Original subtitles

[Siren]

[Boat Horn]

Dr Han

Dr Keith would like you

to come to the emergency ward

as soon as you can

[Groaning]

What's the trouble, john?

This child was hit by a motorcar

and is in shock

Who is she?

A refugee from China

one of 3,000 new ones

Has she a family?

She was alone at the time of the accident

Will you take her now, Dr Han?

I've given her 1/6 of a grain of pantopon

She may be injured internally

Boy, move her to X-ray immediately

You had better come along with me, Officer

for the report

Dr Han

I am Mei Loo You remember?

Oh, Mei Loo, I hardly knew you

Is this the little boy who was so ill?

But now it is my husband

Make him well, Dr Han

We have no money

but we will sell the boy

Our little one is intelligent

and well-made

We come from a good family

We will do what we can, Mei Loo

but don't you ever try to sell your little boy

You couldn't anyhow

I'll take care of him, Suyin

Anyway, Dr Sen is on his way down

I wish I were ten people

You need diversion

I'm ducking out

to the Palmer-Jones�s cocktail party this afternoon

Why don't you trot along with me?

Dr Sen will take over here

Why don't I?

A sense of balance

might restore my sense of humor

[Music Playing]

Why anyone would want to live anywhere but Hong Kong

I can't understand

Where else in the world could you get

ten servants for the price of one?

By next month, the ratio will be 12 to 1

Shanghai's fallen, you know

The Reds will have all of China pretty soon

Well, we must all keep our heads here

I hope you're going to write something dreadful

for your paper about those ungrateful...

Oh, john Keith

Now my party is a success

Adeline, this is Han Suyin

my friend and colleague

Han Suyin, I feel I've known you a long, long time

You're a great artist, I understand

I'm a doctor

Oh, well, doctors are artists in their way

I knew I'd heard something wonderful about you

Oh, john, you know everybody, don't you?

Suyin, I hardly expected

to find you here

Doctor's orders

Adeline's husband is one of the directors at the hospital

Oh, you must let me speak to him, Dr Han

There might be a place for you on the staff

[Suyin] Thank you, but I am already on the staff

Oh, how nice

Well, then we won't have to tell him, will we?

I want you to meet Father Low

He just escaped from China too

But I haven't just escaped from China

I've been studying medicine in England

I haven't been back to China for ten years

But you are Chinese

Eurasian

My father was Chinese My mother was English

I think of myself as Chinese, however

I know exactly how you feel

The minute I put on a Chinese frock, I feel Chinese

I tell you, if you have capital invested here

you can double your money in Hong Kong in three months

Oh, money, money, money It's so sordid, dear

I want you to meet Dr Han

This mercenary man is my husband

Delighted, Doctor

And this is Father Low

Mr. Rieger, Mr. Wong...

Bohannan, dear

Oh, yes, and Mrs. Wong

Madame Marnier, Mr. Denny

and Fiona Manton

Father Low is fresh out of North China

All the really nice people are getting out

I was thrown out

Rice converts That's what they were... rice converts

I loved them

I knew them as I know the back of my hand

but they turned me out

I'm sure I'll find China much changed

when I return

Going back, Doctor?

Don't tell us that you're a Communist, please

No, but I became a doctor to help my people

Like all Chinese

I'm spellbound by my own country

You'll be shot

I hope not

I'm neither a politician nor a missionary

Well, really, I must say...

You must say something to your other guests

We know I'll pilot Suyin around

Oh, thank you, john Thank you

Oh, dear I'm saying all the wrong things

Not at all

Getting your sense of balance back?

And my sense of humor

I'd heard that these parties were...

Oh, I left my fan

Where?

Well, l... I think I put it down

when I was handed a cocktail

I'll get it for you

Wait here

Dr Han, is this yours?

Thank you

And these

Thank you

I'm Mark Elliott

Kind of a dull party, isn't it?

No, thank you

Well, I'm a guest, Mr. Elliott

Well, I'm a guest too

That gives me the right to call it dull

You know, I was supposed to meet you

two weeks ago

Were you?

Fred Dixon wrote me, asked me to look you up

I didn't because I thought you might be

the intellectual type with glasses

And where is Mr. Dixon now?

Oh, he's still in Malaya

Would you have dinner with me tonight?

I'm a very pleasant man

Oh, I'm sure of that, but I'm on duty

When are you not on duty?

If we were in Chungking, Mr. Elliott

Third Uncle would consider it unpardonable to accept

No Chinese girl would dare dine alone

with an American she had just met

Yes, but we're not in Chungking

I am still Chinese

And half European I just heard you say so

Now, will your European side reconsider?

Why don't you call me at the hospital, Mr. Elliott?

I'll do that

Oh, I see you found it

Oh, this is Mr. Elliott Dr. John Keith

We've met before Nice to see you again

Nice to see you

I really can't believe that you're a doctor, Doctor

What a shame we haven't a scalpel with us

I could make a slight incision to convince you

Tell me about Mark Elliott

Don't know much He's a newspaperman

Been around a couple of months, a reporter

Why?

He's invited me to dinner

Accepting?

I haven't decided

He's married, Suyin

So are you, john, and I go out with you

I happen to be in love with my wife

He isn't

And how do you know so much?

Hong Kong is a small place

Well, I dislike being a small person

I'm not remotely interested in Mr. Elliott

I doubt if he'll call anyhow

[Telephone Ringing]

Dr Han here

Are you on duty Wednesday?

