E.A. DupontPiccadilly

Anna May Wong’s 1929 silent film masterpiece “Piccadilly” has suffered thought the years from numerous horrific public domain DVD releases.Now that problem has been corrected by Kino Lober with this new blu-ray release that is first class.This film has a beautiful “German cinema” feel to it, and reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock’s British silent film periodAnd, of course, director E.A. DuPont worked his magic to make this film one of Anna May Wong’s greatest performances.Sepia and blue tinting of this movie and it’s dramatic soundtrack music add to the enjoyment of the film.Anna May Wong’s performance is brilliant and often understated throughout the film.“Piccadilly” doesn’t shy away from racial bias against Asians, and even addresses the controversial interracial relationship between Anna May Wong and her Caucasian night club owner employer. This was very much taboo territory for the 1920’s, both in the United States and abroad.I highly recommend this fantastic blu-ray release of what many consider to be Anna May Wong’s greatest cinematic achievement.

This is a dramatic improvement over the DVD. It is in the proper aspect ratio of 4X3 vs the DVD’s 16X9 and has a bit rate of over 3X as much as the DVD. Anna May Wong in Piccadilly will probably never look better. So much more detail and a region A Blu-Ray. If one doesn’t like the music, then just turn off the sound. Could not ask for anything more from a silent movie that is nearly 100 years old.

Its a silent film so we have over 90 years of distance between the film making techniques are our own media but the film could not look better. I confess I watched it with the commentary first, which was entertaining and informative. Anna May Wong really is the star of the show. She has now become an icon and somewhat hijacked by various agendas but the core truth is the camera loved her as instnctively as it loved Garbo.

Anna May Wong was born in the wrong times. In fifty years she would have been seen in a movie or two, maybe even TV. But her age was one of the "Yellow peril", with lurid novels depicting acts of barbarism and depravity by asiatic peoples. And who's to say they weren't right? Anna was relegated to roles of treachery and deceit, and she played them well. In "Piccadilly" she steals the show from the major stars, cast as a poor scullery maid that is given the opportunity to advance in life. As an exotic Chinese dancer, she grabs her role with gusto. The obstacle to her success is the club owner's girlfriend, a manipulative fading star dancer the movie trys to make the heroine. Yeech! Shosho (Anna) is blatantly stereotyped and relegated to a villianess who seduces the owner of the club. Nobody is too moral in this movie and Anna emerges as the most sympathetic charactor. At least she has the motive of moving up in life. Her expected murder only illustrates the degenerate culture of the late 1920's, and the prejudices of another age. This silent film is almost modern, and has a good soundtrack that doesn't interrupt the show.

Anna Mae Wong at her best doing what she did best-stealing the picture from it's so-called stars from the moment we first see her dancing on a kitchen table right through to her final curtain call if you like classic films or are new to silent movies i highly recommend this wonderful trip into a bygone era

I love Anna May Wong movies. I wish the selection was more extensive. Piccadilly not only features Miss Wong, but has an interesting, very dramatic storyline. I love the subtleties, such as the way Anna May's stockings are torn in her dancing in the scullery scene. Sexy, but trashy..The film has enough "sexiness" to it without being in your face. I don't know why the cover shows a woman (Anna May?) dancing with her breasts uncovered. I've seen the film many times and there isn't a scene such as the one depicted on the cover art. Why cheapen a great movie with a false "hook"?

Beautiful restoration of a historically important film. Anna May Wong is outstanding. She should have been given more movie roles, and a greater variety of characters to play, in her career in the US and Europe. The cinematography is sophisticated. I did not enjoy the newly composed soundtrack but that's a minor quibble.

It seems nearly everyone complains about the soundtrack. As a soundtrack collector, I didn`t find it nearly as offensive as today`s loud ROCK soundtracks very few of which I would like to own. I have this version of the film, but also ordered the colorized version because I enjoy them too. Alas.I found no reviews about the colorized version. I received my COLORIZED? copy of Piccadilly today and was very disappointed. Firstly, it is NOT COLORIZED. It is tinted as is the original which I already have. The cover is like a computer print out and it has NO EXTRAS. The musical score is different and may be more appealing to some, but not to me. My copy came from OLDIES and I have asked for a refund.

This film has a lot going for it. Moving shots. Real exteriors. Very subtle but expressive performances from everyone. Anna May Wong is captivating.I saw this on The Criterion Channel and had to have it.

Bien reçu tout à fait ce que je voulais

Great piece of film history Anna May Wong was a very underrated actor best known for her part in Shanghai Express with Marlene dietrich great film for its time loved it

Der Film "Piccadelly" ist ein britischer Stummfilm aus dem Jahr 1929, wohl zu vermuten, einige Monate vor oder nach Einführung des Tonfilms. Der Prolog, etwa 5 Minuten lang, ist tatsächlich in Ton, der eigentliche Hauptfilm ist aber ein Stummfilm.Die Story ist angelegt in einem der großen Nachtclubs Londons in den 1920er Jahren (also zeitgenössisch). Dort tanzt vor dem Establishment das bedeutende Duo Vince und Mab, sie sind die Stars der Show. Ein Gast beschwert sich über einen Teller und der Chef des Hauses, Valmont, geht in die Spülküche und findet dort ein "Chinesenmädchen" am Tanzen. Er baut sie zum Star auf, was seiner Geliebten Mabel, dem eigentlichen Star und einigen anderen nicht gefällt. Es kommt zur Katastrophe... mehr wird hier nicht verraten.Der Film weist einige Besonderheiten auf: Die Untertitel in Deutsch sind nicht zu lang, sie sind gut verständlich und passend platziert. Gleichzeitig sieht man auch die Leuchtreklame Londons. Wer glaubte, nur in New York, Paris oder Berlin der 1920er Jahre habe Leuchtreklame den Öffentlichen Raum beleuchtet, der täuscht. Es ist auch ein kleines Porträt Londons um den Piccadilly Circus jener Jahre. Hier haben Deutsche ihre Finger im Spiel: Der Regisseur- E.A. Dupont (1891-1956, als Ewald Andreas Dupont) sowie der Kameramann Werner Brandes (1889-1968) waren bekannte Vertreter ihres Faches und halfen u.a. auch mit diesem Film dem britischen Kino zum Erfolg, dass hinter dem deutschen, amerikanischen und französischen "hinterherhinkte". In einer kurzen Szene ist der später weltbekannte Schauspieler Charles Laughton zu sehen, der sich über einen Teller beschwert. Damals war er schon so dick, wie man ihn kennt, obwohl gerade 30 Jahre alt. Rauchende Frauen und Damen in Strumpfhosen geben ein gutes Bild von der Subkultur bzw. Unterwelt jener Jahre. Es ist davon auszugehen, dass ein einem echten Club mit echtem Publikum als Statisten gedreht wurde. Und auch die Problematik der Rassenfrage wird in dem Film behandelt, der ja auch von Hongkong-Chinesen handelt, die es damals auch nicht leicht hatten. Am interessantesten ist aber Anna May Wong (1905-1961) eine heute vergessene, US-chinesische Schauspielerin. Ein sehr lehrreicher und interessanter Film!

This is a Region 2 DVD unplayable in North America