A Countess from Hong Kong - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of A Countess from Hong Kong or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to A Countess from Hong Kong

[aaron]

Although devoid of politics, unlike his other features (including the ones that got him into trouble in America where he was labeled a Communist), there is a scene where an old lady, holding a stuffed animal, sarcastically denounces the "Red" tongue.

[charlie]

Filming was frequently interrupted by Marlon Brando arriving late and then being hospitalised with appendicitis, Charles Chaplin and Brando having the flu, and Sophia Loren remarrying Carlo Ponti.

[ken]

Peter Sellers and Noël Coward were considered for the role of Hudson. Charles Chaplin eventually decided that the film had enough stars.

[chad]

Charles Chaplin wanted Al Jolson to record the theme song "This Is My Song," and only accepted that Jolson died in 1950 when shown a picture of his grave. The song, with Chaplin's old-fashioned lyrics, proved difficult to record, with Petula Clark very reluctant, and Harry Secombe dissolving into giggles when he tried to sing the words.

[brent]

Patrick Cargill was cast as Hudson only after a number of big-name U.K. performers had passed on the role.

[lynn]

Petula Clark had a major hit with her recording of "This is My Song," an adaptation of a piece of music Charles Chaplin wrote for this film. Chaplin reportedly did not care for Clark's version, though it ultimately turned out to be the only successful aspect of the film, reaching #1 on the British charts. Just months later, Harry Secombe took the song to #2 in Britain.

[chris]

While Marlon Brando had always greatly admired Charles Chaplin's work and looked upon him as "probably the most talented man the [movie] medium has ever produced," the two superstars did not get along during the shooting of this movie. In his autobiography, Brando described Chaplin as "probably the most sadistic man I'd ever met." Chaplin, on his side, said that working with Brando simply was "impossible."

[cassandra]

Last film acted and directed by Charles Chaplin.

[wallace]

A new flu bug was roaring through London at the time of filming, and both Charles Chaplin and Marlon Brando were affected.

[gabriel]

At the premiere in 1967 in London, the film that had been shown just previously had been projected using a special spherical lens. The projectionist had forgotten to take it off for this film. The result was a distorted spherical image. Many critics instantly blamed it on Charles Chaplin's "tired" directing techniques. This was obviously not the case, but the film did badly at the box office and Chaplin himself went into deep depression.

[addison]

This was Charles Chaplin's final film, although in his early-1970s memoir, "My Life in Pictures," he mentioned plans to film a movie entitled "The Freak," starring his daughter, Victoria Chaplin. The film was ultimately never made, but costume test photos exist.

[charlie]

During filming in 1966 at England's Pinewood Studios, the 77-year-old Charles Chaplin was walking around outside discussing ideas when his foot got caught in a grate and he broke his ankle. It was the first serious injury he ever sustained.

[stephanie]

Although some literary sources claim the film was shot in the anamorphic CinemaScope process with the aspect ratio of 2,35:1, the lack of a CinemaScope logo or credit in titles and promotional material, such as posters and the total lack of anamorphic compression artifacts in the print, indicate that the film was shot in spherical 1,85:1 hard matte format. Widescreen DVDs of the film have also been presented in 1,85:1 aspect ratio.

[terry]

The film was shortened by approximately fifteen minutes since its premiere. In an interview, Charles Chaplin said he felt the shortened version, which is the version currently available on home video and DVD, almost did not feel like his film and that he preferred the longer one.

[frances]

"This is my song", which Charlie Chaplin wrote for this movie, was a number one hit for Petula Clark in several European countries, like the UK and The Netherlands. In both countries, Chaplin still holds the record for being the oldest composer of a number one hit. He was 77 when "This is my song" reached number one.

[richard]

In his autobiography, Marlon Brando called the film "a disaster" and described Charles Chaplin as "a fearsomely cruel man...He was an egotistical tyrant and a penny pincher." According to Brando, Chaplin frequently berated his son Sydney Chaplin and when Brando arrived onset fifteen minutes late, Chaplin gave him a dressing down in front of the cast and crew. An embarrassed Brando demanded, and received, an apology.

[elmer]

Norma Foster, Penelope Horner and Juliet Harmer were all considered for the role of the Young Society girl.

[carl]

Sophia Loren did not get along with Marlon Brando during shooting, especially after the day they were doing a love scene and he commented, "Did you know you have black hairs up your nostrils?"

[morris]

Charles Chaplin wanted Sean Connery, Cary Grant or Rex Harrison for the male lead.