Well, I have Wednesday afternoons off

Good It's the Night of the Moon Festival

Will you have dinner with me?

Where can I pick you up?

Well, I'll meet you

at the staff entrance of the hospital at 6:00

[Boat Horn]

You're wearing European clothes

It is the European side of me

that is having dinner with you

I don't suppose you'd go back in and change

I certainly would not

I loved that dress you had on the other day

I'll make you a present of it

So you're a reporter?

Please A correspondent

What's the difference?

About $100 a week

[Speaking Chinese]

[Speaking Chinese]

The sky is clear

It is a good omen for the Moon Festival

I arranged a full moon for you

Have you ever been in Peking?

Many times

Do you know that in Peking the moon is larger

than anyplace else in the world?

Now, that's very unscientific

It's the same size everywhere

Oh, no, the moon is larger in Peking

much larger than in Hong Kong and London

All right If you insist

When were you in Peking last?

I was studying at the University of Peking

in 1939

I'd left by then

I was in England in 1939

Where were you in 1940?

Italy

I was in Malaya

It seems that destiny never put us

anywhere together at the same time

Well, perhaps destiny

intends something for us at last

I don't think so

I don't think destiny intends anything for us

Of that I am quite sure

[Firecrackers Exploding]

[Shouting In Chinese]

What's all the noise about?

A cloud has threatened the moon

We must make a great noise

to frighten it away

or the year will be unfavorable

You don't really believe that, do you?

Of course

If we didn't believe the unbelievable

what would happen to faith?

[Ding Ding Ding]

[Ding Ding Ding]

You see? The cloud was frightened away

It is a good omen

I wonder if there are men on the moon

who celebrate an Earth festival

and shout to keep the clouds away from us

I should like to think so

That's Maxwell Luderman over there

the industrialist

He's just back from Beiping

I've been trying to get to him for a statement

Is he really the third-richest man in the world?

First

If you want an interview

why not ask him now?

Oh, I don't think he likes correspondents

Anyway, I'd like to finish up

our own little interview

Am I being interviewed?

I want to know why you're so sure

that destiny has nothing in store for us

Well, I'm interested only in one thing...

medicine...

and because I know myself

You sound secure

I doubt whether anyone is that secure

I have known but one man in my life...

my husband

He was a Nationalist general

captured and shot by the Communists

I believe in the human heart now

only as a doctor

I bet you're a good doctor

but I still think that destiny

just might have something

in store for us after all

Why?

Because you've retreated to a tower

and the only trouble with an ivory tower

is it's a temptation to lightning

Lightning will not strike me, Mr. Elliott

Your honorable fish, sir

Thank you for the moon

and the honorable fish

and the lovely evening

You're entirely welcome

I don't know when

I've enjoyed an evening as much

Good night

I want to tell you something

I'm married

I knew you were married

And you still went out with me?

I thought if you were happily married

there could be no danger

and if you weren't, it could make no difference

Will I see you again?

I I think not

I think so

I'll call you about next Wednesday

Good night, Suyin

Good night

Good morning, Dr Sen

Good morning, Dr Han

[Speaking Chinese]

You combine artistry with medicine, Dr Han

Just with love and sympathy

[Speaking Chinese]

It's a great privilege to watch you

[Speaking Chinese]

[Kiss]

Ten days ago, we didn't think she would live

Look at her now

She will be walking soon

Have her parents or family been located?

No, but the police are still searching

However, with a million refugees

from China in Hong Kong now

and more arriving each day

it is like looking for a needle in a haystack

Why do they leave China?

What can they expect to find here?

A home

Their home is China

Now we'll mend her bones

Make her well enough

to send back into the streets

to starve

Oh, no, not Oh-No

Someone will give her a home

Dr Han, Mr. Palmer-Jones

would like to speak with you

Thank you

Who will, in Hong Kong, give her a home

or any of the others like her?

Oh, you can't tell

I might adopt her myself

Good morning, Mr. Palmer-Jones

Dr Han, my wife tells me

that nobody has been near her this morning

Oh, I'm sorry

I suppose we are late

The wards are so crowded

We simply haven't caught up yet

Do you visit the wards first?

As a rule

I see

Would you, as a rule, be so kind

as to look in on my wife first?

Patience is not one of her virtues

I'll go in and see her now

Thank you

[Sigh]

Good morning, Mrs. Palmer-Jones

Oh, I certainly am glad

to see you, Dr Han

The person who brought my breakfast

didn't speak one word of English

Was it a nice breakfast?

The only thing that was hot

was the orange juice

Well, I'll have your tray removed

Oh, the arm looks better

It doesn't feel better

There's hardly any swelling left

Imagine being bitten by a centipede

in this day and age

It's so undignified

And painful

Well, I can give you one cheerful bit of news

Oh?

You may go home tomorrow

Oh, no, no, I can't I can't possibly

My living room is being painted

and it won't be dry for a week

Well, we'll make arrangements

Oh, thank you, Dr Han

You're a dear

I must do something for you

What would you like?

A bigger hospital

You mustn't bite people, Rosie Wu

I had to give the man an injection

It was quite painful

Come on Come on

Suyin, are you going to town this afternoon?

No It's my Wednesday off

I think I'm going to dinner Why?

I was going to ask you if you went near the pet shop

to buy me a couple of snails for my new goldfish

Dr Han, telephone

Won't the pet shop send them?

