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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ****

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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..

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.

American missionary Megan Davis (Barbara Stanwyck) is sent to China which is in the middle of a civil war. There she meets cold, evil General Yen (Swedish actor Nils Asther). He is attracted to her despite already being married. She rejects his advances but slowly becomes attracted to him too.

This was not a big hit in its day (which is probably why it's mostly unknown today). Back then dealing with an interracial romance was pretty risky but today it comes across as pretty silly! Even though this is pre-Code it's not that explicit and they never push the envelope in terms of the romance. As a result this comes across as pretty muted and I'm still not sure WHAT was going through Stanwyck's mind at the end. Even worse Stanwyck is badly miscast. Really--her as a missionary???? Also Asther isn't even remotely believable as an Asian. Still I didn't hate the film. It was well-done with some beautiful settings (General Yen's palace is an eye-opener) and some great cinematography. Also, despite his miscasting, Asther is great as Yen and is obviously having a whale of a time in his role. I had a lot of fun hearing him trying to cover his Swedish accent with an Asian accent! Some people might find this film offensive. I saw it in a revival theatre back in the 1980s and a white college student was laughing at it and hissing it virtually nonstop. I'm not sure WHAT his problem was with it (maybe having a Swedish guy playing an Asian guy might have something to do with it) but I'm guessing it might offend some people. I just find this an antiquated, miscast but beautiful film. It's also pretty short (88 minutes). I give this a mild recommendation.

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.