A Countess from Hong Kong
A Countess from Hong Kong was a
1967 comedy film and
Charlie Chaplin's only color film, his last film, and a financial and critical failure. Except for a brief scene as a steward, Chaplin directed and produced the film only. It starred
Marlon Brando,
Sophia Loren and
Sydney Earle Chaplin, Chaplin's second son.
The plot concerns ambassador-designate to
Saudi Arabia Ogdan 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.
Countess From Hong Kong is also the title of an unreleased song by
The Velvet Underground