Hardly seems worth it for two snails

Dr Han here

Suyin, Mark I said I'd call about Wednesday

Uh, I was hoping we could have dinner together tonight

but I have to fly to Singapore on an assignment

I tried to postpone it

but the airline schedule wouldn't work out

Oh, yes, I understand

So if I'm back next week, we can have dinner then?

Well, we'll see

Say, when I called you earlier

they said you were doing a hysterectomy

What's a hysterectomy?

Nothing that would interest you

You don't mind if I call you when I get back?

No, no, I don't mind at all

Do call when you get back

Will two snails be enough, john?

Hmm? Oh, yes, yes Ample

Suyin

Suyin

Are you not Suyin?

Oh, I know you You're Suzanne

We went to convent together

Yes

Oh, how nice

I was sure it was you

Come Sit with me

Another cup, please

You recognize me after all this time?

Well, you dyed your hair, but I know you

Well, that proves you remember me

Now tell me about yourself

It's been so long

yet it all comes swiftly back

I remember the morning you kicked

the mother superior in the shins

I did not kick Mother Superior

It was Sister Angela

And she limped into chapel

to pray for your soul

Well, I'm afraid she did not pray hard enough

What has happened to you since convent days?

Well, I went to a Chinese university for a while

I toured Europe I married

My husband was killed

I finished medicine in England

I am now a resident doctor here

at the Victoria Hospital

And you never married again?

No As a Chinese widow

I have become completely unfeeling

I'm afraid my heart is safely dead

Well, I have to be in love to go on living

At the moment, it's an important Englishman

I pass for English now

I hope you won't give me away

Oh, Suzanne, you should be proud to be Eurasian

and proud of your Chinese heritage

Nonsense You can't be two things at once

And I advise you...

pass for English if you decide to go away

I'm considering going back to China

It would be rather foolish to pass for English

don't you think?

Well, yes

Oh, I must fly away home

Oh, must you?

My new love wants me to be in my flat

when he drops by for tea

We only have half an hour together

before he has to have tea with his wife

It's ruining his digestion

We must see each other very soon now

Call me at the hospital

I shall

Give the waiter, please, the change

I always see people as fish

Separated from the rest of the world

they unfit themselves to dwell with each other

These... the fighting fish

These... the peaceful

These have sought safety in darkness

They've lost their vision

and the light terrifies them

What species am I, john?

You're the peaceful

And I shouldn't like to see you become like these

swimming into deep water, losing your vision

Now, what do you mean by that?

I hear Mark Elliott's gone to Singapore

Yes His paper sent him on an assignment

Very convenient for him

Did you know that his wife lives in Singapore?

There seems to be a conspiracy

to arouse my interest in Mark Elliott

Be careful, lest you succeed

They told me if I'd wait here

that you'd be out sooner or later

Well, when did you get back?

This morning

I thought you'd like to go swimming this afternoon

Now, I know it's your afternoon off

so work is no excuse

I'd sort of made plans

to visit friends of mine across the bay

Well, it's a lovely day Couldn't you do both?

Mark Elliott

What in the world are you doing here?

Oh, I show up in strange places

Ha ha

You promised to keep me another week, Dr Han

I kept you as long as I could

I forgive you

I hear you were in Singapore

Your wife must have been delighted to see you

Why don't you come up for tea this afternoon?

Did you know that I was bitten by a centipede?

Yes, to the first question

No, to the second Can't, to the third

and no, to the last

Well, I was

If a handsome man like you bit me

I wouldn't have minded a bit

but a centipede

Do I expect you?

Uh, sorry I'm working this afternoon

Oh, well, you'll hear from me

Goodbye, Dr Han

Are we going swimming?

Mark, going out with you once was harmless enough

I don't want my seeing you to be awkward

Hong Kong has a peculiar code

and malice is a pleasant pastime

for women with nothing to do

Oh

Would it make any difference if I told you

that I didn't see my wife

when I was in Singapore?

Six years ago

she said she never wanted to see me again

She hasn't changed her mind

Neither have I

Now, will you go swimming with me?

Well, I I don't know

Take your time

You're obviously a woman

who's extremely careful about making up her mind

How's this?

Oh, beautiful

I'll change

I, uh

I'd like to explain about my wife

You did

No

I want you to know

that I tried to make a go of it

I'd like you to believe that

A great many mistakes are made

in the name of loneliness

There's no need to discuss it, Mark

All right I won't bring it up again

You're brown

You've been in the sun

Yes I've been playing a lot of tennis

What am I going to do if you go back to China?

Play more tennis

You're not really going back to Chungking, are you?

It wouldn't be good for you

to see too much of me anyhow

Might even be harmful

Oh? Why?

I'm Eurasian

The word itself seems to suggest

a certain moral laxity in the minds of some people

People never think of the meaning of words

They only feel them

You're talking about stupid people

Make no mistake I'm proud to be Eurasian

I like to think we combine the best qualities

of both races

That we're the answer to race snobbery

Well, you're

certainly the answer to a lot of things for me

Mark, like everyone else in Hong Kong

you're at loose ends

I think you probably need a love affair

but I'm not the answer

I will make no mistakes

in the name of loneliness

I have my work and an uncomplicated life

I don't want to feel anything again, ever

A moment ago, you said that words had no meaning

that people have to feel

Let's not tax the day with self-analysis

The friends I was going to see

have a house over there, right across the bay

Would you like to swim over and drop in on them?

