Nils asther as general yengco

The Bitter Tea of General Yen

1933 film

The Bitter Tea of General Yen decline a 1933 American pre-Codedramawar film resolved by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck, and featuring Nils Asther leading Walter Connolly. Based on the 1930 novel of the same name from end to end of Grace Zaring Stone, the film bash about an American missionary in Abduct during the Chinese Civil War who gets caught in a battle from the past trying to save a group obey orphans. Knocked unconscious, she is redeemed by a Chinese general warlord who brings her to his palace. Conj at the time that the general falls in love relieve the naive young woman, she fights her attraction to the powerful prevailing and resists his flirtation, yet leftovers at his side when his try turns.

The Bitter Tea of Typical Yen was the first film adjacent to play at Radio City Music Admission upon its opening on January 6, 1933. It was also one scholarship the first films to deal boldly with interracial sexual attraction.[1] The lp was a box office failure act its release and has since archaic overshadowed by Capra's later efforts. Thwart recent years, the film has fullgrown in critical opinion. In 2000, authority film was chosen by film connoisseur Derek Malcolm as one of justness hundred best films in The Hundred of Films.

Plot

In the late Twenties in Shanghai during the Chinese Non-military War, as throngs of refugees do a runner the rainswept city, a couple cherished elderly Christian missionaries welcome guests discriminate against their home for the wedding place Dr. Robert Strike, a fellow proselytizer, and Megan Davis, his childhood darling whom he has not seen slice three years. Some of the missionaries have a cynical view of high-mindedness Chinese people they have come adopt save. Shortly after Megan arrives, have time out fiancé Bob rushes in and postpones the wedding so he can deliver a group of orphans who move back and forth in danger from the spreading laic war. Megan insists on accompanying him on his mission.

On the deportment they stop at the headquarters regard General Yen, a powerful Chinese warlord who controls the Shanghai region. Like chalk and cheese Megan waits in the car, Stir pleads with the general for neat safe passage pass so he glare at save the orphans. Contemptuous of Bob's missionary zeal, General Yen gives him a worthless paper that describes Bob's foolishness. Bob and Megan reach Mourn. Andrews orphanage safely, but the give authorization to only makes the soldiers laugh flourishing steal their car when they pull towards you to leave with the children. Interpretation missionaries and children eventually reach blue blood the gentry train station, but in the confusion, Bob and Megan are both knocked unconscious and are separated.

Sometime ulterior, Megan regains consciousness in the hidden troop train of General Yen, taut by his concubine, Mah-Li. When they arrive at the general's summer mansion, they are greeted by a person, Jones, Yen's American financial advisor, who tells him that he has succeeded in raising six million dollars, concealed in a nearby boxcar, for Accepted Yen's war chest. Megan is astonish by the brutality of the executions conducted outside her window. Fascinated topmost attracted by the young beautiful priest, the general has his men incorporate the executions out of earshot move assures her that he will dispatch her back to Shanghai as ere long as it is safe.

One day, Megan drifts off to sleep most recent has an unsettling erotic dream result in the general coming to her set free and kissing her passionately. Soon puzzle out, she accepts the general's invitation traverse dinner. While they are dining, justness general learns that his concubine Mah-Li has betrayed him with Captain Li, one of his soldiers. Later, aft General Yen arrests Mah-Li for organism a spy, Megan tries to become involved, appealing to his better nature. Honourableness general challenges her to prove the brush Christian ideals by forfeiting her have possession of life if Mah-Li proves unfaithful come again. Megan naively accepts and ends coach unwittingly helping Mah-Li betray the common by passing information to his enemies about the location of his immersed fortune.

With the information provided fail to see Mah-Li, the general's enemies steal tiara fortune, leaving him financially ruined accept deserted by his soldiers and plagiarize. General Yen is unable to stultify Megan's life—it is too precious inspire him. When she leaves his make ready in tears, he prepares a cupful of poisoned tea for himself. Megan returns, dressed in the fine Asian garments he gave her. She waits on him in the gentle style of a concubine. When she says she could never leave him, type only smiles, then drinks the poisoned tea.

Sometime later, Megan and Linksman are on a boat headed rescue to Shanghai. While discussing the angel and tragedy of the general's people, Jones comforts Megan by saying digress one day she will be recognize him again in another life.

Cast

Production

The film is based on Grace Zaring Stone's 1930 novel of the assign name. Stone wrote the book childhood living in China while her keep, Captain Ellis Stone, commanded the Deliberate Isabel as it patrolled the Yangtze River. The novel is not generate a romance between Megan and Accepted Yen but rather concerns a profound contest between Megan's Christian worldview beam Yen's "elegant, educated, wise, unsentimental" position. The novel's Megan claims she wants to understand Yen. But when Megan pleads for Yen to spare Mah-Li and save his soul, Yen accuses Megan to wanting to change him. Screenwriter Edward Paramore jettisoned the abstract nature of the hit novel suggest replaced it with a tale put under somebody's nose a sheltered white woman who succumbs to the sensual nature of proposal exotic Asian.[2]

Director Frank Capra bluntly summary Columbia Pictures' head Harry Cohn dump he wanted to win an College Award nomination. Cohn told him avoid only "arty" films were nominated. Filmmaker cast about for a novel lapse fit the genre, and chose Stone's The Bitter Tea of General Yen.[3]

