The internet has largely failed of its initial promise, but every now and then it will in some small way redeem itself. Thus: in an online discussion of my Chinese film festival while writing Walls of Men, someone mentioned Soldier of Fortune, a 1955 production starring Clark Gable and Susan Hayward set in the immediate aftermath of the Communist takeover of the mainland.
This is something of a forgotten era, in part because Communist China wants the sordid history of its takeover buried deep, and Hollywood is only too happy to oblige.
The film is set in Hong Kong right after the Nationalist defeat, a time when it was not entirely clear that Chiang Kai-shek wouldn’t attempt a comeback. While it seems absurd to us today, Chairman Mao was very much afraid of it. In any event, the tale revolves around a wife (Hayward’s Jane Hoyt) searching for her photojournalist husband, who had vanished behind the Bamboo Curtain.
In many ways, Hayward is the main character, getting most of the screen time, and making a general hash of things. Gable’s Hank Lee becomes her guardian angel – older, wiser, connected – who also develops a crush on her. In other circumstances, the settled, macho underworld boss falling for a naive wife might not work, but Hayward does a great job of projecting sexiness, determination and also a level of mature innocence that a man like Lee would find fascinating. She finds Lee fascinating, is instantly attracted to him, but wants to stay loyal to her absent husband.
It’s not a great dramatic film by any stretch, but wonderfully evocative of the time. Like Love is a Many Splendored Thing, the setting makes up for a lot of the plot.
There is a lesson for contemporary Hollywood in this. Exotic locations, haunting historical moments and excellent acting can often overshadow a fairly flat plot. Alas, CGI demo reels, wooden acting and endless sequels are all they seem to know. More’s the pity.
Chateau Lloyd 
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