This past summer I was honored to be asked by Sony to record the audio commentary for The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933). This feature is part of the studio's recently released 20 film box set Frank Capra at Columbia. You can hear me discuss many details of this Pre-Code drama while you watc read more
4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 15, 2018
The Bitter Tea of General Yen is no doubt a perplexing film to come at today but, in some respects, that makes the experience all the more gratifying. There’s still something within it 80 years on that will simultaneously rub up against our contemporary perspective while also surprising us read more
On the night they were to be married, American missionaries Megan Davis (Barbara Stanwyck) and Dr. Bob Strike (Gavin Gordon) have to put their wedding on hold to rescue some children from an orphanage stuck in the middle of a war zone. In order to get through safely, Dr. Strike asks the feared Gene read more
(Source)
Megan Davis (Barbara Stanwyck) is headed to Shanghai to wed her childhood sweetheart, Bob Strike (Gavin Gordon), who is living there and working as a missionary.
However, civil war is raging in the area. When the Chapei (Zhabei) district of the city goes up in flames on the night of Megan&# read more
The Bitter Tea of General Yen is a pre-Code 1933 film, directed by Frank Capra based on the novel by Grace Zaring Stone. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther. The film was the first to play at the Radio City Music Hall upon its opening in January, 1933. Even though the General Yen, is played by read more
I have mentioned before how casting westerners to play exotic and foreign roles was prevalent in early movies and fairly disgraceful, and The Bitter Tea of General Yen is another example. At least in this film only the male lead is a false “Chinaman” played by Nils Asther, a read more