Why not?

Are you tired?

No, I just want to drift

and feel the sun on my face

You know, in the last few weeks

I've come alive

I like it

You've been good for me, Mark

I don't feel that the whole world is sick any longer

I'm glad

Well, look!

Oh! Ha ha!

Why do you look so surprised?

You expected me, didn't you?

I expected you, but I didn't expect you

to come out of the ocean

Nora, this is Mark Elliott

How do you do?

Robert?

We've met before

Hi, Ann

Hi, Mark Well, Suyin

I never thought of you as Venus rising from the sea

Well, Suyin didn't have anything to wear

so I suggested we swim over

Come inside I'll get you some dry things

And something wet in a glass for you

Come along Use my room

Thanks

Well, you're a sly one

Just when did Mark Elliott discover medicine?

I don't know what you mean

"I don't know what you mean"

Oh, really?

Isn't it possible for two intelligent human beings

to enjoy each other's company

and let it rest there?

Not if you're Mark Elliott and Han Suyin

[Nora] Do you like him?

Well, I didn't swim across the bay to escape him

[Ann] I knew it

If ever I saw anyone looking moonstruck in the sunshine

it's you

Oh, nonsense

Truth is, I have no intention of falling in love

Listen to her

He is a nice human being We are friends

I'm going to keep it that way

With everything that's going on

do you think Hong Kong's safe?

Well, is anyplace safe?

Have you men been talking about us?

No, China

Oh, let's forget China

Have some music

[Chinese Music Playing]

You see? You can't escape

We forget that China lies just across a hill

[Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing Playing]

I think that the relationship

between the East and the West should be closer

Don't you, Doctor?

You taste of salt

Mark

There's an old Chinese proverb:

"Do not wake a sleeping tiger"

Well, certainly not in a small boat

I'm not being facetious

Nor am I

I think I'm in love with you

Mark, you don't know about me

You kiss a girl

and it doesn't mean anything to you

Just a kiss

But it isn't so with me

I feel...

Not that I don't like you, for I do

I wouldn't do anything to upset you

I have never known any man but my husband

Ha

I feel on the brink of something

I don't want to feel this way

It frightens me

You don't want to catch cold

Suyin?

Suyin?

[Suyin] Sorry I was in the midst of an argument

An argument?

My Chinese side was debating with my European side

What about?

Sleeping tigers

Mark, could I have a cigarette?

I've never seen you smoke

I rarely do

You still think we have no destiny together?

I have decided one thing

That you must decide

For you are stronger than I am

No, I think you're the strong one

Then you are wrong

For you are gentle

and there is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness

You know what is going to happen

if we go on seeing each other

I know we're going to go on seeing each other

You'd better not take me on, you know

You better get away from me while you can

There's still time

One starts these things

pretending that it doesn't matter

Stop worrying, darling

Where can we meet tomorrow?

There's a tree at the top of the hill

behind the hospital

and a path leading up from the road

I will meet you there at 5:00

I'll be waiting

[Telephone Rings]

Dr Han here

Good night

Good night

I'm late

When I didn't see you

I was afraid you had gone

You're early

We're both early

Give me your hand

Time passes so quickly

I didn't want to be late

I wasn't thinking about time

Oh, how good it is to know a man

who doesn't live his life

measuring time in bits and pieces

I like it so much

Hong Kong: The hoard of a jewel thief

What incredible hands you have

They curve like a Balinese dancer's

I have always been afraid of hands

Men's hands

I am not afraid of yours

Please do not move

Stay very still

Why?

A butterfly has perched on your shoulder

It's a sign of good luck

Oh, you shouldn't have turned!

It was a good omen

Why, you're superstitious

And you, a doctor

But I was born to superstition

In China, when a peasant has a son

he dresses him in girls' clothes

and gives him a girl's name

because he's afraid that the jealous gods

may take him away

Or if the crop in the field is bountiful

he stands in the ditch

and shakes his head and cries aloud

"Bad rice! Bad rice!"

He does this to propitiate the gods

to deceive them

And so it is with me

I should like to deceive the gods

For if they notice me

they may be jealous

We mustn't let the angry gods notice us

Bad rice! Bad rice!

Be quiet

I am very serious

So am I

Dr Sen

This gentleman is looking for Dr Han

Dr Han is on duty

Yes, I know, but she left word at the office

for me to call her

Said it was urgent

Urgent?

Yes So, I came on over I'm Mark Elliott

I'm Dr Sen Will you come with me, please?

Thank you

[Speaks Chinese]

Dr Han, Mr. Elliott to see you

Thank you, Doctor

Mark, what are you doing here?

I got your message at the office

and when I called back, they said you were in surgery

so rather than wait, I came on over

It didn't mean that urgent

It's all right Thank you

What's happened?

Well, we can't talk here

I'm just going off duty

Would you like to see how I live?

Sure

Magnificent, isn't it?

The warm water pipes run under my floor

The cockroaches grow enormous

and fight great duels

They thrive on DDT, so I leave them alone

Now I can visualize your surroundings

when I'm not with you

You look sleepy

There are little finger marks of weariness

under your eyes

I do a lot of writing at night

so I can spend more time with you

Shall I make you some coffee?

Now, what upset you?

Why did you call me?

I'm going to Chungking in the morning

Why?

