The Road to Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

The Road to Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 4, 2015

It had been around ten years or so since Bob Hope and Bing Crosby had teamed for their previous Road picture when The Road to Hong Kong was released in 1962. The Road pictures had been one of the more reliably entertaining franchises in the 1940s and (early) 1950s, highlighting the faux rivalry between two of Paramount’s biggest marquee attractions while also tending to send up various cinematic genres. Hope and Crosby were both pushing 60 by the time The Road to Hong Kong came out, but they’re still surprisingly spry in the film, even if one can see a kind of figurative comedic torch being passed early on when Peter Sellers arrives in a cameo as an Indian physician the two consult to try to retrieve the memory of Hope’s character Chester Babcock. What riled some people at the time of the film’s release more than any feeling that the humor was becoming sluggish was the fact that Hope and Crosby’s Road mainstay Dorothy Lamour was shunted off to the sidelines for what amounts to a glorified cameo, evidently because the powers that be (which reportedly included Crosby) felt she was too old to be the female lead in the film, this despite the fact that she was ten years younger than either of her male counterparts at the time of filming. That might bring to mind Goldie Hawn’s lament in The First Wives Club where her character, an actress “of a certain age,” complains that she’s too old to play an ingenue part, but that Sean Connery could still get the role of the ingenue’s boyfriend. Despite this apparent politically incorrect misstep, a lot of The Road to Hong Kong is rather funny, combining the typically snarky repartee between Hope and Crosby with a “mad scientist” scenario that is at times oddly reminiscent of what would soon ironically become an iconic Sean Connery film, Dr. No.

An amusing credits sequence lets Bing and Bob strut their stuff, vaudeville style, in a self deprecating opening number that sees the two reference their previous Road pictures (interestingly all done for Paramount, unlike this United Artists release) while poking fun at their long running “rivalry” which includes gags like their billing in the film. Once the actual story begins, we’re plopped down in media res as a bunch of investigative types try to decipher a broadcast supposedly from outer space which features the unmistakable voices of Crosby and Hope. Did the Russians send two Americans into orbit just to spite the United States? No, of course not—there was a super secret coterie called the Third Echelon which did it, and comely Diane (Joan Collins), who “until yesterday” was a Third Echelon operative, shows up at the police station (or whatever it is) to elucidate how exactly these two wisecracking Americans got shot into space.

That in turn leads to the flashback which comprises the bulk of The Road to Hong Kong. Once again as in previous Road pictures Hope and Crosby are two hucksters, out to make a quick buck on the backs of the local yokels. In this case Bob is Chester Babcock and Bing is Harry Turner, two scam artists who (according to the prologue) are wanted for fraud by just about every European police agency imaginable. Harry is trying to extract money from the locals to support a personal flying device which is supposed to hoist individuals into the air for rapid transport. That leaves Chester to do the “dirty work,” i.e., actually demonstrating the device to an eager public. Needless to say, all does not go well, and Chester ends up with amnesia after a debilitating (off screen) crash. Unfortunately Chester was the one stashing away all the moolah the partners had made on their previous scams, and so Harry is anxious to help get Chester’s memory back.

That in turn leads them to what is arguably the most outré sequence in the entire Road franchise, a bizarre but quite funny scene with Peter Sellers playing his patented looney-tunes Indian swami doctor character. Sellers, perhaps only slightly constrained by the vagaries of the script, seems to be riffing ad libitum rather liberally and there are several great reaction shots with Crosby and Hope kind of staring in disbelief, or perhaps grudging admiration. It’s a decidedly odd mash up of comic styles, but it works surprisingly well and remains one of the chief (if admittedly brief) pleasures of the film.

The good (?) doctor suggests that the two travel to a Shangri-La-esque lamasery where Chester’s memories can be recovered, and the two head off to the airport. Unfortunately Diane is there to help get some top secret plans to the Third Echelon, and in a setup reeking of farces from ages past, some mistaken luggage pegs Chester as her contact. In a wonderfully written scene of mistaken identity, Chester believes Diane is coming on to him while Diane is trying to get Chester to understand what needs to happen to the top secret plans. The dialogue is just slightly risque (at least for 1962), with some laugh out loud doubles entendres which Hope seems to revel in delivering and/or reacting to.

Rather interestingly it’s the Crosby character who turns out to be something of the more ambitious schemer in this Road picture, as evidenced first by his actions at the lamasery, and then, later, with Diane. Chester’s memories are cured of course, but he’s also given a special herb tea that allows him to instantly memorize anything set before him (a gag that features the first of the film’s enjoyably silly cameos). That later plays into Harry’s own machinations when the top secret plans are burnt to a crisp, but not before Chester has committed them to his now chemically enhanced photographic memory. That in turn allows Harry to auction off Chester’s memories to the highest bidder via Diane. In other Road pictures, it tends to be the Hope character going to extremes like this, and it’s interesting if not earth shattering to see the roles somewhat reversed in this final Road outing.

An increasingly convoluted series of events finally brings the two face to face with The Third Echelon’s version of Dr. No (Robert Morley, replete with Nehru jacket), and, ultimately, their close encounter of the first kind with outer space. The gags run the gamut from slapstick visual shtick to some relatively sparkling banter between the usually bickering stars. Dorothy Lamour does show up very late in the film to croon for a moment, and there’s one final set of cameos to send the audience away with a smile on their lips. The Road to Hong Kong proved that Hope and Crosby still had comedic chops to spare, and the writing (by regulars Norman Panama and Melvin Frank) is often sharp and satirical, playing more or less perfectly to the star pair’s strengths. Crosby and Hope may indeed have been rather long of tooth when they made this film, and Crosby especially seems a little tired and haggard looking at times, but this Road has held up surprisingly well, offering a fun filled journey for anyone who wants to tag along for the (space?) ride.

The Road to Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Road to Hong Kong is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. This is a perhaps unexpectedly strong looking transfer from Olive, one that benefits from elements in generally very good condition aside from a few niggling concerns like minimal dirt and minus density. What is really striking about this presentation is the rock solid contrast and rather nicely variegated gray scale. There's some stock footage on display here which is notably more ragged looking, but the bulk of this presentation offers commendable sharpness and clarity, an organic and naturally resolving grain field, and a nicely stable image. As is typical of the Olive releases, there have been no restorative efforts but likewise no aggressive digital intrusion, either.

The Road to Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Road to Hong Kong's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track is very good, if not quite at the consistently excellent levels of the video presentation. Very slight but audible distortion creeps into the upper midrange, manifesting itself most noticeably in the music cues. Dialogue comes through largely unscathed, with clarity and very good fidelity. Aside from a slightly boxy overall sound, there's nothing overly problematic to complain about here.

The Road to Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements on this Blu-ray disc.

The Road to Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Road to Hong Kong may not have quite the ebullience of the earlier Road pictures, but it's consistently amusing and even laugh out loud funny a surprising amount of the time. Hope and Crosby had their screen personas down pat by this point, of course, and the film skewers both them and several then au courant subjects with a certain amount of snarky glee. An overall strong technical presentation helps offset the fact that no supplements are offered. Recommended.