The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932) User Reviews

pre-Code and pre-typical Capra

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 8 April 2012]

Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther star in "The Bitter Tea of General Yen," a 1933 film also starring Walter Connelly and Toshia Mori.

Stanwyck plays missionary Megan Davis who comes to China during their civil war in order to marry another missionary, Dr. Strike (Gavin Gordon). Before they can be married, they have to save orphans left in an orphanage some distance from Snanghai. While there, the couple get separated, and Megan ends up a guest of a General Yen, whom she had actually met earlier. She also meets his mistress, Mah-Li (Mori), with whom she becomes close. General Yen is attracted to Megan, and she to him -- both attracted and repelled -- and when Mah-Li is accused of selling secrets to the enemy, Megan begs that her life be spared.

This is such an unusual film for Frank Capra, and such an unusual film, period. It was banned in England because of miscegenation, even though the main characters are actually played by white people, Nils Asther being Swedish. This is precode, and the Hayes code really clamped down in the U.S. Anna May Wong was problematic casting for The Good Earth and Dragon Seed, and therefore wasn't cast, because she could not appear opposite a white man. Featuring an interracial couple, even if they were playing the same race, likely would mean the movie would be rejected by many theater chains in regions in which anti-Asian prejudice was particularly severe. The new Motion Picture Production Code of 1934, pandering to segregationists, forbade filmmakers from portraying miscegenation in a positive light. Casting a Chinese-American opposite a Caucasian might be construed as promoting miscegenation.

The film is very atmospheric, sexually charged, and beautifully acted by the leads. It was particularly a tour de force for Asther, though his career eventually fizzled. Walter Connelly plays a different kind of character, a tough American siding with General Yen.

Well worth seeing for its place in history as well as for Stanwyck and Asther.

The Theme Was Way Ahead of Its Time

[romanorum1 · 8/10 · 4 November 2013]

After the collapse of the Monarchy of China – the Manchu Dynasty in 1912 – various warlords with their private armies and areas of control were temporarily dominant. So in the film's beginning we are introduced to the chaos in Chinese cities that resulted from intense fighting between factions.

During a powerful rainstorm, Megan Davis (Barbara Stanwyck) meets General Yen (Nils Asther) briefly after her rickshaw driver is run down by his automobile. Miss Davis is on her way to a marriage with a Protestant churchman, Dr. Robert Strike (Gavin Gordon), in Shanghai. But Bob finds out that there are children to be rescued at St. Andrew's Orphanage in Chapei. At the reception the minister demonstrates his priorities; he tells Megan that he wants to briefly delay the marriage and work quickly to save the children. They travel to General Yen's HQ to get the necessary travel pass to Chapei. Yen thinks that Bob is stupid to defer his marriage to an attractive woman, and thus gives him a worthless document that mocks Bob. Thus Bob and Megan have difficulty in removing the orphaned Asian and Caucasian children. In the chaos and fighting they become separated, but Megan gets rescued by Yen, who places her in a bedroom on his troop train. Later, while asleep in his palace, she is awakened by a firing squad; the general is eliminating his enemies. As Megan is horrified, Yen philosophizes that it is better to die quickly then slowly starve to death, as he has no rice to feed his prisoners. Out of deference to Megan he has the surviving prisoners moved, but only to be executed out of earshot. Megan calls him a "yellow swine." Yen's reaction is passive. In conversation with his financial adviser Jones (Walter Connolly), Yen says he plans on keeping Megan in custody. When Jones responds that she is white, Yen replies, "That's all right. I have no prejudice against her color." Jones retorts, "Well, it's no skin off my nose."

While in custody Megan tries to bribe Yen's concubine Mah-Li (Toshia Mori) to get a message to Bob. But Mah-Li is treacherous: She takes Megan's payment (a ring) but hides the message. Before the half-way mark of the movie there is a fascinating dream sequence. In it Yen is a Chinese caricature-monster who breaks down Megan's bedroom door to get at her. But she is rescued by a masked man who knocks the monster out flat. When she unmasks her hero, she discovers that it is … Yen the rescuer! They kiss and caress as Megan is awakened by Yen dressed in traditional Chinese clothing. Skeptical of missionaries, Yen asks her if she knows anything of Chinese artistic culture: poetry, music, painting. Of course she knows nothing as she has only been in China for a few days. The general reminds her to accept his dinner invitation (Megan rejected previous ones). Meanwhile Megan has noticed that Mah-Li is courted by Chinese Captain Li (Richard Loo), Yen's aide. At dinner, Jones talks too much. A war profiteer, he has been a master at gaining money from the provincials for the general at no small profit for himself. That does not matter to Yen, as long as the goals of the two men are congruent. Meanwhile Yen removes Mah-Li's jade bracelets and rings and presents them to Megan, who refuses them. Although they are forced upon her, Megan returns them to Mah-Li, who Yen has discovered has been betraying military secrets to his enemies. Megan successfully pleads for Mah-Li's life but by doing so becomes Yen's willful hostage.

But Mah-Li is habitually disloyal. There is a short but thrilling action scene when two trains are parked parallel. A signal is made, and a company of soldiers hiding in the gondola car of one open fire at the other (Yen's money train). The shots are returned, but Yen's forces are overcome as his enemies drive the train away. Mah-Li has again betrayed Yen to his enemy (General Feng) and has duped Megan. Without money, Yen's soldiers begin deserting him; his spacious palace becomes empty. More than fifteen minutes of movie time is focused on the pragmatic general's last day. With hope lost, Yen has to drink the bitter tea, but he dies in the arms of Megan. Megan and Jones sail back to Shanghai.

