Strange Portrait | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jeffrey Stone [1] |
Produced by | Terry Bourke |
Starring | Jeffrey Hunter Tina Hutchence Barbara Lee Mai Tai Sing Christina Stone John Wallace |
Edited by | Peter R. Hunt |
Music by | Paul Lewis |
Production company | East-West Motion Picture Co. [2] |
Country | Singapore |
Language | English |
Budget | $320,000 [2] |
Strange Portrait was a film shot in Hong Kong in 1966. [2] [3] It was directed by Jeffrey Stone and starred Jeffrey Hunter, Barbara Lee, Mai Tai Sing and Tina Hutchence. Stone and his wife went searching for a distributor, hoping to enter it into the Asian Film Festival; [2] however, the film was never released, with sources differing as to the reason. [4] [5] One report is that it was destroyed in a warehouse fire. [2] [6] Stone said the film was suppressed by the film studio at the behest of the Hong Kong government because of a scene featuring partial nudity. [7] It is considered to be a lost film. [8]
The film has been described as a "spooky thriller". [9] Jeffrey Hunter played the role of Mark, an expat American and petty thief in Hong Kong who lives with his Chinese girlfriend, played by Barbara Lee. One day while watching a soccer game, a mansion catches his eye and he breaks into it. Whilst inside, he notices a portrait there that looks just like him. The only person living in the mansion is a wealthy but insane woman played by Mai Tai Sing. Mark finds out that the painting is actually that of her husband, who deserted her years ago. He also discovers that she has an abundance of jewelry and decides to woo her and pretend that he is her departed husband. While gaining access to the woman's treasure he makes a startling and macabre discovery and thus has a tragic end. [2]
Jason Evers was the original choice for the lead role. He had to vacate the role in favor of a television pilot, Three for Danger ; thus the role was filled by Jeffrey Hunter even though his agent was not keen on the idea. [2]
At the time of filming, Jeffrey Hunter was in a relationship with Mai Tai Sing, a businesswoman who had acted in the television series Hong Kong . [2] [10]
Patricia Hutchence, the makeup artist in this film, was the mother of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence. Her daughter Tina Hutchence, who had a role in the film, is Hutchence's half-sister. [11]
Barbara Lee, better known by her stage name Barbara Yu Ling, was the first Singaporean Chinese actress to achieve success in Europe. [12] According to director Jeffrey Stone's memoirs, Strange Portrait was suppressed by the Hong Kong censors because of a scene Lee shared with Jeffrey Hunter in which her breasts were partially visible. [7]
Christina Stone, who played the part of a ballet dancer, was the wife of Jeffrey Stone. She was once married to cinema magnate Dato Loke Wan Tho. [13] [ dead link ] [14]
Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreographer for other actors such as Kim Tai-chung, Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, and Yuen Wah.
Nancy Kwan Ka-shen is a Chinese-American actress. In addition to her personality and looks, her career benefited from Hollywood's casting of more Asian roles in the 1960s, especially in comedies. She was considered an Eastern sex symbol in the 1960s.
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Jeffrey Stone was an American actor and voice-over artist. Stone was the model and inspiration for Prince Charming in the 1950 Walt Disney animated feature film, Cinderella. While he did not voice the character in the film, Stone did provide some of the film's additional voices.
Terry Christopher Bourke was an Australian journalist, screenwriter, producer and director.
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Mai Tai Sing was an American actress and businesswoman. Her acting credits include the TV series Hong Kong, Forbidden, and Strange Portrait.
Christina Balsara was a Singaporean businesswoman.
Patricia Agnes Glassop,(née Kennedy), also professionally known as Patricia Hutchence was an Australian film and television makeup artist, and was the mother of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence and grandmother of Hutchence’s daughter, Tiger Lily. In later years she was an author.
Barbara Lee, who used the stage name Barbara Yu Ling, was a Singapore-born actress of stage, screen, and television who was based in Britain from the 1950s. One of the first Singaporean Chinese actresses to gain attention in Europe, she appeared in productions of Madame Butterfly and The World of Suzie Wong. Among the films she appeared in were The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), Ping Pong (1986), and Peggy Su! (1997).
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