2. There is very little jingoism or gung-ho dialog, as normally associated with Hollywood productions. This is because this is not a Hollywood production, but a well-made independent film. Kudos to the producers of this film and the screenwriters who made this film unforgettable. Some might say it is a bit corny and sentimental, but those sentiments are quickly dashed after the film's plot begins to unravel. You can keep Gigi, the winner of the Best film of 1958. This film is much better.

I agree that it was touching in spots, downright sad in others, but what really spoiled it for me was the fact that the leading man and lady weren't able to kiss because of the race issue. That made it seem very stilted and unbelievable. Just when did they throw out the ban on interracial kissing, anyway?

This penultimate film from Frank Borzage, made in his mid sixties, is very much a slow moving, sad, bleak old man's film. But then again I'm a geezer myself (albeit not, I fancy, a bleak or sad one) so I can definitely relate. And, unlike the previous reviewer, I think Victor Mature is the best thing about it since his general mien is slow moving, lugubrious and hopeless and, apart from his bad attempts at playing a drunk (agree with the previous reviewer there), perfectly embodies the director's overall tone. Less good is the film's leading lady, Li Lihua, not because she is a poor actress (apparently she was the recipient of the award for best actress in Chinese language films) but because Borzage and his scenarists, Thomas Kelly and James Nablo, fail to provide her with anything beyond the submissive, saintly stereotyped Good Asian Woman role. And the stories and characters beyond Mature and Lihua are, with the partial exception of Ward Bond's chess playing priest, rather dull. I especially disliked the streotyped Cute, Precocious "I shine your shoes, GI" Asian Kid. So, let's give it a very generous B minus for being the last interesting film from a great director.

PS...I want one of those bomber jackets with the map of China on the back.