East Is West (1930)

East Is West (1930). 1h 15m | Passed

“I have seen and reviewed most of Edward G. Robinsonu0026#39;s films and would love to one day see and review them all. However, a few films are simply unavailable and have probably decomposed over time. A few, like u0026quot;East Is Westu0026quot;, do exist…but the copies are VERY poor. This one bordered on being unwatchable as the picture is a mess and the sound isnu0026#39;t all too good either. So, if I ever find a better copy, Iu0026#39;ll re-watch and possibly re-review the picture. Additionally, a better copy might have decent captions, and understanding the lead better as she delivered her lines would have made watching much more enjoyable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLike many films of the 1930s-50s, this Hollywood film features many white actors pretending to be Asians. I dislike this less because of political correctness but more because it just seems silly to see these American folks in such ridiculous roles for them. Asians playing Asians would have been a lot more realistic! In fact, American films with Asians in the leads during this period are pretty rare, whereas practically every great actor of the era at one time played Asians, such as Walter Huston and Katharine Hepburn in u0026quot;The Dragon Seedu0026quot;, Louise Rainier in u0026quot;The Good Earthu0026quot; (for which she received an Oscar!) and even John Wayne in u0026quot;The Conqueroru0026quot;! u0026quot;East Is Westu0026quot; is unusual because Edward G. Robinson plays an Asian-American…and he also played one in u0026quot;The Hatchet Manu0026quot; around that same time period! Despite my rant, I am NOT saying not to see such films…as in many cases the movies are still wonderful and entertaining despite the dumb casting decisions. I can dislike something and still not give up on it completely…and you can probably do the same.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLupe Valez plays u0026#39;Ming Toyu0026#39;…a Chinese woman who is bought and sold like an antique or a pound of meat. As a result, she eventually finds herself in America and the film seems to infer that she was involved in prostitution. Charlie Yong (Robinson) finds himself attracted to her and this u0026#39;Chop Suey Kingu0026#39; ends up buying her as well. But is he her savior or will he use her and abuse her or will she end up bouncing from one u0026#39;owneru0026#39; to another or will she actually manage to find love…even if itu0026#39;s with some white guy…which apparently is strictly forbidden.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile Robinson is a bit better than Lupe Valez, this isnu0026#39;t saying much. She is just a sad stereotype of a Chinese lady and her acting range was not good enough to make her performance seem credible.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo is the film, despite itu0026#39;s casting, worth seeing? Yes. While itu0026#39;s far from perfect and the casting is weird, for 1930 the film TRIES to be very progressive and is about empowering Ming Toy to demand her rights. An odd combination but it makes for a moderately interesting film…a time-passer which manages to entertain despite the cast.”