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.

Banking on the success of the previous year's Sayonara, there were a few movies that continued with the theme of soldier who falls for an Asian woman in 1958. In this one, Victor Mature plays an experienced pilot in charge of training a bunch of green soldiers. He lets off steam from his stressful workday by getting drunk at a bar, and as he's staggering home, he's approached by an old Chinese man who sells him his daughter. Victor has no idea what's happened, but in the morning, he talks to his old friend who does speak Chinese and clarifies the matter.

Li Hua Li in her American debut, is Victor's indentured housekeeper, set to stay with him for three months while he gets his money's worth. At first, he's just content to let her mop the floor and cook his meals, but after she gets a makeover and a new dress, he notices other things about her. As you know if you see Victor in his non-epic films, he wears some wonderful expressions on his face when cast in a dramatic role.

The best part of this movie is Ward Bond, the priest who runs a local orphanage. He's sympathetic and wise, helps his pal Victor with problems of the heart, and speaks Chinese. Yes, you read that correctly; Ward Bond speaks Chinese. He's pretty good, too! So, if you're a fan, you've got to rent China Doll. Be prepared, though. It's a tearjerker. I wasn't prepared, and I wound up groping blindly for the Kleenex box.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The first few minutes of the film have swirling camera work during the flying scenes, and it will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Right from the beginning, it was hard to get behind Mature as the leading man in this picture. His acting felt like it was mailed in. Even his drinking scenes could have been better if he had been drunk. But he wasn't and it was very pretentious. When he was flopping around in bed, it was as if he was trying to resemble a fresh caught cat fish. He was supposed to be drunk. It was too difficult to buy in to the storyline, even though the rest of the films actors and actresses were very good and credible. At one point, it was very difficult to figure out if Matures character was supposed to be comic relief or not. It could have almost worked if he had tried to play it that way. It was really my first time watching Mature in a serious lead. I read his bio and discovered if you believe what he says, that he just did his movies as a way to play golf. But if you do, then it makes sense, and even the fine performances put in by Ward Bond and others were sacrificed.

This appears to be a pretty low-budget movie. As such, it is very poignant -- right up there with Borzage's best. The location and matter-of-fact story of miscegenation, which must have been quite shocking for its time, remind one of Samuel Fuller (generally a far more rough and gritty director than Borzage).