Nils Asther, the only non-Asian to play an oriental in this film, has a tremendously strong screen presence. As General Yen, he plays his role with dignity and intelligence, and is mannerly. Barbara Stanwyck was usually good ("Stella Dallas," "Double Indemnity," "Walk on the Wild Side," "The Big Valley"). Toshia Mori, a Japanese-American, played her Chinese character well. She had some movie roles in the 1920s and 1930s. Walter Connolly as Jones is a sufficient oily profiteer who cares only for his master: money!

Frank Capra, one of America's greatest directors, is noted for well- crafted movies and impeccable set designs (note Yen's palace), even with lower budgets. He was masterful in visual geometry and at using light and shadow for setting mood. Capra's gifts extended to action sets and character development. Although a Sicilian immigrant, he lived the American dream, and thus his successful movies often focused on idealistic Americana. Three times Columbia's great director won an Academy Award for Best Movie in the 1930s; in 1939 he was chosen the top Hollywood director by Time Magazine. It was only after World War II when a deflated public became skeptical, and so his "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) was not initially appreciated. In time Capra's genius was again recognized, and that movie is now a perennial Christmas classic for new generations. Capra directed the best actors and actresses of his time, including Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, Spencer Tracy, Claude Rains, Walter Brennan, Walter Huston, Claudette Colbert, Loretta Young, Jean Arthur, Katherine Hepburn, Donna Reed, and Eleanor Parker.

The Chaos Of Kuomintang China

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 14 December 2009]

Following in the same path as Paramount classics, Shanghai Express and The General Died at Dawn, The Bitter Tea Of General Yen is a remarkable film about the chaos that was Kuomintang China. And it had a theme about interracial love that was years ahead of its time. Albeit though it was a love unresolved.

Barbara Stanwyck plays a missionary newly arrived from the USA with the hope of marrying missionary doctor Gavin Gordon. While trying to get some missionary orphans out of the way of war, she falls into the hands of Nils Asther playing the title role.

Unlike Warner Oland in Shanghai Express or Akim Tamiroff in The General Died At Dawn, Asther is an intelligent and articulate man who expresses the Chinese view of life better than was seen on film until Curt Jurgens in The Inn Of Sixth Happiness. He also dares to love the white missionary, but she's otherwise taken with Gavin Gordon. Nevertheless Barbara finds a lot that's intriguing about Asther.

There is a less than flattering view of the white people here, but not the usual criminal lowlifes who profit from war in China. It's the missionaries here with a sense of superior culture that comes in for criticism. Highly unusual and way ahead of its time for a movie theme. In fact Walter Connolly who works for Asther in procuring arms for his troops is a far better observer of the Oriental mind than any of the missionary people.

There is a subplot in The Bitter Tea Of General Yen very similar to The King And I. One of Asther's many concubines is Toshia Mori who really loves one of his officers, Richard Loo. Asther reacts the same way Yul Brynner did when Tuptim found him so non-appealing, a question of vanity and pride more than of the heart.

The interracial theme and the ideas way ahead of their time did not augur well for The Bitter Tea Of General Yen. I think it can be better appreciated by today's audience than the audience of 1933.

Triumph For Nils Asther

[GManfred · 10 June 2013]

This picture is on TV pretty often, so often that I usually miss it. The title sounds uninviting, like a dull movie about a tea plantation. Then I saw it on a big screen last month at a film festival and I was astonished. I was especially astonished by Nils Asther's portrayal of the General, and I'm not sure I've seen him in anything else. It was a hypnotic performance, as good a job of acting as has ever been put on the Silver Screen. The film was early Stanwyck but she was as good as ever and, coupled with Asther, they worked magic.

The picture has been reviewed about 50 times now and everyone recaps the plot. It's enough to say it is possibly Capra's best effort. I thought the pace of the film compared to "Lost Horizon", the action and energy of the opening scenes and then the placid unfolding of the main story, which in both cases turns out to be a love story - and then the knockout ending. Also noteworthy are the spectacular sets and the shimmering, immaculate photography. I saw it at Cinevent, Columbus, O., 5/13.

Surprisingly good pre-code film about interracial desire

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 4 June 2012]

This was clearly a rather high budget film for 1933, and interestingly was the first film shown at the new Radio City Music Hall. Directed by Frank Capra, it is a pre-code film, so there are some risqué scenes...well done. Its main distinction, however, is that it was one of the first movies to deal with interracial sexual attraction. Unfortunately, it was before its time...it was a box office failure, although in recent years it has been uniformly praised.

Barbara Stanwyck and Gavin Gordon (a missionary) are preparing to marry in China. But, the Chinese Civil War intervenes when they rush off, just before their wedding, to rescue some orphans. They become separated (great crowd scenes) and Stanwyck is rescued...or is it kidnapped...by warlord General Yen (Nils Asther, a European actor). Stanwyck awakens to find herself in Yen's sumptuous summer palace. She witnesses a mass execution ordered by Yen, writes letters to her fiancé that are never delivered, and because she is thought to be dead, he holds her against her will...well, sort of, because she has erotic dreams about General Yen (wonderfully creative fantasy sequence). Stanwyck meets Yen's financial adviser -- American Walter Connolly. It turns out, however, that the general's concubine is actually a spy, and she is sentenced to death. Stanwyck pleads for her life, and Yen agrees to spare her in order to keep Stanwyck. The general's army deserts him, but Stanwyck goes to him willingly as Yen prepares to drink poisoned tea (hence the title). And, what happens??? You'll have to watch the film to find out. It's simply too stunning to tell you.

There are 3 primary actors of interest here. The primary star is Barbara Stanwyck, who is superb. I've recently watched several of her early films, and I have been very impressed. Although I had heard the name, I was not familiar with Nils Asther, and after watching him here, where he successfully plays an Asian man, I hope to see more of his work. Walter Connolly -- Yen's Western adviser -- usually plays comedies, but this is a serious role for him, and he plays it very well.

