ANNA MAY WONG, JAMESON THOMAS and GILDA GRAY are at the center of a love triangle in PICCADILLY, a silent film that is much more modern in style than most films of the period. The tempo is a bit faster paced than usual (although there are still spots that drag), and the character relationships are not explored fully, which makes the ending rather ambiguous when the murderer turns out to be a character never fully defined.
But somehow these murky elements don't effect the overall power of the storytelling here. It starts briskly with some quick views of the Piccadilly area of London at night (tinted blue) accompanied by a perky score that is sometimes a bit too busy throughout. After the credits it switches to sepia for much of the story involving a nightclub act by GILDA GRAY and CYRIL RITCHARD that is disbanded when manager JAMESON THOMAS discharges Ritchard who is becoming too attached to his dancing partner. Thomas then happens to spy ANNA MAY WONG giving an impromptu dance before her co-workers in the galley and decides to hire her as a dance specialty, much to the dismay of Gilda Gray.
Wong performs an erotic dance in gilded Chinese costume in an extraordinarily well photographed scene which is met with audience approval and this sets up the jealousy angle between Wong and Gray. In the meantime, we catch the furtive glances of a Chinese man who assists Anna's act and seems intent on throwing dagger-like glances at the manager whom he knows is entering into a romantic relationship with her.
The end result is a crime of passion that is handled with some subtlety by director Arnold Bennett. There's an almost Agatha Christie touch to the courtroom ending which has a plot twist for a final surprise.
As others have said, this is indeed a "hidden treasure" among the silent screen films and is really worth watching unless silent films are not your thing at all. The background score is a bit too busy at times but it does help to set the mood for many of the club scenes.
But somehow these murky elements don't effect the overall power of the storytelling here. It starts briskly with some quick views of the Piccadilly area of London at night (tinted blue) accompanied by a perky score that is sometimes a bit too busy throughout. After the credits it switches to sepia for much of the story involving a nightclub act by GILDA GRAY and CYRIL RITCHARD that is disbanded when manager JAMESON THOMAS discharges Ritchard who is becoming too attached to his dancing partner. Thomas then happens to spy ANNA MAY WONG giving an impromptu dance before her co-workers in the galley and decides to hire her as a dance specialty, much to the dismay of Gilda Gray.
Wong performs an erotic dance in gilded Chinese costume in an extraordinarily well photographed scene which is met with audience approval and this sets up the jealousy angle between Wong and Gray. In the meantime, we catch the furtive glances of a Chinese man who assists Anna's act and seems intent on throwing dagger-like glances at the manager whom he knows is entering into a romantic relationship with her.
The end result is a crime of passion that is handled with some subtlety by director Arnold Bennett. There's an almost Agatha Christie touch to the courtroom ending which has a plot twist for a final surprise.
As others have said, this is indeed a "hidden treasure" among the silent screen films and is really worth watching unless silent films are not your thing at all. The background score is a bit too busy at times but it does help to set the mood for many of the club scenes.