The Bitter Tea of General Yen
Posted by martinteller on March 5, 2011
If it wasn’t for Lost Horizon, this would be the weirdest Frank Capra film I’ve ever seen. It makes a close second, though. It’s always strange to watch a film that’s progressive about race and racist at the same time. Capra paints many of the white people in this film as naive, condescending and boorish, but most of the Chinese are brutish and/or crude stereotypes. As typical of the period, a Caucasian — Nils Ashter — plays the Asian title role. It doesn’t reach Mickey Rooney levels of offensiveness, but it’s pretty uncomfortable. However, the racial aspects aren’t the interesting part. The film centers around an odd, tension-filled romance between Ashter and Barbara Stanwyck. It’s not only notable for portraying interracial romance in a time when such things were very rarely seen (Broken Blossoms being the only other example that springs to mind). But it’s also fueled by power plays… sexual, emotional, and psychological. Until the end, we’re never quite sure if these characters are falling in love or simply toying with each other. In a truly bizarre dream sequence, Stanwyck is both menaced and seduced by Ashter, but most other times she seems only repulsed by him. It makes for some surprising developments. Whether this is bad writing or simply a product of the unusual, almost lyrical nature of the film, I’m not sure. But it certainly is interesting viewing. Some beautiful images as well, and Stanwyck is always fun to watch. Rating: 7