Highly recommended, and you may even want it on your DVD shelf.

I was amazed by the sexual chemistry

[Pat-54 · 7/10 · 22 January 1999]

This film was made before Hollywood strengthened the censorship code. The sexual chemistry between Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther really amazed me! Director Frank Capra filled his story with strong overtones and suggestive dialogue. Very entertaining.

a Frank Capra's absorbing tale of interracial tension, if not outright romance, in China

[Quinoa1984 · 9/10 · 26 January 2009]

Frank Capra made a sort of "little" film in 1933, little in that it starred then up-and-coming Barbara Stanwyck (the future iconic star of Double Indemnity and The Furies had only been in a few films before) and that it dealt with a topic that was very touchy to attempt for in 1933; only Griffith before had tried to deal with some kind of interracial bonding and/or sexual tension between white and Chinese people on screen, at least to my knowledge. What ended up working in favor for Capra with his story, and what makes it still work today still despite the creaky bits of racist dialog (i.e. "China-man" is repeated throughout by the supposedly tolerant missionary Megan Davis), is the script. This has excellent dialog and a potent message about trying to make a difference, to make some sort of change where things are, perhaps in simplification (hey, it's Capra), about the same as they've been for 2,000 years.

It's a message that infers some tendencies to prejudices on both sides, of the white well-educated woman who sees to do good wherever she can and the stalwart General who will try to impress and act cordial around the lady but mostly because he wants to have his way- which may be with her. The story itself sounds kind of typical, probably because by today's standards it is: Megan Davis has just come to China to do missionary work but is caught in the midst of a bad civil war going on, and after a tumultuous battle she gets caught up in in the streets and is knocked out is taken into the 'care' of General Yen (Nils Asther, no, not Chinese apparently but does so good a job as to not notice *too* much). She cannot leave his custody at his palace because of the battling blocking up the train tracks, and has to stick tight... in the span of a week she tries to spare a life of a spy and almost falls for Yen, or maybe more than almost.

It's actually the one complicated and really exacting thing in this production is seeing Asther and Stanwyck on screen. I'm not sure if the latter gave quite a great performance, but for what she's given she elevates it into a stern-faced but kind-hearted portrayal of a woman caught in an untenable situation, and Asther gives as good as he can by bypassing the obvious pit-fall of stereotyping by making Yen a very human figure. He's a man of class and taste but also tradition and with that typical double-edged sword of being ruthless with slaughter and elegant in decorum and in attitude. Somehow Capra is able to garner very good work from them with a story that, in the wrong hands, could become the most ham-fisted thing on the planet.

Luckily not only is Capra uncompromising in dealing with the issues at hand both upfront and underlying in terms of race and ethnicity and just the clashing of cultures, but in technical terms with the bits of battle scenes (the shoot-out late in the film at the train station is breathtaking for 1933 and pretty good for today), and it shows a director so confident in his craft that he could be ready for better things. It might be dated... actually, it is dated. But for any and all faults, it's a picture made with surprising sensitivity and compassion for all its characters, and it doesn't stick to clichés just for the sake of it - it's a solid drama without much pretension, save for a dream sequence that's actually hallucinatory in the best way.

Brave, but lacking spark

[gbill-74877 · 6/10 · 21 March 2019]

There's a lot about this movie that was of interest to me - Frank Capra, Barbara Stanwyck, China, and a pre-Code challenge to the prevailing taboo against miscegenation. Because it pushed this boundary, I can give the film a pass for what would ordinarily bother me a lot more, the casting of white actor Nils Asther in the title role. Apparently the concept was so offensive to audiences in 1933 that the film tanked at the box office. To me the film is watchable, but suffers from a simplistic story, few supporting characters of any interest, and a lack of chemistry between Stanwyck and Asther. The highlight was the dream sequence where Stanwyck imagines General Yen breaking down the door to assault her. She's rescued by a masked man, but finds when he takes the mask off, that he's also General Yen - and the two then kiss. Unfortunately this subconscious desire doesn't lead to the spark the film needs, and while Stanwyck has a few nice moments, it plods towards an unbelievable ending.

A Tour de Force For Mr. Asther

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 28 February 2002]

A young missionary finds herself swept into a world of Oriental intrigue & power, after being ‘rescued' by a Chinese warlord.

With THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN, Columbia Pictures & director Frank Capra created a small cinematic gem. Not only does the film boast of superb production values, a first-class script & excellent performances, but it enwraps its audience in a sensual romance which rewards intelligent viewing, while offering a liberal dash of pre-Code sensibilities. Miscegenation, so soon to become absolutely taboo in Hollywood, here is made palatable & attractive, indeed, reasonable, the natural outcome of passions molded by tumultuous times.

Although billed second, Nils Asther takes acting honors in the title role. A matinee idol during silent days, Asther found it difficult to find good roles in talking pictures, hampered by his exotic looks which made him hard to cast to his advantage. But with BITTER TEA he found the role of a lifetime. Although tall & Swedish, he completely inhabits the skin of his Asian character, making the General at once believable & sympathetic. His every movement, shift of the eyes, even the way he chews his food are all part of his persona. Nearly forgotten now, Asther shows with this one performance what he was capable of achieving.

As the missionary captive, Barbara Stanwyck gives the kind of competent, skillful & engaging interpretation which she would bring to all of her roles over the course of several decades. Capra's favorite actress, the dramatic flames she lights are an intriguing counterpoint to the repressed emotions of Asther's Yen.

