"China Sky" is a film set in China and it does feature some Asian-American actors. However, oddly, the film also features Anthony Quinn in one of the leading roles and he, too, plays someone who is Chinese! Other than Mantan Moreland or Willie Best, I can't think of an actor who looked LESS Chinese than Quinn! I know he did have a reputation as a man who could play many, many different nationalities, but this is ridiculous. However, such bizarre casting is not very unusual. During this same era in Hollywood, such obviously non-Asian actors as Walter Huston and even Kathrine Hepburn were picked to play these sort of roles! Plus, Carol Thurston also plays one of natives in "China Sky" and is pretty clearly not Asian.
This film was made near the end of WWII and is set in a hospital in China during their war with Japan. Ruth Warrick plays Dr. Sara--a single and pretty lady working in China during the war. Considering she's pretty much on her own there, it seems a bit ridiculous. As the film begins, Dr. Gray (Randolph Scott) returns--and Dr. Sara is excited...until she sees that Gray has brought along his new wife (Ellen Drew). This is a problem, as it's obvious that the good Dr. Sara wanted him for herself and the new wife is quite a surprise! Soon the new wife is revealed to be a shallow shrew--and unsheathes her claws on Dr. Sara! At this point it's obvious that by the end of the film the wife will be history and Dr. Sara will have her good Doctor for herself. In fact, it was downright silly as the dumb wife inexplicably ran through the middle of a gunfight (with machine guns even) only to die--thus freeing up the doctors to fall in love!! Oooo, this really pained me it was so clichéd!
At the same time there is a parallel story involving a stereotypically evil Japanese commander who is being held prisoner. He somehow manages to get a Korean doctor to help him--though this makes absolutely no sense at all considering what the Japanese had done to Korea as well as the guy being a doctor.
This film suffers from some of the worst mock Chinese dialog I have ever heard. All the Chinese people seem quaintly inscrutable and a bit like happy savages--and I am sure any Asian watching the film would be pretty ticked off by these portrayals. Never do they really seem like people! And, aside from the new wife, all the white folks in the film are noble--too noble. In fact, no one at all in the film seems real in the least.
Overall, there really isn't a whole lot to recommend the film. The romantic triangle could have been pretty interesting---but none of the rest of the film was believable or worthwhile. The only reason I watched is because I would watch Randolph Scott in anything--and as usual he did a nice job, though the film was clearly beneath his talents. Not a good film by any stretch of the imagination.
This film was made near the end of WWII and is set in a hospital in China during their war with Japan. Ruth Warrick plays Dr. Sara--a single and pretty lady working in China during the war. Considering she's pretty much on her own there, it seems a bit ridiculous. As the film begins, Dr. Gray (Randolph Scott) returns--and Dr. Sara is excited...until she sees that Gray has brought along his new wife (Ellen Drew). This is a problem, as it's obvious that the good Dr. Sara wanted him for herself and the new wife is quite a surprise! Soon the new wife is revealed to be a shallow shrew--and unsheathes her claws on Dr. Sara! At this point it's obvious that by the end of the film the wife will be history and Dr. Sara will have her good Doctor for herself. In fact, it was downright silly as the dumb wife inexplicably ran through the middle of a gunfight (with machine guns even) only to die--thus freeing up the doctors to fall in love!! Oooo, this really pained me it was so clichéd!
At the same time there is a parallel story involving a stereotypically evil Japanese commander who is being held prisoner. He somehow manages to get a Korean doctor to help him--though this makes absolutely no sense at all considering what the Japanese had done to Korea as well as the guy being a doctor.
This film suffers from some of the worst mock Chinese dialog I have ever heard. All the Chinese people seem quaintly inscrutable and a bit like happy savages--and I am sure any Asian watching the film would be pretty ticked off by these portrayals. Never do they really seem like people! And, aside from the new wife, all the white folks in the film are noble--too noble. In fact, no one at all in the film seems real in the least.
Overall, there really isn't a whole lot to recommend the film. The romantic triangle could have been pretty interesting---but none of the rest of the film was believable or worthwhile. The only reason I watched is because I would watch Randolph Scott in anything--and as usual he did a nice job, though the film was clearly beneath his talents. Not a good film by any stretch of the imagination.