Shaw Brothers' movies were incredibly popular in South East Asia during their time, so it's not surprising that some of their ‘modern day themed' productions were shot on locations over there. “Tropicana Interlude”, starring Jimmy Lin Chong and Lily Ho is one of them and beautifully shot in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang, Malaysia by Japanese director Koji Shima, who uses the Chinese assumed name Shi Mashan.
Ping Chien-jen (Jimmy Lin Chong) comes from a rich family and after two years of studying overseas, he returns to his parents' home in Singapore. However, we soon learn that he's not keen about working for his dad even though there's a top job waiting for him; he's only interested in becoming a successful singer. Interestingly, we never get to see him pursuing his singing career; he becomes a tourist guide instead. If this reminds you of Elvis' “Blue Hawaii”, you're not wrong there; right down to the traditional wedding at the end of the movie. However, Jimmy Lin Chong is definitely not Elvis.
There's no doubt that this movie is a cashing-in on the popularity of singer Jimmy Lin Chong; after all, he was a very popular singer in Asia. Therefore, we get to see him in his trademark Nehru suits, singing and dancing away ever possible minute throughout the whole movie. In addition, they even throw in a brawl in a not so convincing looking but colorful night club which is obviously a studio set. However, I have problem understanding his songs, since his Mandarin pronunciation is quite dreadful while singing. Maybe this is the way he sings, but add this to his unspectacular dance steps, and the whole routine is very irritating. However, he's tolerable playing a young man who defies his parents and I'm sure his many fans are more than happy to see him in any movie.
The other attraction here is obviously the delightful Lily Ho Li Li, who plays Su Yung-lan, the happy go lucky girlfriend of Ping Chien-jen and she turns out to be a great match for Ping. At the start of the movie, we meet her in a bright canary yellow ensemble, with immense matching sunglasses and hat. After that wonderful intro, we continue seeing her in more colorful clothes, hats, scarves and even swimsuits. But hey, this movie is all about young people driving around in convertibles, having fun in the sun and on the beach. Strangely, Jimmy can be seen wearing jackets all the time, even down to a turtleneck sweater which doesn't make much sense considering the temperatures at the locations the film was shot. Nevertheless, both of them look dashing in this fashion parade of a movie.
The supporting characters are interesting too. Firstly, there's the pretty Essie Lin Chia, who plays Tung Hsien-yun, a school teacher from Hong Kong visiting Singapore with her teenage students. One of them is Li Ai-yung (Lily Li), an irritating, spoiled kid who has a crash on Chien-jen and there's even a pillow fight. Another Shaw Brothers regular, Ouyang Sha Fei turns up as Chien-jen's mother, who has a habit of fainting if her son seems to disagree with her. Anyway, all of these characters are good fun.
Although “Tropicana Interlude” hasn't aged well, it's still interesting to watch. Think of it as a trip back in time to perceive what Singapore and Malaysia actually look like in the 70s. This is a travelogue with 70s soundtracks and vogue, in which we see museums, mosques, temples and the world's third largest reclining Buddha. A typical romantic musical, but luckily the songs are short so they don't drag down this otherwise, fast paced movie but makes it more a mild harmless entertainment.