Loud, brash Walter Connolly, as the General's financial advisor, makes a good contrast to Asther; his plainspoken character often gives voice to what the others are thinking. Lovely Toshi Mori graces the role of the General's unfaithful concubine. A young Richard Loo is her secret lover.

Movie mavens will recognize Clara Blandick in the role of the feisty missionary hostess at the beginning of the film & Willie Fung as the rebel train engineer, both uncredited.

*****************************

While meant to be funny and introduce the plot, the opening scenes are a bit unfair to Western missionaries in China, portraying them as rather fatuous, repressed & gossipy. By in large, missionaries lived lives full of self-sacrifice & devotion. In return, not a few were rewarded with penury and an early grave. That today the ‘Underground Church' in China numbers many millions of Christian believers stands as a witness to the faithfulness of these good people.

The era of the Chinese warlord - such as General Yen in the film - was brief but colorful and extremely violent. The Qing dynasty, China's last, was overthrown in 1911 and the Republic of China was formed. Its despotic president, Yüan Shih-kai, relied more on military force than democratic principles to maintain his authority over China's vast stretches & huge population. Upon his death in 1916, the country was thrown into confusion & chaos, with numerous military officers & powerful bandit kings all using their armies to control districts and even whole provinces, constantly warring with each other amid a swirling sea of ever-changing alliances and bitter feuds. Foreign powers (Soviet Russia, Imperial Japan & Great Britain) only made matters worse by supporting various factions. It was the ordinary Chinese citizen who suffered most, with the depredations of war's brutality & the inevitable famines rained upon them. It was not until 1928, with the capture of Peking by Republican General Chiang Kai-shek, and the reunification of China, that the power of the warlords was finally broken.

Exotic and Forbidden Romance

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 25 February 2008]

The American missionary Megan Davis (Barbara Stanwyck) arrives in Shanghai during the Chinese Civil War to marry the missionary Dr. Robert Strife (Gavin Gordon). However, Robert postpones their wedding to rescue some orphans in an orphanage in Chapei section that is burning in the middle of a battlefield. While returning to Shanghai with the children, they are separated in the crowd, Megan faints but is saved by General Yen (Nils Ashter) and brought by train to his palace. Along the days, the General's mistress Mah-Li (Toshia Mori) becomes close to Megan and when she is accused of betrayal for giving classified information to the enemies, Megan asks for her life. The cruel General Yen falls in love for the naive and pure Megan and accepts her request to spare the life of Mah-Li against the will of his financial adviser Jones (Walter Connoly). Meanwhile Megan feels attracted by the powerful and gentle General Yen, but resists to his flirtation. When Mah-Li betrays General Yen and destroys his empire, Megan realizes that to be able to do good works, one has to have wisdom and decides to stay with him while the General drinks his bitter last tea.

"The Bitter Tea of General Yen" is an exotic romance about forbidden love. The movie technically is wonderful, with magnificent cinematography in black and white; a lovely twenty-five year-old Barbara Stanwyck; and great scenarios. However, the story is very racist in the present days, with the Westerns trying to change the millenarian Chinese culture and impose Christianism as if they were the owners of the truth. The situation of Megan, divided between her Christian principles and the attraction for a "barbarian of a sub-culture", is dated in the present days but absolutely acceptable in the 30's. Her sexual tension, expressed by her nightmare, is an impressive representation of her real feelings. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Último Chá do General Yen" ("The Last Tea of General Yen")

Capra made better!

[DukeEman · 5/10 · 29 January 1999]

Poor Stanwyck had to swim through a soup of dialogue that made her look like a naive virgin in distress! It was horrible. The only character I enjoyed was that of General Yen played by Swedish actor, Nils Asther, who gives us a wonderful campy performance.

Bitter Tea sweet film making by Capra

[st-shot · 8/10 · 4 July 2010]

A year before his major breakthrough film It Happened One Night director Frank Capra made this romantic tragedy that is filled with provocative topic and outstanding set design sensually photographed by master cinematographer Joseph Walker.

Megan Davis (Barbara Stanwyck) arrives in China in the middle of a civil war to marry her missionary husband Dr. Robert Strike and then work alongside him. Before they even marry they are separated during an evacuation and Davis finds herself in the hands of warlord General Yen (Nils Asther) . Yen at first mocks Davis but soon finds himself falling heavily for her.

The Bitter Tea of General Yen is filled with characters making bad decisions. Davis and Strike are nearly killed due to their naive condescension and trusting Megan is betrayed twice by her maid with huge consequence. General Yen cold and cruel as he may be also succumbs in his case to incurable romanticism. Only Jones (Walter Connolly) the arms dealer is grounded in reality to the dire situation that faces them.

Director Capra ably provides scenes of both chaos ( refugee evacuations, night battles ) and tranquility in the idyllic setting of Yen's compound palace where the General sets about seducing Megan with delicate charm while firing squads outside in the courtyard dispatch his enemy. Capra also finds time to get some satiric shots in at Western superiority and hypocrisy but it is the sexual tension between the leads that is at the center of Yen.

Megan's ambiguity is excellently conveyed by Stanwyck's actions and immature responses to the different world she finds herself. She's totally out of her element and her western ways are constantly checkmated by Yen. As Yen, Nils Asther cuts a dashing figure as the highly cultured warlord. He's cruel by occupation but sensitive in nature, especially around women as Jones informs us and it ultimately brings about his ruin. His scenes with Stanwyck resonate with cultural clash and erotic implication and Capra ups the ante even further with a Freudian dream that Megan has.

Capra went on to make more famous and bigger films but he would never approach the eroticism or cynicism that this provocative thirties work offered causing me to wonder if success took some of the edge out of him..

