China Doll (1958)

Very Entertaining Movie

I watched the China Doll movie DVD that I received from Amazon.com and thought it was very entertaining movie. The movie builds up the relationship between Capt. Brandon (Victor Mature) and Shu Jin (Li Li Hua) which leads to their marriage and having a little baby. It is sad at the end as both Shu Jin and Capt. Brandon are both killed, but it was nice to see the daughter 14 years later being met at Los Angeles Airport by Capt. Brandon's old crew. I would recommend this movie to anybody who likes movies that end up being very heartwarming. July 22, 2008

as good as it gets

Old school romance. Probably enjoyed more by the over 30 group or pure romantic. Picture quality is A-1. A movie with a romance and war theme. June 1, 2007

........The China-Burma Campaign [ 1941-1945]

This movie [now a DVD] was made in 1958 and it covers the pilots who flew over the Himalayan mountains from Burma-Tibet-China...this movie lacks genuine art/direction for the various tableaus look so flimsy throughout the entire film...every GI was spit-shined and plenty of booze for all hands [is there a war going on??]...Victor Mature is almost in every scene as a hard-bitten Commanding Officer but shows hardly any emotion even when annoyed...the cast around him is second string all the way except for Ward Bond...and as for singer Johnny Desmond, he is totally forgettable in the role of a pilot...on the bright side the Chinese actress LiLi Hua is perfect in her virginal/traditional role and very easy on the eyes, too...the story/line is good with a tearful ending for the only survivor to arrive in the USA...I think it is over/priced for the final product...this here movie could have been Vic Mature's sayonara to his long and wonderful film career......SSGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF May 29, 2007

wartime romance with Victor Mature and Li Li Hua

CHINA DOLL is a finely-pitched wartime drama. Victor Mature plays Capt. Cliff Brandon, a disillusioned airman fighting against the Japanese. One morning he wakes up to discover he has purchased the services of a beautiful Chinese housekeeper, Shu-Jen (played by the celebrated Asian actress Li Li Hua in one of her rare American film appearances).

This is one of the better films produced by Frank Borzage around this period. Just like the similarly-themed "Sayonara" and "The World of Suzie Wong", CHINA DOLL explores the problems and prejudices involved in a cross-cultural relationship.

Victor Mature is fine playing Captain Brandon; but it's Li Li Hua who really owns this picture. She only made a handful of movies in America, but here she is truly magnificent. The cast also includes Ward Bond, Bob Mathias, Johnny Desmond and Elaine Devry.

It's great to see CHINA DOLL finally on DVD. The disc offers no extras but the anamorphic transfer looks a treat. (Single-sided, single-layer disc). May 29, 2007

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