The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)

Not Recommended

USA

Feature Film

Director: Frank Capra

Writers: Edward Paramore, Grace Zaring Stone

Cinematographer: Joseph Walker

Composer: W. Franke Harling

Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Nils Asther, Toshia Mori, Walter Connolly

On a purely visual basis, the film is absolutely stunning – Joseph Walker’s highly stylised photography, along with the sumptuous sets and costumes, are quite wonderful – but this tale of cross-cultural hate/desire, set during the Chinese Civil War, never feels quite plausible, with its characters' actions (particularly those of the Chinese, who, without exception, are painted as rather inhuman) being particularly unconvincing. Iain.Stott