Lofty, overreaching tale of sexual conquest...interesting yet often baffling

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 14 December 2009]

Frank Capra (billed with his middle initial R.) directed this bizarre tale for Columbia Pictures, possibly in a bid for career prestige but instead seeming somewhat out of his element. In strife-ridden Shanghai, American girl Barbara Stanwyck arrives to work as a missionary and marry her doctor-partner, but they are separated in the midst of the political chaos and she is kidnapped by an exotic Chinese General. At the heart of this story, a nutty one by Grace Zaring Stone with a screenplay from Edward E. Paramore Jr., is the trust that develops between the powerful, apathetic war-lord and his headstrong Christian captive--a trust which eventually backfires on the General when his confidante (with unknowing assistance from the lady) double-crosses him. Stanwyck dreams of being ravished by Nils Asther (who rescues her while dressed in American garb from his Oriental 'evil' side), but we don't perceive just what the General sees in this girl. Certainly Stanwyck is lovely, grounded, and sympathetic, however her character is often exasperating and illogical. Could this high-minded woman bring down an imperious Chinese General in the middle of a brutal civil war? When the General's men are blindsided and mowed down by opposing forces, he hardly seems to care. Ah, the follies of star-crossed romance! **1/2 from ****

Racism, male chauvinism, cheapest patriotism... It's Capra!

[cuentaabsurdaparafaceboo · 1/10 · 22 July 2012]

1933 was a very good year in the history of cinema. From musicals like 42nd Street or Footlight parade to comedies like Duck Soup (Marx Brothers) or Sons of the desert (Laurel & Hardy), from King Kong to the first acting appearances of John Wayne or Cary Grant, and Billy Wider's directing debut, Mauvaise grain.

There were also great movies by Greta Garbo, Mae West, and Barbara Stanwyck, in Baby face.

Now, if you're planning to watch a 1933 movie tonight and you don't know which one to choose, you can pick any of the above, according to your mood, and you won't be disappointed.

This one here, however, is pure Capra, which always means racism, male chauvinism, simple minded Christianity and cheap American patriotism. And yes, once more, here it is.

The plot is ridiculous, as expected from this director, but it makes some sort of sense at the beginning:

In the midst of a raging war with airplanes throwing bombs and hundreds of people dying in the streets, our all White American hero gets hit on his head by... a wooden stick. Only some seconds later, we watch how her girlfriend gets hit on her head too... by another wooden stick.

The virginal missionary girl, who's wearing a transparent blouse, showing her nipples, cries like Joan of Arc and speaks of Christ, while his wicked captor, the Chinese General, well, is doing his thing, I don't know what, because I can't avoid the fact that the Chinese General, the main character, is being played by a Swedish actor with tons of cheap paint on his face.

The virtuous Christian woman calls him a 'yellow swine' and that's it, pretty much. All of the Americans survive and only some thousands of Chinese die, so everything is good.

The ending, though melodramatic, is not as bad as Capra's usual, and the movie is not that long. Those are the only 2 reasons why I won't rate it 0. Barbara Stanwyck is not at her best, but she's OK.

There's so many wonderful movies to watch in your lifetime, please don't waste your time on this.

Unique Capra film

[fsilva · 22 February 2007]

Unusual, strange, interesting, intriguing, offbeat, surreal, unique film… so atypical of Capra's acknowledged style, that one truly regrets that he never made a film of this sort afterwards in his career.

For sure, a product of the more permissive Pre-Code era (1930-1934), it couldn't have been filmed under the Production Code's strict rules; the only suggestion of miscegenation would have risen too many brows during its enforcement.

I must say, though, that I have the impression that I saw an edited or censored version of the official release, since the DVD I watched is of British origin (it's not yet available on DVD in the USA) and apparently the out-of-print VHS American edition, is 5 or 6 minutes longer. Well, it shouldn't surprise me since this film was banned in England for many years (reportedly for its miscegenation subject, a delicate matter for the British Empire in those years).

This fantastic tale of a Chinese Warlord's (Nils Asther) infatuation with an American Woman (Stanwyck), who's engaged to a missionary, is charged with sensuality, erotic imagery and sexual tension (by early 1930s standards) between the two leading players.

Asther gives an intense, credible portrayal and is simply mesmerizing as the Warlord, in spite of the fact that he was actually Swedish. Stanwyck is aptly helpless, confused and vulnerable as the heroine. It's also a pleasure to see Walter Connolly in a different role, as an amoral "entrepreneur". Toshia Mori is deliciously evil as Asther's double-crossing mistress.

This film demonstrates that the Occidentals, at least up to that time, still did not fully appreciate and understand Oriental Cultures, dismissing its people as cruel and savage.

Beautiful sets and décors.

The Title is a Dead Giveaway

[wes-connors · 7/10 · 8 March 2009]

Barbara Stanwyck (as Megan Davis) arrives in Shanghai, to marry missionary Gavin Gordon (as Bob Strike). Instead, she falls in love with a sexy Chinese warlord, Nils Asther (as General Yen), who is winds up holding her prisoner. Frank Capra's "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" isn't as offensive as it appears, on the surface; although, the story is, ultimately, unsatisfactory.

Still, it's a fine looking production, with beautiful direction and photography (Joseph Walker). Ms. Stanwyck and Mr. Asther perform their sexual attraction marvelously; their characterizations are worthy of "Best Actress" and "Best Actor" consideration. And, supporting actress Toshia Mori (as Mah-Li) makes it a passionate threesome - when the three of them share a scene, on Asther's train, every movement sizzles.

******* The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1/6/33) Frank Capra ~ Barbara Stanwyck, Nils Asther, Walter Connolly, Toshia Mori

Insightful and intelligent

[Greekguy · 7/10 · 27 April 2015]

This Capra film is wonderfully deceptive; while it delivers all the sentimentality that one expects from this director, it also gives the viewer a whole new level of pragmatism that is not usually apparent in Capra's stories.

