Film
Anna May Wong – Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life and Legend
Cert:(adv PG)
Dir. Elaine Mae Woo
USA , 50 mins, 2009
Cast: Documentary with Kevin Brownlow, Leonard Maltin, Nancy Kwan. Narrated by Nancy Kwan
This film is screening with
Piccadilly.
We will be joined by writer/director Elaine Mae Woo for this double-bill screening.
They called her “The Yellow Wonder”. The daughter of a Chinese laundryman Anna May Wong (1905-61) was a pioneering actress during the embryonic (and deeply racist) years of Hollywood, Despite early success in 1921’s The Toll of the Sea, Wong ricocheted around Hollywood seeking to make a break into movies. Her exotic looks ensured she was never short of work but all too often Wong was relegated to playing servant girls or sundry ethnic support – Indians, Eskimos, Polynesians – whilst white actresses were employed by the studios in key oriental roles. Leading roles were denied her until 1928 when, aged 23, she broke through as Song in the German film of the same name. Over a career spanning 40 years Wong (real name Wong Liu Tsong, or Frosted Yellow Willows) broke down barriers, becoming the first global Chinese/American star. From silents through talkies to TV and beyond, she struggled to be more than just the stereotypical dragon lady of screen villainy.
Print source: Woo Neiman Productions
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