Austin, TX: PICCADILLY (1929), PAVEMENT BUTTERFLY (1929)
Bruce Calvert
Tues 4 April 7:00pm
PICCADILLY
Directed by E.A. Dupont, written by Arnold Bennett, cinematography by
Werner Brandes, UK, 1929, 35mm, b&w, Milestone, 110 min.
Cast: Anna May Wong, Gilda Gray, Jameson Thomas, Cyril Ritchard, King
Ho-Chang, Charles Laughton, Hannah Jones
Silent with English intertitles
Shosho, a beautiful young Chinese dishwasher, gains the attention of
Valentine Wilmot, owner of London's elegant Piccadilly Club. Soon she
is out of the kitchen and on the dance floor, featured in a graceful
solo act that charms the wealthy customers. As the relationship between
Valentine and Shosho intensifies, two people want to stop it - Mabel,
Wilmot's former girlfriend and fading dance star, and Jim, Shosho's
friend and protector. PICCADILLY is the film which made Wong highly
successful and sought after in Europe.
Tues 18 April 7:00pm
PAVEMENT BUTTERFLY (Großstadtschmetterling)
Directed by Richard Eichberg, written by Adolf Lantz, cinematography by
Otto Baecker and Heinrich Gartner, UK/Germany, 1929, 35mm, b&w, British
Film Institute, 90 min.
Cast: Anna May Wong, Alexander Granach, Nien Soen Ling, Elwood Fleet
Bostwick, S.Z. Sakall
Silent with English intertitles
Shot in Nice, Monte Carlo, and Paris, Eichberg's second film with Wong
gave her the role of a Chinese dancer at street fairs. Unjustly accused
of causing the death of an acrobat, Hai-Tang (Wong) hides out in the
studio of a struggling artist, Serge Kushmin. Inspired by her rare
beauty, Kushmin paints her portrait and sells the painting for a large
sum. The real murderer, a clown (naturally), steals the money and
threatens the life of the artist. Even though Hai-Tang finally
retrieves the money, she has now been abandoned by the successful
artist. In this beautifully photographed film, Anna May's performance
was described as "amazing," but she was trapped once more in the
traditional role of the "inconvenient person."
--
Bruce Calvert
bigsil...@aol.com
Piccadilly is scheduled for "Silent Sundays", April 9th., on TCM.
Hopefully, I can finally have a better quality copy of this favorite of
mine.
Rich Wagner
milefilms
Well it IS available from us in DVD with many bonus features for $29.95
retail.
Dennis
Milestone F&V