A young woman arrives in China to marry her missionary boyfriend. However, before the wedding can take place, she finds herself instead the captive of a powerful warlord. What plays out then is a battle of two distinct world views, one based on modernism's reverence for the self-determining individual and one based on a traditional comprehension of hierarchical values, fate and the importance of continuity.

To Capra's credit, neither side of this east/west debate is shown as possessing a monopoly on truth, but there is nonetheless at the bottom of this debate a clear criticism of colonialism and western imperialism that is rare for the period.

The actors are very earnest - (Spoilers) Barbara Stanwyck convinces you first of her convictions and then of their collapse, but it is Nils Asther, Danish-born Swede playing General Yen, who is really exceptional. Walter Connolly is perfect,too, as the soulless American war profiteer who's yoked himself to General Yen's rising star.

No, it wasn't filmed on location, no, it didn't bother itself too much with cultural authenticity and yes, the actors can be hammy at times, but, as happens so often to me with these older films, I am amazed at the commitment to real issues, albeit presented in the fully developed guise of an ill-fated love story.

The General and I

[rpvanderlinden · 10/10 · 26 June 2010]

I would describe this film as sumptuous, erotic, sophisticated and emotionally complex. It is a 1933 Frank Capra film, about a love affair between a Christian missionary's fiancée and an educated Chinese warlord, a film which broke the taboo against depicting inter-racial relationships just prior to the introduction of the reactionary Hayes code in Hollywood.

As a work of film craftsmanship and artistry it is just breath-taking - starting with the initial scenes of chaos in the midst of a bombing raid where Megan Davis (Barbara Stanwyk) makes her first impression on General Yen through a small act of kindness. The crowd scenes are masterfully directed and the photography positively glows. Later on, watch the superimposition of images as they gradually hover around Megan's face, suggesting a dream state. Then, in the train compartment, the three main characters are assembled - Megan, General Yen, and Yen's concubine, Mah-Li. Without a word being spoken the camera prowls among the three characters catching every little nuance of the eyes and body language as they react to one another. It is very intimate - almost uncomfortably so - and very dramatic. There is a dream sequence of Megan's later in the film, too. I will not spoil it for you, but it is provocative and jaw-dropping, and it must have caused gasps in the audience back in 1933.

The film is somewhat a psychological dance among the main characters. None of them is quite who they seem to be or even who they think they are. As General Yen's fortunes decline Megan's dearly held Christian beliefs seem overwhelmed by a tragic set of events that she has no control over but which she is inexorably a part of. Even when she is compelled to bargain for the Christian ideal of mercy, Yen is stung, fearing he is being "taken" by a missionary type, while loving said missionary type so passionately. Nils Asther's performance as Yen is, at this point, heartbreaking.

It has been commented that several Chinese in the Christian household at the beginning of the film appear in shadow and are depicted as sinister. That is not my take on it at all. If anything, this film is anti-racist .Those Chinese servants in shadows are depicted as being practically invisible to the whites at the party - people you snap your fingers at if you want an hors-d'oeuvre or the piano played. David Lean did something similar in "A Passage to India" decades later. Toshia Mori, as Mah-Li, plays a fully-developed character, and adds considerable weight to the authenticity of the movie. Oh, and Walter Connolly, as the resident white scumbag, fatuous as he may sound, delivers a lot of wisdom and expert postulating, particularly at the end. He's a one-man Greek chorus.

Highly romantic

[evening1 · 6/10 · 24 February 2020]

In this pre-code love story, we have the taboo attraction between a white woman and a Chinese man. Yet its most passionate sequence transpires in a dream, when the couple share a kiss.

Much of the romance in this movie is just hinted at and seems slightly out of reach, as Megan (Barbara Stanwyck), who is engaged to a missionary, wrestles with a passion for Gen. Yen (Nils Asther) that she doesn't want to admit to him or herself.

The headliners' performances are strong, and they play out against the backdrop of the Chinese Civil War, amidst fleeing throngs of refugees, firing squads, and deadly gunfire battles in the night.

The scenes between Ms. Stanwyck and Asther are rich with emotion, though few words are exchanged. When Yen does speak, his words are pointedly meaningful.

"Do you think that General Yen could accept anything that you could not freely give?" he asks, rejecting Megan's fear that he could take her by force. "You are afraid of death as you are of life!"

The final scene between Yen and Megan is stunning, as Megan adopts the mannerisms of a concubine and Yen briefly considers life without his fortune or followers. His suicide is surely one of the most elegant on film!

One shares Megan's bemusement in the movie's last few frames. One is left with the impression that the movie means a lot -- exactly what, however, is not clear at all!

Interesting pre code drama

[jjnxn-1 · 8/10 · 10 May 2013]

Obviously a pre-code film since the subject of attraction between a white woman and an Asian man would be a taboo one for many years once the production code went into effect just after this film was released. Capra creates a mood piece with some compelling and strange imagery helped greatly by the excellent performances of the stars. The film is driven by Barbara Stanwyck, Capra's favorite leading lady and here it is easy to see why, she always delivered intense real work. Nils Asther is all but forgotten today but he really registers with a multifaceted performance. Considering the times in which it was made there may be portrayals which jar a modern viewer but if you are willing to take that into account this is quite an unusual picture.

Money no safe here! Chop! Chop! take to other place!

[sol-kay · 7/10 · 2 December 2010]

***SPOILERS*** Forbidden and eventually tragic love affair between the beautiful American missionary Magen Davis, Barbara Stanwych, and the brutal bandit General Yen, Nils Asther, that wasn't meant, according to the popular opinions of that time, to be yet still against all odds happened!