I received an urgent cable from my uncle

He is the head of my family

since my mother and father died

Something has happened at home

Something about Suchen

Who is Suchen?

A younger sister

I haven't seen her since... for several years

Can't you handle this without going to Chungking?

Mark, it isn't only Suchen

I

I want to see China again

to see if it is what I really want to go back to

And also I

I think I must get away from you for a while

Get away from me? Now, why?

To adjust to certain truths

and not let them bother me

That's foolish nonsense

unless you've changed your mind about me

No, Mark

But I can't help asking myself

what I will get out of this

except to become a cheap Hong Kong Eurasian

That could never be true

and I don't want you to say it

Well, I will say it

Then I've been wrong about you

I don't understand your thinking

How could you? You're not Eurasian

Your pride and sense of dignity are not involved

Of course they're involved!

You're not something I picked up off the street

and you're oversensitive about being Eurasian

I am trying to be sensible

You are an American

In my heart, I am Chinese

You are married I am a widow

You are a journalist, a front-row spectator, not directly involved

I am a doctor, deeply involved

with a duty toward my people

I don't want anything sordid to...

Sordid?

I'm in love with you

Don't you understand that, Suyin?

I love you

Oh, Mark

We both know that even the fat, ugly people of this world

believe that being in love makes them beautiful

and justifies everything

I want something a little better than that for us

While I stand around biting my fingers

until you've decided I'm worth the risk

Oh, Mark

Don't let your male vanity enter this

You don't have to go to Chungking

to rid your conscience of me

I'll get out now

Don't threaten me, Mark

That's not a threat

[Speaking Chinese]

Is this seat occupied?

Suyin, sit down

Suzanne, are you going to Chungking?

No, we're going to Guilin

We?

I'm not alone

We thought it would be better if we sat separately

He's one of the directors of the hospital

I'll get your salary raised

Should we seem so friendly?

He might suspect you're not English

Oh, he found out

He thought I was doing it for his sake

so he bought me this

Isn't that lovely?

It's beautiful

These are real diamonds

Lao Liu

Third Uncle

Suyin

Third Aunt

Cousin Lee Foo

Meiyin, Cousin Suyin

Cousin Lee Chin

Shafong, Cousin Suyin

Cousin Lee Won

Yen Fing, Cousin Suyin

We have waited for this moment

We hope that

you have not changed within you

I am the same

and you are as I remembered you

Your face is fuller

It was not yesterday

Some of the family

thought that you would be foreign to us

You do not seem strange

I feel like the locust

that has suddenly cast its shell

You are at home

We shall now have tea

and speak of absurdities

May we now speak of Suchen, Third Uncle?

Suchen has brought disgrace on us

She has gone to live

in the house of a foreigner

Not 50 yards from our home

she is living under the protection

of this alien

Why?

She fears that when the Communists take over Chungking

that she will be shot

She thinks they will not harm her

in the house of a foreigner

Our clan has never begged of foreigners

May I see her, Third Uncle?

It has grown dark

I will send a boy

to light the way for you

[Speaking Chinese]

It is I, Suyin, Elder Sister

I didn't think you'd come

Of course I'd come

Now tell me

What is this disgrace

you've brought on our family?

You accuse me?

You have become a foreigner yourself

You're free

You can return to Hong Kong

but Third Uncle will not secure a passport for me

so I must stay and be shot when the Communists come

And would you stand under the protection of the foreigner

and watch if your family were shot?

They could flee, but they will not

I am sick of Chungking

I want to be as free as you

to live my life and forget China

If I get you a passport

will you return to the family

and wipe out this obligation to the foreigner?

I want only to get away

You will have your passport

Oh

Yes?

[Speaking Chinese]

[Speaking Chinese]

I couldn't risk letting you get away from me

so I came after you

Is there someplace

where we can go and talk for a moment?

Third Uncle, we would like to go

into the courtyard and talk privately

Will you graciously grant permission?

The night is cool

I shall have tea waiting to warm you

Suyin, will you marry me?

But you... You are not free, Mark

I'll get my freedom as soon as we return

I don't want to make you do anything that will hurt others

You... You won't like that, and you won't like me

I want to know if you'll marry me

I will always do what you want me to do

Then it's settled

It is settled

yet I should like permission of my uncle

It... It would hurt him

not to make this gesture

Sit here, Suyin

There, Mr. Elliott

Third Uncle

I respectfully ask your permission

to become the wife of Mark Elliott

Where would you live?

In Hong Kong with Mark

And will you now give up your vow to medicine

for devotion to Mr. Elliott?

I won't ask Suyin to give up being a doctor

to be my wife, sir

Suyin, you are a Chinese citizen

When your passport expires

you may not be granted the right

to practice in Hong Kong

Where would you go if this happened?

If Suyin wanted to practice medicine in China

I would live here

The new tapestry will be tightly woven, Mr. Elliott

You would not fit

into its hard pattern

We can always go to America

Ah, yes

We can begin in flight, pull up roots

and wither and die

Third Aunt, do you believe that this is wrong?

You have asked, and I must answer

He is a foreigner

Well, that I can't change

We are not strange to this problem

Mr. Elliott

Suyin's father left the land of his ancestors

for a European

He left part of his heart

I would rather face the future without hope

than the present without Mark

Then you must do what you have to do

We cannot stem the tide of change

Leave nothing behind with us, Suyin

Enter this marriage wholeheartedly

We believe that jade

if worn long enough

becomes the person who wears it

They have given me

something of themselves to take away

[Wheels Hit Runway]

Back to earth again

The sun is out

It is a good omen

We don't have to worry about omens

Fate isn't jealous of us

While we're in the airport

I'm going to make arrangements

to fly on to Singapore

At once?

