The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
18KThe Bitter Tea of General Yen: Directed by Frank Capra. With Barbara Stanwyck, Nils Asther, Toshia Mori, Walter Connolly. A Chinese warlord and an engaged Christian missionary fall in love.
“Unusual, strange, interesting, intriguing, offbeat, surreal, unique film so atypical of Caprau0026#39;s acknowledged style, that one truly regrets that he never made a film of this sort afterwards in his career.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor sure, a product of the more permissive Pre-Code era (1930-1934), it couldnu0026#39;t have been filmed under the Production Codeu0026#39;s strict rules; the only suggestion of miscegenation would have risen too many brows during its enforcement.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI must say, though, that I have the impression that I saw an edited or censored version of the official release, since the DVD I watched is of British origin (itu0026#39;s not yet available on DVD in the USA) and apparently the out-of-print VHS American edition, is 5 or 6 minutes longer. Well, it shouldnu0026#39;t surprise me since this film was banned in England for many years (reportedly for its miscegenation subject, a delicate matter for the British Empire in those years).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis fantastic tale of a Chinese Warlordu0026#39;s (Nils Asther) infatuation with an American Woman (Stanwyck), whou0026#39;s engaged to a missionary, is charged with sensuality, erotic imagery and sexual tension (by early 1930s standards) between the two leading players.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAsther gives an intense, credible portrayal and is simply mesmerizing as the Warlord, in spite of the fact that he was actually Swedish. Stanwyck is aptly helpless, confused and vulnerable as the heroine. Itu0026#39;s also a pleasure to see Walter Connolly in a different role, as an amoral u0026quot;entrepreneuru0026quot;. Toshia Mori is deliciously evil as Astheru0026#39;s double-crossing mistress.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis film demonstrates that the Occidentals, at least up to that time, still did not fully appreciate and understand Oriental Cultures, dismissing its people as cruel and savage.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBeautiful sets and décors.”