Magen going to war-torn China to work with her fiancée Dr. Robert "Bob"Strike, Gavin Gordon, in Shanghai is separated from him during a pitched gun battle between General Yen's man and those rebel forces out to get him. Finding herself in General Yen's magnificent summer palace Magen is shocked to find out that the General is having around the clock executions of the enemy prisoner that his men had captured. This the General tells Magen is because it's better for them, those gunned down, to be shot then starve to death because of lack of rice or food supplies in the province that he's the Lord and Master of.

In no time at all the General makes a play for Magen only to have her reject him because of his non-Christian values. Not taking no for an answer the General keeps on pushing in order to get Magen to be his woman even though her values are the exact opposite of his. It's when the General has his unfaithful concubine the beautiful Mah-Li, Toshia Morti, slated to be executed for treason that Magen reluctantly gives into his demands and offers herself up as insurance to keep Mah-Li from being shot at sunrise. It's in fact the very ungrateful Mah-Li who together with her boyfriend the General's right-hand man Captain Li, Richard Loo, who gets the very naive Magen to send important information to the General's enemies in where he's been keeping the money, 6 million in gold coins, to pay off his men. This leads to the Chinese rebels to attack the General's secret money train and run off with the cash that leads all his solders to desert him and leave him open to a major rebel assault on his summer palace!

***SPOILERS*** With nowhere to go and even his most faithful servants deserting him the General finally sees the light in what Magen had been trying to open his eyes to the entire time she was with him in is palace! That being the low life and murderous swine that he is doesn't make people like him at all. In fact it will make them turn on him the first chance that they get and send him back to join his ancestors in the other world! With a very Chistian and forgiving Magen now finally at his side, when everyone else deserted him, the General does the only right and proper thing left to him to do. The now seeing the light General checks out for good with a sip, that's all it took, of the witches brew that he cooked up for himself! As for Magen she together with the General's American financial adviser Jones, Walter Connolly, sails back to the safety of the European colony of Shanghai knowing that the General is in a far better place, by repenting his sins, then what was is store for him if his enemies ever got a hold of him!

P.S The film "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" was the very first film to be premiered at the then brand new and spacious Radio City Msic Hall back in January 1933. It also made a lot of people unhappy especially Orientals in how it directed Chinese values in that life was the cheapest thing in that country. It also outraged many Americans and Europeans in having an interracial affair between an uncivilized Oriental tyrant and white Christian woman which had the film put on the shelf, shortly after its release to the public, for more then 50 years. It wasn't until the 1980's that it was finally made available to the public on video tape, with some scenes cut out, when its message was no longer all that controversial.

Funny. Tea Taste Like Almond.

[rmax304823 · 4/10 · 21 March 2012]

It was directed by Frank Capra and stars Barbara Stanwyck in her pretty, vulnerable youth, but it comes out as a sluggish and uninspired romantic melodrama.

Stanwyck is a missionary who is waylaid and sequestered in Shanghai by the local warlord, Nils Asther, in the most grotesque Oriental make up known to man or beast. He courts her with presents and poetry, but Stanwyck has seen him execute some prisoners of a rival warlord and, although she's attracted by his courtly manners, she's repelled by the brutality he tells her is necessary to the safety of his province.

The decor is echt-Hollywood. So are the costumes, which are about one hundred years out of date. The plot is only half that age.

In 1932, China was in fact ruled by warlords but they'd been organized into two rival armies -- the Nationalists under Chang Kai Shek and the Communists under Mao Tse Tung. The Communists had been largely driven out and taken refuge in a northern province. The two armies were later to loosely reunite to fight Japanese incursions before returning to the fighting that had been suspended. Chang lost.

Stanwyck should have been able to contact her Consulate one way or another. Shanghai, like Hong Kong, was a European enclave and a sophisticated port city. It is gradually reverting to type.

But none of that has to do with the story, which has to do with love, greed, power, and treachery. Richard Loo appears as Captain Li, the palace tattle-tale. Buffs will recognize him as the sneaky enemy in various movies about World War II and Korea. He can't make up for Nils Asther.

It's probably Capra's most innovative movie as far as technique is concerned. There is a weird dream sequence in which Asther batters his way into her locked room and is about to ravish her with his inch-long fingernails, about as attractive a prospect has being ravished by the aged Howard Hughes with HIS Mandarin fingernails. Freud said that all dreams were a form of wish fulfillment. If that's true, Stanwyck is pretty perverse, especially for a missionary.

"Changing a leopard's spots"

[Steffi_P · 8/10 · 15 June 2011]

Frank Capra, good director as he was, was ruthless in his ambition and self-promotion. He began, rather clumsily, as a showy visual director. He quickly realised however that he would get more kudos by refining and restraining his technique. By 1933, he had gained a substantial reputation and enough weight at Columbia studios to push for his own projects. He decided what he would like next was an Academy Award, and thus plumped for this sweeping love story set in foreign climes, conspicuously lavish and action-filled in the cash-strapped early 30s, especially by the standards of "poverty row" studio Columbia. Surely, he no doubt thought, this would strike Oscar gold.

Carpa chose for his star the rising and now very bankable Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck's greatest asset it seems was her ability to show great emotion, even fiery rage, without once slipping into hammy hysterics. She is all cool passion, and it is very effective here. Nils Asther, in the title role, is very good too. He is a little theatrical and stylised in his gesture and mannerisms, but like Stanwyck he is calm and restrained, and certainly resists any temptation to turn the Mandarin general into a crude stereotype. And yet he is full of character. There's one great moment, where he stuffs an unwanted cigarette into the mouth of a guard without even looking round, as casually as if the man was an ashtray. Importantly, Stanwyck and Asther have great chemistry, and the performances all round are very fine.

