The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)

This picture is on TV pretty often, so often that I usually miss it. The title sounds uninviting, like a dull movie about a tea plantation. Then I saw it on a big screen last month at a film festival and I was astonished. I was especially astonished by Nils Asther's portrayal of the General, and I'm not sure I've seen him in anything else. It was a hypnotic performance, as good a job of acting as has ever been put on the Silver Screen. The film was early Stanwyck but she was as good as ever and, coupled with Asther, they worked magic.The picture has been reviewed about 50 times now and everyone recaps the plot. It's enough to say it is possibly Capra's best effort. I thought the pace of the film compared to "Lost Horizon", the action and energy of the opening scenes and then the placid unfolding of the main story, which in both cases turns out to be a love story - and then the knockout ending. Also noteworthy are the spectacular sets and the shimmering, immaculate photography. I saw it at Cinevent, Columbus, O., 5/13.

There are some mild spoilers here. Read at your own risk!Anyone expecting to see something shocking from this pre-code film - The Bitter Tea of General Yen - is going to be disappointed. Miscegenation is not an issue today so most people will miss out on the big scandal! However it was a big thing back in the 30s and after the code came into full force a romantic relationship between an American and a Chinese man was unthinkable in a Hollywood film. This film is rather a mixed bag when it comes to racism. It starts out rather judgmental about the Chinese people but slowly our heroine starts to realize that there is more than one kind of logic. One of the best examples is when general Yen kills the prisoners because he has no food to feed them. Surely it is better to kill them than let them starve? And later Yen says something to Megan the audience is most likely to agree with: "You are afraid of death as you're afraid of life!" We know he is right and by that time we want Megan to understand that she might have been wrong all the time. We've fallen for Yen, as hard as Megan has. That is the genius of Frank Capra and the writers of this film. They make us fall for a man who is a mass murderer and a kidnapper. Megan and the viewers are all suffering from a Stockholm syndrome..., or did we just let our guard - and our prejudice down? If the latter is what happened to you while watching this film then you know why this is a great and one of Capra's best. I wonder why it is not better know...

Though it dates from 1933 both director Capra and actress Stanwyck were veterans of the movies and had indeed already worked together notably on Miracle Woman, a thinly-veiled take on Aimee Semple MacPherson. This time the canvas is broader embracing racism, politics and miscegenation just for starters. Swedish Nils Asther was convincing as the eponymous Chinese warlord who more or less kidnaps Stanwyck who has ostensibly journeyed to China to marry her missionary fiancé. Much has been made of the erotic dream sequence which gives Stanwyck an opportunity to confront her sexual confusion - attraction/repulsion - regarding Yen. For the time the setting was remarkably authentic and we have to score it as a little-known/seen gem.

Barbara Stanwyck (as Megan Davis) arrives in Shanghai, to marry missionary Gavin Gordon (as Bob Strike). Instead, she falls in love with a sexy Chinese warlord, Nils Asther (as General Yen), who is winds up holding her prisoner. Frank Capra's "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" isn't as offensive as it appears, on the surface; although, the story is, ultimately, unsatisfactory.Still, it's a fine looking production, with beautiful direction and photography (Joseph Walker). Ms. Stanwyck and Mr. Asther perform their sexual attraction marvelously; their characterizations are worthy of "Best Actress" and "Best Actor" consideration. And, supporting actress Toshia Mori (as Mah-Li) makes it a passionate threesome - when the three of them share a scene, on Asther's train, every movement sizzles.******* The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1/6/33) Frank Capra ~ Barbara Stanwyck, Nils Asther, Walter Connolly, Toshia Mori