Review of The Bitter Tea of General Yen

For a 1932 film, THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN has the mental acuity and moral looseness of the 1990s. But for glitchy and occasionally hazy B&W photography it has the feel of a modern film and in fact it must have raised many eyebrows in its day: the thought of a white woman having sexual fantasies about a Chinese man cannot have gone down easily with Western audiences in the 30s. Asther has a commanding performance as Gen. Yen even if his makeup is unconvincing; and in spite of her dark desires Stanwyck has the moral fortitude that any man would fall for, even if she is not your conventional beauty.

Direction is superb and photography first class. Strongly recommended.