Carpa himself is obviously trying hard to load the picture with style and atmosphere, with moody lighting and a roving camera. One of his best techniques seems to have been perfected here, and that is his one of having the camera amidst a group of people like an imaginary extra person on the set. A really excellent example of this is in the first scene where the pastor makes his speech. The camera stays fixed, while a number of other silhouetted figures stop to listen. This has the dual function of making us feel like we are part of this community, and of drawing attention to the man and his words. The shot is punctuated by a neat whip pan into a close-up of a Chinese man's face. There is a feeling however that Capra is trying to turn every moment into a climax, and pretty soon the exquisite shot compositions and endless whip pans start to dull in effect. The dream sequence in particular could have been a little less heavy-handed.

All in all, Capra has made a decent little film here. Minimal lighting and a tight editing pattern has cunningly disguised what is actually rather a low budgeted affair. Eerie sound design contributes a lot to the mysterious, oriental feel. But in spite of all the director's best intentions, The Bitter Tea of General Yen was a flop which received exactly zero Oscar nominations. Ironically, while today some may object to Asther performing in yellowface, at the time it was frowned upon for its positive portrayal of interracial love. It is also ironic that, despite all his hopes being pinned on this one, a different Capra movie (Lady for a Day) was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director. Lady for a Day is far less ostentatious, but it is a lot more like the homely heart-warming fare for which Capra would later be known. Was Lady for a Day really better received because it was up Capra's street, so to speak? Or did Capra deliberately re-brand himself in the mould of his first Oscar success?

When worlds collide

[1930s_Time_Machine · 6/10 · 5 January 2023]

This is an interesting but not riveting film, best described as a clash of cultures movie. It's a glimpse of two civilisations, both very different and both of them now just distant memories.

There's some similarities with that 1950s sci-fi classic, FORBIDDEN PLANET inasmuch that a group of straight-laced and blinkered American missionaries, wilfully oblivious to their surroundings and the culture they are in, appear to have been teleported into a completely alien world but they haven't noticed. Just because they are living right in the middle of the vicious and savage Chinese civil war is not going to make these Ned Flanders-types alter their routines, their quaint little New England activities or indeed their attitudes.

Then there arrives Barbara Stanwyck - another strait-laced missionary but with a repressed sense of adventure and mischief albeit hidden, dormant, chained-up and locked in a safe underneath ten metres of reinforced concrete. She gives an authentic and believable performance, understated yet somehow managing to show the droplets of emotion starting to bubble up inside, getting closer to the surface but never, ever emerging.

Nils Asther's warlord, General Yen, conveys just enough sinister charm, mysterious excitement and a ray of sunlight from a totally different culture and society to what Barbara Stanwycks's character has ever known to captivate her. That's what this film is about - how these two people from totally opposite worlds are both fascinated and repulsed by each other and Frank Capra does it pretty well. It didn't win his boss Harry Cohn the Oscar as he'd been instructed to do (Cohn: "Make some arty crap and win us the Oscar") but it looks very impressive and keeps your attention.....but falls down inasmuch that it doesn't engage too much emotionally. That's somewhat ironic because all Frank Capra's films, even his poorer efforts are usually all about emotion.

The eponymous General Yen is played by a Swedish actor called Nils Asther. Because of the American racist laws, they couldn't have an actual Chinese actor kissing Barbara Stanwyck but even someone pretending to be Chinese was enough to get this film banned in parts of America! Since that old China, that hidden world of the Orient no longer exists, it is difficult to judge how authentic Asther's portrayal was - it was based on a contemporary book written by someone who lived through this conflict and for the time, a lot of research was done into how these warlords was carried out so although he seems stereotyped at times, he is probably a lot more true to life than we think. If this film were made now, his character would probably be quite 21st century which to us that might look authentic but in fifty years' time would look ridiculous. His make-up however is unforgivable. It seems to be the template for Emperor Ming in FLASH GORDON and then for the Klingons in the original STAR TREK series: that is a little bit distracting!

An unexpected senseless pre-code war drama by Frank Capra which attempts to redefine loyalty and faith with pathetic use of sexual desire.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 5/10 · 6 July 2021]

The Bitter Tea Of General Yen (1932) : Brief Review -

An unexpected senseless pre-code war drama by Frank Capra which attempts to redefine loyalty and faith with pathetic use of sexual desire. Thank god this was a box office bomb when released. I would have felt pity on audience's taste if this baffling Intense romance had been a box office hit. I just couldn't find a single reason to call it a 'good film'. This is not the Capra flick I wished for. Some box office flops are actually good and deservingly gets cult following later by the smart viewers and sometimes critics but some flops are often overhyped by the same viewers and critics by the the excuse which i think is completely absurd. That's what i exactly found here. I just don't understand why the hell this film made it to the list of "1001 Movies You Must Watch Before You Die". To be frank, that list sucks big time. About 40% films there are undeservingly placed and whoever has seen almost thousands of classics from world cinema (like me) would agree with it.

A womaniser Chinese warlord abducts an engaged Christian missionary for the unforced sexual desire. The girl who is committed to someone she really loved dreams of kissing General whom she actually hates and later falls in love. What the heck was that? I just couldn't understand the logic here. I mean you are a good girl and has a boyfriend but suddenly you forget all about him and fall in a love with a hateful man? For what? Just because his slave betrayed him? What logic was that to prove philosophy of faith and loyalty? How does that work on the girl when she is the one disloyal at the moment? A big mess in the writing. Rest, it has good performances which makes it watchable but not enough to be recommended. Dear Frank Capra i Love you but sorry, this movie barely made any sense to me. Poor me, Wasted 88 mins for this lame attempt.

RATING - 5/10*

By - #samthebestest.