China Rose

I have a collection of really bad films which I include in a place called the Turkey Farm. You have to work very hard to get your film in this farm, as you are up against over 20,000 films that were ever made. This one qualifies for the farm easily. The movie stars George C Scott, who I am very sure, was embarrassed by this mess. Also in the film was Ali McGraw, one of the worst actresses in the history of film. All one has to do to confirm that diagnosis is to watch this turkey.

There was nothing Scott could do to save this TV movie (at least I hope it was a TV movie). Even James Hong could not save it.

This film has about as much to do with China and Hong Kong as the Minnesota Twins has to do with NFL. I will not make you suffer with the inane plot. Just suffice it to say it has about as much chemistry between Scott and McGraw as chocolate and vinegar have to each other. See something else.

She is such a terrible presence(can't call her an actor), no skills or talent at all, and she ruins any film she is in other than some early ones that traded off her Irish good looks when she was a gorgeous young girl. Forced, self-conscious, totally unnatural, no emotional range at all, and so in contrast to the great George C. Scott, she was a total embarrassment. And, her lame attempts to speak Chinese were out-loud laughable. I guess they got a famous name cheap here, as her declining looks were very evident. One upside.....her looks are fast getting closer to her "talent" and one day they will be the same, if she ever works again after this.

The film story was about a rich American industrialist seeking his long lost idealistic son in China, and the confusing, conflicting and "inscrutable" things he went through to finally see what happened to him. McGraw was his paid, Chinese-speaking, American guide at first but lo and behold, this is Hollywood mind you, she became something else entirely by film's end, no matter how unlikely it all was.

A mediocre film at best, as Scott could walk by and you would still know he is one of the greats, but McGraw ruined it for being anything more than a 2 hour diversion.

I will admit that I do not have an advanced degree in Drama or have I performed on stage, Shakespearian or otherwise, but the criticism that Ms. McGraw received in some of these reviews sounds a bit much. Is there a "Let's Get Ali" Club out there? As far as her acting ability I do not find her as objectionable as some and, in fact, I like her. If that makes me something of an amateur in theatrics, well so be it! The critical remarks made against her go too far I think and border on gross insult. Frankly there are a numerous so-called actresses today who cannot act as far as I am concerned but I am not going on a tirade against them. I just don't watch them. Many people go "ga ga ga ga and ga" over Meryl Streep and frankly I would not pay a dime to see her perform. So therein lies the issue, some of us like certain actresses and others don't and vice versa! Besides, I miss the Lana Turners, Greer Garsons, Betty Davisis, Susan Haywards, Joan Crawfords, and other fine actresses from the 1940s, 50s and 60s!

Burt allen (george scott) goes to china to try to find his son who dropped out of sight fifteen years before. Rose, an american transplant, is his tourguide. And.. we're off to hong kong. You'll recognize james hong from seinfeld and everything everywhere. Allen's son had been a teacher, and landed in the hospital. But no-one seems to know why he was injured, or where he was buried. They are getting fed lies from everyone they meet. What was his son involved in? What really happened to him? There seems to some connection to the triad gangs, but everyone thought he was a school professor. Good suspense in the search, but the love story side plot is just silly and out of place. Directed by robert day. He had made a bunch of tarzan films in the 1960s.

"China Rose" is a made for TV movie starring George C. Scott. Now considering the location shoot and that Scott was a magnificent actor, I really expected more from this film. It wasn't terrible...but it also really wasn't good.

Burton (Scott) has come to China looking for information about his son's whereabouts. It seems he went to China over a decade before and has not been heard from since. However as he and his guide (Ali McGraw) travel in mainland China, the trail seems to lead back to Hong Kong. There, he keeps getting conflicting stories...that the son is dead as well as that he's alive! What is really going on here?!

With this plot, it was surprising that the film itself was just okay. You'd think organized crime and the rest of the story would have been pretty exciting. Additionally, the Scott-McGraw matchup didn't work for me...especially when, out of the blue, there was romance. Overall, an okay film with a downbeat ending...nothing more.