Description
Live accompaniment by Andrew Simpson
Introduced by Ryan Lintelman, Entertainment Curator, National Museum of American History
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In honor of the new Anna May Wong quarter, we kick off Movie/Music Matchups with one of her iconic silent film roles. She stars in E.A. Dupont's mesmerizing silent masterpiece about a maid who overcomes her station to become the toast of London. As his nightclub suffers due to a convoluted love triangle among the staff, Wilmot (Jameson Thomas) has a chance encounter with scullery maid Shosho (Wong) and enlists her talents as both a beauty and a dancer to reignite the club's spark. This rediscovered classic also stars Gilda Gray as the enchanting dancer Mabel, who shines alongside Wong, and Alfred Junge's astonishing set design looks better than ever thanks to brilliantly restored footage by the British Film Institute. Wong’s charismatic performance transcends the exoticizing of Asian characters in movies of the time. Local favorite Andrew Simpson provides the live musical accompaniment. The film will be introduced by Ryan Lintelman of the National Museum of American History, which has just received a gift of some of Wong’s personal possessions. Description adapted from Kino Lorber. (Dir.: E.A. Dupont, United Kingdom, 1929, 92 min., 35mm, silent)
(Image Credit: Photofest)
Cost
Free
