The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Grace Zaring Stone (story)
Edward E. Paramore Jr. (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 January 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

They found a love they dared not touch!

Plot:

The American missionary Megan Davis arrives in Shanghai during the Chinese Civil War to marry the missionary Dr...

Plot Keywords:

General | Missionary | Mistress | Palace | Chinese Civil War

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck	...	Megan
Nils Asther	...	General Yen
Toshia Mori	...	Mah-Li
Walter Connolly	...	Jones
Gavin Gordon	...	Bob
Lucien Littlefield	...	Mr. Jacobson
Richard Loo	...	Captain Li
Helen Jerome Eddy	...	Miss Reed
Emmett Corrigan	...	Bishop Harkness

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

South Korea:15 (2007) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

This movie was the first to play at Manhattan's fabled showplace, Radio City Music Hall, beginning on January 11, 1933.

Quotes:

Megan Davis: I want you to think of all those things and then forgive her.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Slanted Screen (2006)

Soundtrack:

Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)

Capra's most overlooked-and most brilliant- film.

For those who think that Frank Capra only produced "Capracorn'..well, think again. One reviewer dismisses this film as 'melodramatic'..it is, in fact, a subtle, powerful exploration of sexual politics, racism, and human passion.Stanwyck, and the almost forgotten Nils asther, ignite the screen. This film also shows another often overlooked side of Capra, his fascination with the Orient, especially China.