Hong Kong Affair

Am I really the first to review a movie made in 1958? Well, here's the disclaimer: I live in Hong Kong, so my impression of the film is coloured strongly by that. I've been trying to find a copy of this for more than ten years. Finally it appeared. Well worth the wait for one special reason: as opening credits state, it was filmed entirely here. Not bad at all for Hollywood in that era, and therefore impossible not to compare with its closest peer by age, "The World of Suzie Wong".

"Hong Kong Affair" (sometimes known as "Hong Kong Incident") is a silly little film based on a business partnership gone bad, and the consequences of that. What else sets this film apart are the frequent uses of exterior location shots in rural areas, mostly Fanling in the northern New Territories. The acting -- meh -- and it's no spoiler to smile at the ease with which the hero seems to fall for every local lady he meets. If you ever saw Suzie Wong, you might remember when Lomax (William Holden) first saw Suzie on the Star Ferry. HK Affair has an almost identical scene, on the street. The movie makers need to find ways to get the hero's social life in order quickly, I guess.

In any event, this one races to a suitable conclusion and if you are lucky enough ever to see this film, you'll have a good feel for what Hong Kong was like in the late 50s.