Page

The Bitter Tea of General Yen

Watch trailer

00:48

The Bitter Tea of General Yen

Save

Summary

Drama starring Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther. An American woman travels to war-ridden China, but becomes captivated by the mysterious warlord General Yen.

Ad

Powered By

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Tony Sloman

A genuinely exotic oddity, superbly performed by stars Barbara Stanwyck and the Swedish actor Nils Asther, and magnificently directed by a young Frank Capra. The first film ever to play the famous Radio City Music Hall, New York, this deeply sensuous movie was banned throughout the UK and the Commonwealth for dealing so blatantly with the taboo subject of miscegenation. Stanwyck is magnificent, and the final close-up of her face deserves to be as well-known in cinema annals as the similar shot of Garbo at the end of Queen Christina. There's brilliant editing (by Edward Curtiss) at work here, too, notably a classically cut dialogue scene between Stanwyck and Walter Connolly, in an early screen role. Sensual and disturbing, this film is a revelation to those who know its director only as a purveyor of "Capra-corn".

imdb-square

6.9/10

How to watch

Loading

Credits

Cast

rolenameMegan DavisBarbara StanwyckGeneral YenNils AstherDr Robert StrikeGavin GordonMr JacksonLucien LittlefieldMah-LiToshia MoriCaptain LiRichard LooMrs JacksonClara BlandickJonesWalter ConnollyDr LinMoy MingReverend BostwickRobert WayneDr HansenKnute EricksonMrs HansenElla HallMr PettisArthur MilletteMiss ReedHelen Jerome EddyMiss AveryMartha Mattox

Show more

Crew

rolenameDirectorFrank Capra

Details

Theatrical distributor

United Artists Corp. Ltd

Released on

1933-05-22

Languages

English | French

Available on

video

Formats

Black and white

Ad

Ad

Ad