My Name Ain't Suzie – Kani Releasing (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1985
Director: Angie Chen
Writer: John Chan Koon-Chung
Cast: Pat Ha, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Deanie Ip, Angela Yu Chien, Betty Ting Pei, Colette Koo Ka-Ling

Release Date: June 23rd, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 103 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.98

"In her ambitious follow-up to Maybe It's Love, Angie Chen offers a rebuke to the colonial imagination of films such as The World of Suzie Wong (1960). Instead, she brings the Hong Kong of the 50s and 60s to life on her own terms with the story of Shui-Mei (Patricia Ha), a “salt water girl” from the outskirts of the city, who finds a way out of poverty in the Red Light district of Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Over the years, she rises through the ranks, discovering a world of equal hardship and sisterly camaraderie, where colourful characters abound—among them Jimmy (Anthony Wong, in his debut role), a mixed-race kid looking for his father in the crowd of thirsty American sailors." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “This new 2K restoration of My Name Ain't Suzie was commissioned by Kani Releasing. The primary source for this restoration was the original camera negative; one missing shot from reel six was sourced from a print with burnt-in bilingual subtitles. Scanning completed in 2K at L'Immagine Ritrovata Asia (Hong Kong); on an Arriscan. The restoration and other grading were completed at Qooop, Inc. (Tokyo); scratches and other imperfections remain. Please approach with understanding and empathy.”

My Name Ain't Suzie comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.9 GB

Feature: 27.5 GB

While there are some very minor imperfections, the source mostly looks excellent. Flesh tones and colors look correct, black levels are strong, image clarity and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic appearance.  

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 46 seconds, DTS-HD mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Angie Chen (12 minutes 1 second, DTS-HD stereo English with removable English subtitles), an interview with Angie Chen titled Angie Chen on Working in Hong Kong (9 minutes 32 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter and planner John Chan (16 minutes 13 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Anthony Wong Chau-Sang and Angie Chen titled Becoming Jimmy on Casting Anthony Wong (7 minutes 53 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English and Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a slipcover (limited to 1,000 copies), and a 32-page booklet with an essay written by Xueli Wang, A Retort to The World of Suzie Wong written by Angie Chen, archival images, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

A country girl moves to Hong Kong to work as a bar girl in the Red Light district of Wan Chai. Dissatisfied with her current employer, she starts a similar business only to discover that there will always be someone trying to derail you.

My Name Ain't Suzie is a play on The World of Suzie Wong, a film that it draws elements from thematically. Although both films revolve around a protagonist who works as a prostitute in the Wan Chai District, they could not be more different tonally. Where both films took on social issues like poverty and prejudice, The World of Suzie Wong, like so many Hollywood films of that era, romanticizes the story that unfolds, while My Name Ain't Suzie goes for a realistic approach.

The narrative begins in post-World War II Hong Kong, and the events that follow unfold over several decades, notably the 1950s and 60s. The narrative is bookended by moments that take place in the present where a character retraces how the protagonist, Shui-Mei, arrived in Hong Kong and what led her to become a recluse. While My Name Ain't Suzie is clearly Shui-Mei’s story, the narrative is very effective at fleshing out several other characters who play a significant role in her life.

All around, the cast are excellent in their roles, especially Pat Ha (On the Run), who portrays Shui-Mei. She delivers a remarkable performance where she perfectly transforms from a naive country girl to a self-reliant woman who’s fearless. Another performance of note is Anthony Wong Chau-Sang (Full Contact), who portrays Jimmy, a mixed-race young man who was abandoned by his Chinese mother and looking for his white British father.

The opening setup does a superb job pulling you in, and the film’s production design does an outstanding job recreating the various time periods. The narrative is flawlessly constructed; it gives key moments an ample amount of time to resonate, and a bittersweet finale is slightly softened by a montage of end credits that show Shui-Mei during happier times. The score is comprised of music from the eras that the story takes place in, and the songs chosen greatly enhance the mood. Not to be overlooked is Angie Chen's solid direction; she follows up her debut film Maybe It’s Love with My Name Ain't Suzie, an extraordinary deconstruction of The World of Suzie Wong.

Kani Releasing gives My Name Ain't Suzie an excellent release that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer