A Countess from Hong Kong
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| A Countess from Hong Kong | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster |
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| Directed by | Charles Chaplin |
| Produced by | Charles Chaplin Jerome Epstein |
| Written by | Charles Chaplin |
| Starring | Marlon Brando Sophia Loren Sydney Chaplin Tippi Hedren Patrick Cargill Oliver Johnston Geraldine Chaplin Margaret Rutherford Charles Chaplin |
| Music by | Charles Chaplin |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) |  January 5, 1967 |
| Running time | 120 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US $3,500,000 (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
A Countess from Hong Kong was a 1967 comedy film and the last film directed by Charlie Chaplin. It was one of only two films Chaplin directed in which he did not play a major role (the other was 1923's A Woman of Paris), and his only color film. It starred Marlon Brando, Sophia Loren, Tippi Hedren, and Sydney Earle Chaplin, Chaplin's second son. The film was a financial and critical failure.
The plot concerns ambassador-designate to Saudi Arabia Ogden Mears sailing back to America after traveling the world. He meets a Russian countess in Hong Kong who sneaks on board to escape forced prostitution.
This film is best known for the theme music, written by Chaplin, which became the hit song This Is My Song for Petula Clark. Since the film was and remains almost universally disliked, the success of the song made back the money spent on the film. Chaplin was distraught by its failure, and the difficulties in the film production. His on-set conflicts with Brando stemming from ego clashes and their radically different approaches to acting are legendary[citation needed]. This is Tippi Hedren's first feature film after her break from director Alfred Hitchcock. She had high hopes for the film, until she received the script. When she realized that she had a small part as Marlon Brando's estranged wife, she asked Chaplin to expand her role. And although Chaplin tried to please her, he couldn't find a way to expand her role, as the story mostly takes place on a ship, which Hedren's character boards near the end of the film. In the end, she remained in the film and later said that it was a pleasure working for Chaplin.
Chaplin's brief cameo marked his final on-screen appearance.
It was filmed entirely at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, just outside London in 1966.
"Countess from Hong Kong" is also the title of a song by The Velvet Underground, released on the Peel Slowly and See set in 1995.
The Mack Sennett Comedies: Kid Auto Races at Venice
The Chaplin-Mutual Comedies: The Floorwalker • The Fireman • The Vagabond • One A.M. • The Count • The Pawnshop • Behind the Screen • The Rink • Easy Street • The Cure • The Immigrant • The Adventurer
Feature-length films: Tillie's Punctured Romance • The Kid • A Woman of Paris • The Gold Rush • The Circus • City Lights • Modern Times • The Great Dictator • Monsieur Verdoux • Limelight • A King in New York • A Countess from Hong Kong
Other films: The New Janitor • Chaplin
Stock company: Edna Purviance • Eric Campbell • Albert Austin • Henry Bergman
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