Film Review
Perhaps the most surprising and atypical of Frank Capra's films,
The Bitter Tea of General Yen is an
exotic and sophisticated melodrama that explores the complex
relationship between East and West in the early 1930s. It was a
daring, indeed provocative, film for its time, since it depicted a
romantic liaison between an American woman and a Chinaman, and this may
have been the main reason for the film's poor showing at the box
office. It was this failure which effectively derailed the career
of the 36-yeat-old Capra. For the next few years, he was
relegated to directing low budget comedies before he regained the
confidence of his studio bosses.
The Bitter Tea of General Yen
was the fourth film in a row which Capra made with Barbara Stanwyck
cast in a leading role. Playing opposite Stanwyck is the Danish
actor Nils Asther, heavily made up as a Chinaman, presumably because
good Chinese actors were hard to come by at the time. The
performances from both actors are laudable, lending the film an intense
poignancy, without nudging it into irksome sentimentality.
What is particularly noteworthy about this film is Joseph Walker's
beautiful chiaroscuro cinematography, which, along with the ornate
costumes and sets, is highly evocative of Chinese culture, adding to
the film's poetry and mystique. Not only does this give the film
its sensual dreamlike texture, it also conveys something of the
horrifying reality of a country descending into anarchy. The film
has some interesting expressionist touches (including a stunning dream
sequence) and, stylistically, has something of the character of what
would later be termed
film noir.
© James Travers 2008
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Next Frank Capra film:
It Happened One Night (1934)
Film Synopsis
When Megan Davis arrives in Shanghai to marry her fiancé, a
missionary worker named Robert Strike, the country is in the midst of a
bloody civil war. Whilst attempting to rescue orphans trapped in
a battle zone, Megan is separated from her fiancé and is knocked
unconscious. When she awakes she finds herself in the palace of
General Yen, one of the most notorious leaders of the warring
factions. Megan is both fearful of the General and strangely
attracted towards him. She is disgusted by his ideas of morality,
by the casual way he orders his opponents to be executed. And yet
she is fascinated by him and soon begins to form an emotional
attachment for him...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.