The High Road to China

 Bess Armstrong is very good in this she got nominated for a Saturn. She well deserved that and more. 

She is pretty and charismatic. One of the few modern women who can sell 1920s dress

Michael Sherd - Mr, Bronson turns up to be murdered swiftly

You can see why Magnum made Tom Selleck. Without Magnum's whimsy and archness Tom who I like as an actor is quite cold

Okay so this is a quite an enjoyable historical film

Brian Blessed turns up has an Afghan Khan- I wonder if there is a touch of reverse Rambo 3 here. The Afghans are shown as warlike-selling women. For a film released in the 1980s That was on the wrong side of history 

Robert Morley is playing the villain for the first hour.  I note aside from white hair he looks no older than in the African Queen. Was that man born at 50 years old Here Morley  is trying to cheat Bess out of her inheritance. I was  confused by this because he Morely is playing a comical effete ``U'' Englishman Yet he is setting murderers and brigands on our lovely lady lead. 

Finally there is a confrontation with a Chinese Warlord- and we meet the guy from Cocoon- Who tells us that Morely has erred -Bess's real inheritance are patents and formulas which are held in her name. So why does Morely stop his attack-could he not have telegrammed the Chinese warlord ? Or such

Apparently this is a novel which was in development hell for a few years. I suspect there would have been scenes where Selleck's rudeness started fights in the RAF mess too

The scenery is lovely- There is some delightful imagery of the Alps by air.  I suspect this was filmed in Italy. The Biplanes make me wonder if there was a fad for this in the 1980s-Biggles

Now a bad film but perhaps not memorable. Also quite clean- no nudity which is interesting to compare with Lassiter





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