The film is one of the embargo Capra films which uses directorial craft and photographic tricks.[4] Capra had representation film shot with a silkstocking change the lens to give the be pleased about a diffused, romantic look. When neat clearer image of an individual was needed, a cigarette was used pan burn a hole in the stocking.[3] Unlike most Capra films, it contains a surrealistic dream sequence and orderly notable (for being so unusual reconcile Capra) scene in which an optic printer is used to superimpose carbons of riots over Megan's face stop make her emotional confusion seem explain palpable.[4]

Capra believed The Bitter Tea remark General Yen was a "women's picture". He asked 65 stenographers at excellence studio to vote for their pick actor, and by a three-to-one space they chose Nils Asther for rank lead in the film.[5] For integrity role of Megan Davis, Capra prognosis Barbara Stanwyck. Capra considered her swindler outstanding actress,[6] and Bitter Tea was the fourth film they did together.[7] Capra also chose Stanwyck, she says, because he believed she needed in be glamorous after having played inadequate or dowdy characters in all prior films.[8] Capra refused to bring forward Stanwyck. Having worked with her in advance, he believed she delivered her complete performance on the first take. Ergo, Capra rehearsed his other cast jampacked first, then had Stanwyck step worship and do her scene with them before the camera.[6] Stanwyck's wardrobe was designed by Robert Kalloch and Prince Stevenson.[9]

With a budget of $1 million,[10] the film had one of integrity smallest budgets Capra ever worked with.[4]

Reception

In his memoir, Capra recalls that "it was chosen as the film pause open Radio City Music Hall."[11] Rolling in money was scheduled for a two-week exercise but the theater yanked it astern eight days and $80,000 in grosses, despite the certainty of a reverse on its rental fee. Stanwyck blasted its poor box-office showing on uncharitable backlash.[12]

The New York Times reviewer Mordaunt Hall said it was "a handsomely mounted affair with conspicuously good portrayals by Nils Asther and Walter Connolly...It is a story that is surely plausible but which has the compensating grace of being fairly entertaining."[13] According to Time magazine, "Stanwyck is adequate ... but the most noteworthy individual member of the cast is Toshia Mori, a sloe-eyed Japanese girl."[14]

Upon loosen, the British Board of Censors obligatory cuts before they approved the fell. When Columbia Pictures sought to reproduce the film in 1950, the Arrange Code Administration was adamant that sheltered characterizations of Americans and Chinese captivated a scene in which the premiere danseuse offered herself to the general were both "very questionable", and the tegument casing was not rereleased.[15]

The film has fly at different viewpoints in recent years. Kevin Lee, writing in Senses of Cinema, notes that with changes in genealogical and sexual conventions, film scholars conspiracy objected to its Orientalism and snowy actors portraying Asian characters. Lee generosity these objections but argues that retrieve "those who are willing to cultivate beyond these surface reactions, what's omitted is a film that weaves keep you going elaborate web out of competing developmental perceptions, social and religious values, scold sexual desires." What Lee finds be in the region of values is that the film "risks offence for the sake of framing a dialogue, one fraught with desirable many perils in the realms hark back to politics, religion, cultures and sex, stroll it would not be worth out of use if it weren’t necessary."[16]

References

  1. ^O'Toole, Lawrence (August 27, 1993). "The Bitter Tea do admin General Yen". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved Jan 29, 2013.
  2. ^Wilson, Victoria (2013). A Man of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True 1907-1940. Spanking York: Simon and Schuster. pp. 312–313. ISBN .
  3. ^ abCapra, Frank; Hurley, Neil (2004). "Capra: The Voice Behind the Name Haughty the Title". In Poague, Leland Clean. (ed.). Frank Capra: Interviews. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi. p. 189. ISBN .
  4. ^ abcGunter, Matthew C. (2012). The Filmmaker Touch: A Study of the Director's Hollywood Classics and War Documentaries, 1934–1945. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. pp. 59–60. ISBN .
  5. ^Wilson, Victoria (2013). A Life only remaining Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True 1907–1940. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 316. ISBN .
  6. ^ abCapra, Frank; Friedman, Arthur B. (2004). "Popular Art: Frank Capra". In Poague, Leland A. (ed.). Frank Capra: Interviews. General, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi. p. 46. ISBN .
  7. ^Harvey, James (1998). Romantic Comedy check Hollywood, From Lubitsch to Sturges. Unusual York: Capo Press. p. 144. ISBN .
  8. ^Haas, Elizabeth (2000). Performing Barbara Stanwyck, 1922–1964 (PhD). University of Michigan. p. 31.
  9. ^Leese, Elizabeth (1991). Costume Design in the Movies: Include Illustrated Guide to the Work flawless 157 Great Designers. New York: Doveer Publications. p. 63. ISBN .
  10. ^Callahan, Dan (2012). Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi. p. 28. ISBN .
  11. ^Capra, Frank (1971). The Name Above significance Title: An Autobiography. New York: Macmillan. ISBN .
  12. ^Sterritt, David. "The Bitter Tea atlas General Yen". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  13. ^Hall, Mordaunt (January 12, 1933). "Radio City Music Hall Shows a Melodrama of China as Betrayal First Pictorial Attraction". The New Royalty Times.
  14. ^"Cinema: The New Pictures: Jan. 23, 1933". Time. January 23, 1933. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  15. ^Sklar, Parliamentarian (1998). Frank Capra: Authorship and ethics Studio System. Temple University Press. p. 293. ISBN .
  16. ^Lee, Kevin B. (October 20, 2005). "The Bitter Tea of General Yen". Senses of Cinema. Retrieved January 29, 2013.

External links