"Mr. Wu" is yet another classic performance from the legendary Lon Chaney. In it he plays both the title character and his aged grandfather.
The aging Mr. Wu (Chaney) engages Mr. Muir (Claude King) to tutor his young son (Sonny Loy)in the ways of the western civilizations in preparation for his eventual ascension as the mandarin Wu. In an interesting moment the elder Wu is informed that his son's future bride has just been born. This is an important plot point as we will see later.
Fast forward to the younger Wu's (Chaney again) marriage as the elder Wu readies to meet his ancestors. Fast forward again to the death in child birth of Wu's young wife who has borne him a daughter. The daughter grows up to be Nang Ping (Renee Adoree) the apple of Mr. Wu's eye whom he plans to wed to another mandarin in accordance with Chinese tradition.
One day while frolicking in her lotus garden, Nang Ping meets a young European Basil Gregory (Ralph Forbes) and they fall in love. Although the word "pregnancy" is not specifically mentioned, there is no doubt what Nan Ping is whispering in Basil's ear. When Mr. Wu is informed of this forbidden liaison, we begin to see his darker side.
First, he slays the messenger who brought him the news and then prepares to follow his ancient laws in dealing with the situation. Next he plots his revenge on Basil's family, his bigoted father (Holmes Herbert), his domineering mother (Louise Dresser) and his sister (Gertrude Olmstead).
Again Chaney becomes the character(s) he plays. His depiction of the grandfather is reminiscent of his Yen Sin in "Shadows" (1921). He becomes the aging mandarin all bent over and wrinkled up in an amazing transformation. His younger Wu is the stern yet loving mandarin with those signature Chaney facial expressions. He is able to project kindness, sternness, anger, tragedy and sadistic pleasure all with his face.
Louise Dresser almost steals the movie as Mrs. Gregory as she is forced to make a life altering decision by Wu. I thought that Renee Adoree looked a little plump and suffered in comparison to the beauty of her friend and companion Loo Sung (Anna May Wong). And where was Mr. Gregory during the film's climatic scenes?
Although "Mr. Wu" is not usually counted among Lon Chaney's greatest films, it is nonetheless a riveting 90 minutes of entertainment.
The aging Mr. Wu (Chaney) engages Mr. Muir (Claude King) to tutor his young son (Sonny Loy)in the ways of the western civilizations in preparation for his eventual ascension as the mandarin Wu. In an interesting moment the elder Wu is informed that his son's future bride has just been born. This is an important plot point as we will see later.
Fast forward to the younger Wu's (Chaney again) marriage as the elder Wu readies to meet his ancestors. Fast forward again to the death in child birth of Wu's young wife who has borne him a daughter. The daughter grows up to be Nang Ping (Renee Adoree) the apple of Mr. Wu's eye whom he plans to wed to another mandarin in accordance with Chinese tradition.
One day while frolicking in her lotus garden, Nang Ping meets a young European Basil Gregory (Ralph Forbes) and they fall in love. Although the word "pregnancy" is not specifically mentioned, there is no doubt what Nan Ping is whispering in Basil's ear. When Mr. Wu is informed of this forbidden liaison, we begin to see his darker side.
First, he slays the messenger who brought him the news and then prepares to follow his ancient laws in dealing with the situation. Next he plots his revenge on Basil's family, his bigoted father (Holmes Herbert), his domineering mother (Louise Dresser) and his sister (Gertrude Olmstead).
Again Chaney becomes the character(s) he plays. His depiction of the grandfather is reminiscent of his Yen Sin in "Shadows" (1921). He becomes the aging mandarin all bent over and wrinkled up in an amazing transformation. His younger Wu is the stern yet loving mandarin with those signature Chaney facial expressions. He is able to project kindness, sternness, anger, tragedy and sadistic pleasure all with his face.
Louise Dresser almost steals the movie as Mrs. Gregory as she is forced to make a life altering decision by Wu. I thought that Renee Adoree looked a little plump and suffered in comparison to the beauty of her friend and companion Loo Sung (Anna May Wong). And where was Mr. Gregory during the film's climatic scenes?
Although "Mr. Wu" is not usually counted among Lon Chaney's greatest films, it is nonetheless a riveting 90 minutes of entertainment.