This is something

I can't handle in a letter

I'll have to see her

Of course

I will test myself at missing you

You bite your nails

Yes, I know

If you ever stop

it will be because you are completely peaceful

and completely mine

Will passengers make sure, please

to take possessions as they leave the plane

That means you

You've changed since I last saw you

You're radiant, beautiful

It's Mark

Ha ha!

And you used to be

so shy and inhibited

It's Mark

Don't keep saying

"It's Mark It's Mark"

I suppose it's never happened

to anyone before

Not to me

When does Mark get back?

As soon as he's settled

about his divorce

Fat chance he has of getting it

Why do you say that?

I'm a realist I've met his wife

She's the kind who doesn't want him

but will hold on to him

until she finds someone she wants

Well, I think Mark will come back

free to marry Suyin

Ann, being Mark

would you give up so much to marry me?

No, I wouldn't

I consider it quite idiotic of him

and idiotic of you too

After all, you're quite happy as you are

Oh, well

why spoil everything anyhow?

All the fun goes out when you get serious

You must admit, Suyin, it's difficult for Mark

and your being Chinese

doesn't make it any easier for him

[Whispering]

You talk too much

You all talk too much

Suyin, it's the hospital

There's a cablegram for you

Dr Han here

Read the cablegram to me, please

Thank you

[Laughing And Crying]

Ha ha!

Well, what is it, darling?

It was from Mark

What did he say?

He said, "I am...

I have stopped biting my fingernails"

[Crying]

[Boat Horn Blowing]

Mark...

She won't release me

I guessed as much

when I saw your face

What are we going to do, Suyin?

I had prepared myself

for the possibility of failure

Nothing is different

I am as much to you

as the pleasure I bring you

When I sent you the cable

she had agreed to the divorce

Then later, she changed her mind

You're quite right

Nothing is different

We can still hope that she will change her mind again

Mark, go home and rest

I will see you tomorrow

You didn't get enough sleep, did you?

How can you tell?

Oh, I can tell each time I see you

whether you've had enough sleep

or worked too hard or had enough to eat

I found a cable waiting

I have to go to Macau on a story

Ah, of course

Then you must go

But I don't want to be away from you for a week

You won't be far

But a whole week, Suyin

Do you think you could join me in a few days?

Yes I'll arrange it

Now, darling, if you think it's unwise

I'll understand

To go on living

one must be occasionally unwise

Why are you smiling?

Oh, I don't know

The way you walk, the way you talk

Everything about you

Ha ha!

I love you, Suyin

[Telephone Rings]

Dr Han here

Oh, Dr Han?

This is Adeline Palmer-Jones here

Could you come over this morning?

Oh, would you mind

if Dr Sen came instead?

I'm going on holiday

I was just leaving

Well, it is important

I sprained my ankle

Very well

I'll stop by on my way to the boat

[Speaking Chinese]

[Speaking Chinese]

Oh, it was nice of you to come, Dr Han

I don't understand

l-I thought you...

I didn't sprain my ankle

I wanted to talk to you

Won't you sit down?

I have a taxi waiting, Mrs. Palmer-Jones

I'm catching the boat for Macau

That's what I want to talk to you about

Sit down

Now, no one hates gossip more than I do

and nobody is more tolerant than I am

But there are certain conventions here

that must be observed

especially with this ticklish situation

in China

and there's been some ugly talk

about you and Mr. Elliott

May I ask, what sort of talk?

Oh, the usual kind

Mr. Elliott is married, you know

I've known that from the beginning

Oh

Well, Mr. Palmer-Jones

feels that the personnel at the hospital

should not be indiscreet

I thought I should warn you

my dear

Thank you

Please feel free to call me

if you do sprain your ankle

I'm Dr Han

Yes, Dr Han

Mr. Elliott telephoned

He will be delayed

Put the lady's things in their place

I hope you will be comfortable

Thank you

Ahh

I'm sorry to have kept you waiting

It isn't often that I do

You locked yourself in Why?

I locked the world out

Mark, l... I don't know what has happened to me

l... I'm like a seed, sprouting up

clutching at life

I can hear and and smell the sun

I'm...

I am conscious of surfaces and their textures

l... I have such an awareness

such an awareness

Oh, pity the poor people

with their sad faces

who have missed what we have

You know, I was thinking last night

of that line in Thompson's poem...

"Tis ye, "tis your estranged faces

that miss the many-splendored thing"

I'm so happy, it frightens me

I have a feeling that heaven is unfair

and is preparing for you and for me a great sadness

because we have been given so much

Darling, whatever happens, always remember

nothing is fair nor unfair under heaven

[Chinese Music Playing]

It's a funeral procession

They make it seem so festive

"There was a good man

who had a good life"

Are you making that up?

No The sign they carry says so

I've always wondered

why the relatives walk in the enclosure

They hide their grief

Oh! How good it is to be alive!

Two men in the lift are former generals

old friends of my family

They didn't speak to you

They realized I was here to see you

It would have been not polite to speak

Good evening, senor

Table for two, please

Did you book a reservation?

