A Countess from Hong Kong

A Countess from Hong Kong
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Charlie Chaplin
Written by	Charlie Chaplin
Produced by	Jerome Epstein Charlie Chaplin (uncredited)
Starring	Marlon Brando Sophia Loren Sydney Chaplin Tippi Hedren Patrick Cargill Margaret Rutherford
Cinematography	Arthur Ibbetson
Edited by	Gordon Hales
Music by	Charlie Chaplin
Production company	Universal Pictures
Distributed by	Rank Film Distributors (UK) Universal Pictures (US)
Release date	5 January 1967 (1967-01-05) (London premiere)
Running time	107 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$3.5 million (estimated)[1]
Box office	$1.1 million (United States and Canada Rentals)[2]

A Countess from Hong Kong is a 1967 British romantic comedy film scored, written, and directed by Charlie Chaplin, and the final film directed, written, produced and scored by him. Based on the life of a former Russian aristocrat,^[3] as he calls her in his 1922 book My Trip Abroad. She was a Russian singer and dancer who "was a stateless person marooned in France without a passport."^[4] The film starred Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren, and revolved around an American diplomat who falls in love with a stowaway on a cruise. Sydney Chaplin (Chaplin's son), Tippi Hedren, Patrick Cargill and Margaret Rutherford co-star in major supporting roles; Chaplin also made a cameo, marking his final screen appearance.

The story is based loosely on Russian singer and dancer Moussia "Skaya" Sodskaya, whom Chaplin met in France in 1921.^[3] The film had been in development since the 1930s under the title Stowaway, as a vehicle for Paulette Goddard.^[5] However, following their divorce and subsequent events in his life, Chaplin continued working on it until it was ready for production in the mid-1960s. It was ultimately his only film in colour, and one of two films Chaplin directed in which he did not play a major role (the other being 1923's A Woman of Paris).

The film premiered in London on 5 January 1967, receiving negative reviews from critics. Although a major success in Europe and Japan, it still underperformed at the US box office, though the success of the music score - which Chaplin worked on with Lambert Williamson - was able to cover the budget. The film's theme song, "This Is My Song", written by Chaplin and performed by Petula Clark, became a worldwide success, topping the charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands and Belgium, while reaching number three in the United States and number four in Canada. Since its release, the film has been reevaluated and received more positive reviews.