This film is Anna May Wong's triumph, but it's worth looking at for the qualities and themes that interested Arnold Bennett. There are quite a few: Bennett's interest in- and relish for- ambition, success, work, rising through the class structure, material pleasure comes over strongly. Indeed, in many ways these are more strongly emphasised than the racial elements. Shosho is just as firmly placed as working-class as Chinese. When she succeeds she becomes "Miss Shosho", not "Shosho"- in fact it is only through success that she can "become" Chinese. When we first see her she is drably and conventionally dressed, with laddered stockings and her body and hands are awkwardly carried; she lives in a squalid room; when she has succeeded she can decorate her flat with Chinoiserie. I would not be surprised if the character of Shosho was not Chinese in the original script but was adapted to suit Anna May Wong. There is only one scene where the racial elements are emphasised- where a black man and a white woman are thrown out of a pub for dancing together- and the scene's sympathy is with the couple, not "morality". Equally, Shosho's relationship with Jim makes it plain that he is important in her success as well as a strong personality in his own right. Valentine too is shown as someone who has worked for his success- the first half hour of the film places him in the club he has "made"; he first encounters Shosho after a complaint from Charles Laughton as the customer from hell which he deals with ruthlessly by firing Shosho from the scullery. Valentine's two sexual relationships are with women he has created. The dancing is disappointing- Vic and Mabel are skilled enough, but we don't believe they are the toast of London and Shosho's dance is no more convincing as an astonishing and fascinating contrast, but if we suspend disbelief here it's worth doing so. The direction is well-done with skilled and delicate touches of characterisation and placing and the camera-work is good with virtuoso flourishes on the dance floor and the film ends with another touch of Bennett- sandwich-men carrying placards for a show called "Life Goes On" past a newspaper with details of Shosho's and Jim's deaths.
Review of Piccadilly