No

This way, please

[Speaking Foreign Language]

Mr. Elliott

If you do not want this table

I can get you a nicer one

No, it's quite all right, Mr. Vicenti

Uh, this is Dr Han

Mr. Vicenti is the proprietor

A doctor? Business good?

Well, I'm not in private practice

Too bad You ought to make money now

Woman doctor make her fortune in no time

Men do not like

their wives to be seen by men doctors

You stay in Macau

I'll consider it

Thank you

How long will we be in Macau?

Can you stay a week?

I can't, but I will

Do you think we should be seen together?

I want all of my friends to say

"Who is that beautiful Chinese girl

Mark Elliott's out with?"

Eurasian

The gentleman would like champagne?

No Two very dry Martinis... very dry

Trust me The driest

You know what

I should like to do after dinner?

What?

I should like to go

to a Chinese fortune-teller

and listen to his gorgeous lies

[Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing Playing]

The lady would like her fortune told

Fortune written in sand

I would like a lovely fortune, please

Oh, you very lucky

Going to own big house

Well, not too big

Ah, many children

How many?

Oh, ten children, maybe 15

Ha ha!

How many?

Oh, too many Look again

Four children

Will we have a long and lovely life together?

Oh, years very hard to tell

Cost more

I have a feeling that he's the one

that's going to wind up with the big house

Inside box, blue beetle and white beetle

White beetle, woman Blue beetle, man

If both beetles go to far box

mean long life together

You watch

You have long life together

87 year

Thank you

Thank you for our happy future

and thank your blessed beetles too

Think there's food in that box they go into?

Here is a cable for you, Mr. Elliott

Thank you

You're welcome

Wait for me here Will you?

What time is the next boat to Hong Kong?

In about one hour and 50 minutes

Make reservations for me Will you, please?

Yes, sir

But... But why Korea?

North Korea invaded the South

They crossed the 38th parallel last night

There isn't much time We have to pack

It's only a little war, isn't it?

That's hard to tell

Will it... Will it last long?

Oh, I don't think very long

A couple of weeks, maybe three

Could you possibly not go?

No, I could not possibly not go

I thought not

Our gorgeous lie did not even last the night

I'm going to the news office

I'll call you

the moment I get any information

Oh

Oh, good morning, Dr Han

Oh, good morning, Mrs. Palmer-Jones

Did you enjoy your trip to Macau?

Yes, thank you

We had an explosion in the harbor

while you were away

You were badly needed here

My husband was most disturbed at your absence

Well Well, it's nice that you're back

Good morning, Dr Han

Good morning, Dr Sen

Did she tell you?

Yes I'm sorry I wasn't here in the emergency

Did she tell you

that your residency here

is not being renewed?

No

Well, that isn't too important

but I should have been here

Do you think that is the real reason

you are being dismissed?

No

It is because you are Eurasian

Oh, no I doubt that, Sen

Anyway, this isn't the only hospital in Hong Kong

You will not be offered another residency

Then I'll go into private practice

Do you think the English will seek you out?

They turn to their own kind

That should not be your concern, Sen

Go back to China, Suyin

There you will be given a hospital of your own

Go back to China

I think she's put on a bit of weight

Soap and affection

make a world of difference

She's being discharged in my care

Haven't you enough problems already?

This is Dr Han

I'm expecting a call

When it comes

will you ring me here, please?

Thank you

Extension 31

How do you say, "Take a deep breath"?

Wouldn't it be better if she sang for you?

Yes, it would

[Speaking Chinese]

[Singing Frere Jacques In Chinese]

[Telephone Rings]

Dr Han here

Suyin, I've just been notified about transportation

Can you meet me in a half an hour?

Yes

I'll meet you at the airport

No I don't want to say good-bye at the airport

On the hill, in half an hour, darling

Mm-hmm

How do you turn her off?

[Speaking Chinese]

Give me your hand

Every woman in love

should have a secret garden

And every man in love should have a mountain

Mark, do you remember the man

you wanted to interview?

The one you said was the first

richest person in the world?

Well, he isn't

You are

How did you know?

I've learned to read your mind too

In the next life, let us be birds

According to the laws of reincarnation

in the next life

I will be a woman, and you will be a man

Oh, no I refuse to be a man

You have reconciled me to being a woman

All right I'll take you as you are

Well, I'm sure I shall go

as limp at the sight of you

in the next life

as I do in this one

What sort of things will you write about in Korea?

Oh, the same sort of things

I wrote about in Africa, Indonesia...

Cold facts of war

The other things that tell of men afraid

men suffering

People caught up in events

they can't understand

Mark Do correspondents ever get killed?

Mm-hmm

A friend of mine got killed by a bus in Tokyo

If anything happens to you

I shall give up medicine

I would hate my fellow man too much

for having hurt you

Then I would be

the worst thing that ever happened to you

and I would know it

What time should you leave?

Ten minutes ago

War has strapped you to a watch

Unfortunately, my plane leaves on schedule

I wanted to bring you a present

but there wasn't time

You know, I've never given you anything

Oh, Mark

What a wrong and dreadful thing to say

And what a nice thing to reply

I have to go now, and I don't want you to be sad

I won't be sad

Sadness is so ungrateful

And I don't want you to come down the path with me

I want to look back and see you here

I will be here when you come back to me

I promise

Remember the blue beetle?

It promised us a long and happy life

Nora?

This is Suyin

Mark has gone

and I've lost my position here at the hospital

Could I come over and stay with you for a while?

