Ferry to Hong Kong is a 1959 British melodrama/adventure film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Curt Jürgens, Sylvia Syms, Orson Welles and Jeremy Spenser.

[1] Mark Conrad, a debonair Anglo-Austrian former playboy and junk owner, now an alcoholic down-and-out, is expelled from Hong Kong.

He is placed on an ancient ferry boat, the Fa Tsan (known to its crew as the Fat Annie), despite the protests of the pompous owner, Captain Cecil Hart.

His charming manner endears him to the crew and to an attractive teacher Liz Ferrers, a regular passenger.

The ferry is nearly wrecked in a typhoon, but Conrad wrests command from the cowardly and drunken captain and saves the ship.

Drifting out of control near the Chinese coast, they are boarded by pirates, led by Chinese-American Johnny Sing-up.

Rank chairman John Davis said: "It is vital that the greatest possible financial encouragement should be given to the making of important films: for these the public will gladly pay.

[6] Gilbert says the stars were going to be Finch as the tramp and Curt Jurgens as the sea captain, with Sylvia Syms as the school teacher.

In Hong Kong, the production team bought a boat that could be converted into a paddle steamer and used local labour to build a full-sized studio stage and crane for the CinemaScope camera.

"[15] Filmink called it "a complete turkey with Syms having to act her arse off to convince us that she’s attracted to sweaty, tubby Curt Jurgens.