The World of Suzie Wong

The World of Suzie Wong

Year: 1960

Runtime: 126 mins

Language: English

Director: Richard Quine

DramaRomance

You are the first man I ever loved… and the world has only just begun… A Hong Kong prostitute tries modeling and falls for the artist who’s painting her.

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Timeline & Setting – The World of Suzie Wong (1960)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The World of Suzie Wong (1960). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1960s

The events take place in the 1960s Hong Kong, a period of rapid urban growth and cultural blending under British influence. The era shapes interactions between Western artists and local communities, highlighting social norms and economic tensions. The setting leverages the city's nightlife, hillside housing, and rainy seasons to frame the romance and tragedy.

Location

Hong Kong, Wan Chai, Nam Kok Hotel

The story unfolds in Hong Kong, a bustling port city in the 1960s with a visible mix of Western expatriates and local residents. Wan Chai is depicted as a rough, lower-cost district known for nightlife and prostitution, setting the social backdrop for the romance. The Nam Kok Hotel serves as a key location where Robert meets Suzie and contends with the city’s underbelly and its unseen pressures.

🏙️ Urban hub 🌁 Colonial influence 🛶 Seaside and ferry life

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:14

Main Characters – The World of Suzie Wong (1960)

Meet the key characters of The World of Suzie Wong (1960), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Robert Lomax (William Holden)

An American architect turned painter living in Hong Kong for a year, Robert pursues his art while navigating unfamiliar social distances. He is practical and self-assured, yet capable of tenderness and jealousy when his love interest is threatened. His relationship with Suzie forces him to reevaluate ambition, wealth, and what it means to belong.

🎨 Artist 💼 Ambitious 💔 Jealous

Suzie Wong (Mi-Ling)

A bar girl with charisma and vulnerability, Suzie is revealed to have been forced into prostitution after being abandoned as a child. She is intelligent, warm, and resourceful, navigating love and exploitation with dignity. Her intense bond with Robert exposes the fragility of her social position and her longing for security and belonging.

💃 Enterprising 💔 Tragic heroine 🌺 Inner strength

Kay O’Neill (Sylvia Syms)

Kay is a Western-educated woman who pursues Robert with a blend of attraction and social ambition. She embodies the pull of desire within a respectable, middle-to-upper-class framework and serves as a foil to Suzie's more precarious position. Her actions reveal the tensions between romance, status, and personal fulfillment.

🌺 Sophisticated 💌 Desire 🏛️ Social aspiration

Ben Marlowe (Michael Wilding)

A wealthy client who offers to be Suzie's lover to provoke Robert and test his devotion. He later reconciles with his wife, illustrating the complexities of desire, fidelity, and convenience in a cosmopolitan setting.

💼 Wealth 💘 Complicated romance

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:14

Major Themes – The World of Suzie Wong (1960)

Explore the central themes of The World of Suzie Wong (1960), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

❤️ Romance

A forbidden, cross-cultural romance unfolds between an American artist and a Bar-girl-turned-muse. As feelings deepen, social boundaries and past traumas complicate their connection. The relationship challenges personal ambitions and exposes vulnerability, leading to a tense emotional arc that culminates in commitment amid adversity.

🌆 Urban Life

The film paints Hong Kong as a vibrant, layered metropolis where glamour, poverty, and vice coexist. The urban landscape—ferries, bars, hotels, and marginal communities—drives character choices and exposes the economic disparities they navigate. The city itself acts as an active character shaping destiny and opportunity.

🌧️ Tragedy

A series of personal and natural crises punctuate the narrative, culminating in a landslide that claims Suzie's baby. Grief and guilt reshape the relationship, forcing characters to confront consequences of love, sacrifice, and abandonment. The tragedy deepens the emotional toll and tests the resilience of their bond.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:14

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Tragic bittersweet romances like The World of Suzie Wong

Love stories where profound joy is inextricably linked with deep sorrow.If you were moved by the poignant love story in The World of Suzie Wong, explore more movies like it. These films feature passionate yet troubled relationships, where societal barriers or personal tragedies create a deeply bittersweet and emotionally heavy romantic journey.

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Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread typically follow a central romance that blossoms against difficult odds, often involving societal prejudice, financial hardship, or a hidden past. A major tragedy, such as a profound loss, deeply scars the relationship. While love may ultimately triumph, it does so at a great cost, leaving the characters—and the audience—with a poignant mix of hope and sorrow.

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These films are grouped together because they share a specific emotional signature: the powerful combination of soaring romantic passion with the crushing weight of tragedy. They deliver a heavy emotional experience characterized by a bittersweet tone, where hope and heartbreak are tightly intertwined.

Movies about artistic ambition and forbidden love like The World of Suzie Wong

Stories of creators drawn into complex relationships with their inspiring subjects.For viewers who enjoyed the dynamic between the artist and Suzie Wong, this list features similar movies about creative ambition and complex relationships. Discover stories where artists fall for their muses, navigating passion, taboo, and the dramatic tensions that arise from their union.

artisticpassionatedramaticintimateforbidden loveyearningconflict

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern revolves around a creative individual—a painter, writer, or musician—who finds inspiration in a compelling, often socially marginalized, figure. Their professional relationship evolves into a deep romantic entanglement that challenges class, profession, or cultural norms. The story explores the tension between artistic expression, personal desire, and the sacrifices required by a love that defies convention.

Why These Movies?

These movies are united by the specific character archetypes of the artist and the muse, and the forbidden nature of their romance. They share an intimate, dramatic mood, a steady pacing that allows the relationship to develop, and themes of cultural or social clash that create central conflict.

Unlock the Full Story of The World of Suzie Wong

Don't stop at just watching — explore The World of Suzie Wong in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The World of Suzie Wong is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The World of Suzie Wong Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The World of Suzie Wong, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The World of Suzie Wong Summary

The World of Suzie Wong Timeline

Track the full timeline of The World of Suzie Wong with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

The World of Suzie Wong Timeline

The World of Suzie Wong Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of The World of Suzie Wong that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

The World of Suzie Wong Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The World of Suzie Wong

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about The World of Suzie Wong: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About The World of Suzie Wong

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