Elisa
2Mar12
Indeed.
Wall
Displaying all 7 wall posts
Trolley Freak
17Jan13
There's no corn from Capra in this extraordinary slice of pre-Hays Code exotica, an atypical melodrama for a director famed for championing the common man. The story of a missionary kidnapped by a Chinese warlord is graced by lovely production design and cinematography and resembles the movies von Sternberg was making with Dietrich over at Paramount at the same time. And Babs, of course, is her usual wonderful self..
wolfmansRazor
31May12
Whoa! Who knew Capra could direct with this kind of Sternbergian erotic intensity? The film powerfully captures Americans' simultaneous fascination and revulsion with the Orient. This theme is most purely and forcefully conveyed by that astonishing dream sequence - the Chinese as Nosferatu / the Chinese as Zorro.
Shamus- likes this
Electrus Amadeus Magnus
31May11
I prefer Sayonara (1957), Anna and the King of Siam (1946) and The King and I (1956).
Dave
29May11
It has to be the most overlooked and underrated film in Capra's entire body of work. It seems to be completely forgotten but it is the near top of my list of Capra favorites. Great storytelling and the film has a great look.
Elisa likes this
Andre
18Dec10
"There isn’t a General Yen or Megan Davis, but just you and me." The most complex movie of Capra and a magnificent film that is flying under the radar. Starts as american idealism against chinese pragmatism (“This fool prefers civil war to the loving arms of his bride.”) but develops into a love-in- spite-of-prejudice story that is hard to forget.
groaningbitch and 3 others like this
Pri Lima
10Aug10
What a marvelous,daring,dark and intringuin drama.A movie to watch again and again and always feel how astonishing it is.I loved every thing and every second:The chinese cenarios,the double crossing concubine.Nils Ashter,the renegade,that daring Barbara and those beautiful last lines of the Renegade.
groaningbitch and Elisa like this