La Condesa de Hong Kong

At film's releasing days in 60th Charlie Chaplin's Countes of Hong Kong got a hard critiks. Even there were Marlon Brando, Tippi Hedren and Sophia Loren in cast - and legendary director; result is not very fan. But there is warm charm and moments of laugh anyway...Sophia Loren do her best and made a countes alive, wit good sense of humor, brilliant rhytm of comedy and fysical performance - like old Chaplin tradition seems demand. This blue-ray was a suprisely very good; clear colorfull picture, sharp and balance (even on big screen in hometheater) - sound was also good. Grazie!

I recently bought the film "A Countess from Hong Kong" that was the last film directed by Charlie Chaplin. Even though I am an admirer of Charlie Chaplin's acting and directing talents, an admirer of Marlon Brando's acting achievements especially in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "On The Waterfront," and an ardent admirer of Sophia Loren's voluptuous beauty that is equally matched by her acting ability, I was discouraged from buying this DVD by the movie reviewers who declared that Charlie Chaplin's last movie was a flop. Luckily, I was encouraged to buy this DVD on the basis of the previous three perceptive reviewers of this movie. As they note both Sophia Loren and Marlon Brando live up in "A Countess in Hong Kong" to their lifelong ability to create three-dimensional characters who have both a dramatic and comic awareness of the situation that they are in. There is a definite chemistry between Marlon Brando's and Sophia Loren's characters in this movie. It is entirely believable that the two would fall in love with each other given each of their character's circumstances. Marlon's character is trapped by a loveless marriage, by his inheritance of his father's wealth as a Texas oil tycoon, and by his attempt to have a political role to play in the U. S. Government even though his political posturing is expressed by empty, uninspired rhetoric and lacks sincere personal conviction. He is truly trapped by his marriage, his wealth that he inherited but had no role in making, and his unfulfilling political ambitions. Marlon's character becomes increasingly moved by Sophia's character's seemingly hopeless predicament of trying to flee from her life of prostitution in Hong Kong by stowing away in Marlon's character's suite on board the ship that is travelling to Hawaii. Because she is traveling without a passport and is a stowaway on the ship, her desperate plight brings out Marlon Brando's compassion for her past, present, and future circumstances so that love very convincingly blossoms between them. Marlon's character's desire to help Sophia's character becomes the evidence of his deep love for her. At last he is able to achieve a worthwhile and a unique goal in his life that consists in his making his life and Sophia's character's life more happy. He tries to use his wealth and political connections to help achieve her desire to start a new life in America. This movie is certainly not a light frothy comedy; there are humorous physical moments especially when the two main characters continuously run about the rooms in the cabin suite to hide from either ship officials, aides, and servants in the bedroom, bathroom, and sitting rooms as well as cleverly written verbal humor and verbal sparring that is written by Charlie Chaplin for the two main characters, but there is a dramatic core to this movie consisting in Sophia's character's and Marlon's character's mutual desire to make each other lives more truthful and more fulfilling. In the numerous close-ups of Sophia's character's face, the viewer is entranced by her warm and passionate eyes and luscious lips that are convincingly at different moments in the movie able to react to Brando's character's initial selfishness and his later compassionate generosities to her. As romantic partners Marlon Brando's broad-shouldered 5 foot 9 inch or five foot ten inch build is a perfect match for Sophia's similarly curvaceous and statuesque 5 foot 7 inch built. Add two or three inches to the high heels that Sophia's character wears and both actors are able to look directly into each other's eyes.Having read David Lean's biography, I recollect the author telling us that Sophia Loren encouraged her husband Carlo Ponti to produce David Lean's movie "Dr. Zhivago" (released in 1965) in the hope that she could play the part of the Russian woman Lara, but that David Lean insisted upon Julie Christie appearing in this role. Therefore, it is interesting that Sophia when "A Countess in Hong Kong" was released in 1966 played a Russian woman who was forced to flee from Russia to find a political refuge in Hong Kong in the furor created both by the aftermath of the Communist Revolution and by World War II. She seems to have applied the passion that would have gone into her portrayal of Lara's character into that of her character in "A Countess from Hong Kong."Also it is interesting that Sophia Loren who emphasized the importance of discretion if a married woman was to have an affair years later in one of her television interviews is echoed by Marlon Brando's character's statement in the movie "A Countess in Hong Kong" when he also emphasizes the importance of discretion when pursuing an extramarital affair. Yes, I definitely believe that there was great sexual chemistry both in character and out of character when making "A Countess in Hong Kong." These two heavyweight actors doing both their physical and verbal sparring on screen keep the viewer's attention throughout the movie. This movie should be regarded as Charlie Chaplin's final motion picture triumph since the serious and comic sides of his characters in "A Countess from Hong Kong" are as emotionally compelling as Charlie Chaplin's relationship with the blind girl who eventually recovers her sight due to Chaplin's character's help in "City Lights" and the romantic relationship between Charlie Chaplin's character and Paulette Goddard's character in "Modern Times." The three romantic relationships between a man and a woman in "City Lights" and "Modern Times" and "A Countess in Hong Kong" have all in common the desire of the male and female protagonists to help one another in a world that can often be too tough, too cruel, and worse yet too indifferent.

Recibida en su momento y bien.

Delivery is very fast. Good DVD.

Muy bien. Es región cuatro y es la última peli de Chaplin. Una odisea conseguirla. Por fin la tengo :)