Barbara Wood - Das Haus der Harmonie

This two part TV movie is a cross cultural love story that spans two generations and two continents, and is anything but harmonious. Filmed entirely in Singapore, it features cherished Fann Wong and headstrong Maggie Q. Fate doesn't get better than this.

Singapore in 1927 is lusciously beautiful, but feudal. Mei Ling is resigned to an arranged marriage, until she rescues an American stranger who has been mugged into amnesia. She nurses him back to health and true love. Unfortunately, his memory and marriage send him home and pregnant Mei Ling is deserted to disgrace.

But no obstacles can defeat love and twenty years later their daughter, Harmony, sets out to find her father and discovers that she cannot escape love and fate.

The Making of extra on the DVD covers the challenges and achievements of this glossy Singapore-German co-production. For example, the film includes German, Singaporean and American actors and so, in order to get the best performances from each of them, the Director had each act in their own language. In the version I saw, the post-production had them all speaking Mandarin, but I understand that there is an all German version also available.