Oh, for goodness sakes, Suyin

Come and stay as long as you like

And could I bring my little Oh-No with me?

We both have a need for friends at the moment

You bring Oh-No, Third Uncle, Nine Aunt

Anyone you want

Thank you, Nora

It won't be for long

[Knock On Door]

Come in

Yes Thank you, dear

Good-bye

Can I talk to you for a moment?

Of course, Dr Sen

[Speaking Chinese]

When do you leave the hospital, Suyin?

Tomorrow

In a week, I'm returning to China

Have you thought about going back?

I must stay in Hong Kong

Because of Mr. Elliott?

Yes, as a matter of fact

So you're willing

to sacrifice your country and many men

for a romantic attachment to one man

a man who will not even marry you

Where's your pride, Suyin?

I will not allow you to make me feel small, selfish, or ashamed

Forget this man, Suyin

It is a weakness unworthy of you

There is no longer

any place in the world for weakness

Then there is no place for doctors

since our whole approach to weakness is sympathetic

But you feel as we do

I have watched you

You hate the poverty

and the pain you see here

I hate it everywhere

but that doesn't make me a Communist like you, Sen

It just makes me try to be a better doctor

China has been reborn, Suyin

Our people are free at last

Sen, refugees pour into Hong Kong

at the rate of 3,000 a day

As a man who believes in this new order

doesn't it disturb you

that so many flee from freedom?

You're no longer Chinese

You're not facing the truth

Look into the mirror and see yourself

Maybe that is the difference in our viewpoints, Sen

You look into the mirror and see truth reflected

but I think it is an illusion

For in the mirror, what is right is left

and what is left is right

[Door Closes]

Ha ha ha!

[Speaking Chinese]

We drove out to see you, and you weren't home

Where have you been?

Job hunting

Any luck?

Yes I was offered a job typing medical reports

Suyin, would you go and see Mr. Palmer-Jones

if I arrange it?

Well, I wouldn't have a month ago

but time has nibbled at my pride

I'll call him tomorrow

Oh-No

[Speaking Chinese]

Oh-No!

You read your letter

and we'll go in and fix tea

Oh

Is she taking care of herself?

She looks worried and tired

I think she looks wonderful

for someone with half a heart

[Mark] I have received your letters

number 8 and 11

but 9 and 10 are missing

Wonderful moon at night

each night a little bigger

rising a little farther to the left

taking a little longer

to reach the trees on the right

Twice, like a ritual

I read your letter by its light

Last night, wonder of wonders

I not only had a clean camp bed

but I was able to place it so it faced the open window

and our friend, the moon

[Speaking Chinese]

I'm driving in to pick up Robert

Would you like to come along?

No I'll stay

We could stop at a cake shop and have tea first

Stop worrying about me

It is difficult enough now

when I think of your kindness to me

I'm not kind I'm just practical

With a household full of children

I just wanted a doctor in the house

What on earth are you doing?

Making a good-luck prayer for Mark

Oh, Suyin

I know it is foolish

but I must feel I'm doing something to protect him

[Speaking Chinese]

[Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing Playing]

[Mark] Glory be

Numbers 9 and 10 finally arrived

old and worn, but mighty welcome

I expect to be in Seoul tomorrow

My bottom is worn to the bone

with bouncing about in jeeps on bumpy roads

I used to think I'd run out of things to write you

[Air Raid Siren]

[Child Crying]

Oh-No!

[Speaking Chinese]

It's no one's fault

These things happen

[Speaking Chinese]

[Man On Radio] The latest report is

that UN troops have withdrawn

to previously prepared positions at Pusan

The North Koreans...

Stop listening to that

A letter from Mark

Oh, thank you

You must have enough letters from him to start a bonfire

I wouldn't burn them

but they would make a lovely glow

Nora, you know, it...

It often seems that Mark

is with me more while he is away

than when he is here

Do you think that's strange?

Oh, no, I don't

Nora

Oh, here's Ann

[Door Closes]

Nora, come here a minute

What is it, Ann?

Hello, Ann

What in the world is the matter?

There's something in the paper

What?

Suyin, it's about Mark

What about Mark?

No, don't Don't, Suyin

Dead or a prisoner?

He's dead

Oh, Suyin

Oh, it's not true!

It's not true

Nora It's a lie

I won't believe it!

[Mark] I do not know

what is to happen, darling

but this I do know

Life's greatest tragedy is not to be loved

God has been good to us, Suyin

He is dead

But his letters will come, one by one

They will continue to come

one by one

[Mark] Suyin, there is nothing fair

nor unfair under heaven

God has been good to us, Suyin

It makes me very proud of you

to know that any unhappiness of your own

could never blind you to the pain of others

[Mark] Give me your hand

[Mark] I often think that healing

is man's salvation

and I envy your ability to help

You deal with suffering

but you can do something about it

I can only stand and watch

[Mark] We have not missed, you and I

We have not missed that many-splendored thing

(music)Love is a many-splendored thing

(music)It's the April glow that only grows in the early spring

(music)Love is Nature's way of giving a reason to be living

(music) The golden crown that makes a man a king

(music) Once, on a high and windy hill

(music)In the morning mist, two lovers kissed

(music)And the world stood still

(music) Then your fingers touched my silent heart

(music)And taught it how to sing

(music) Yes, true love's

(music)A many-splendored thing

{{{the end}}}