The Forbidden City (1918)

A Chinese mandarin hopes to regain favor with the Emporer by betrothing her to him, but he doesn't know she's secretly married to the American consul and pregnant.

Director:

Sidney Franklin

Writers:

Mary Murillo, George Scarborough (story)

Stars:

Norma Talmadge, Thomas Meighan, E. Alyn Warren

Cast

Cast overview:
Norma Talmadge	...	San San / Toy
Thomas Meighan	...	John Worden
E. Alyn Warren	...	Wong Li
Michael Rayle	...	Mandarin
L. Rogers Lytton	...	Chinese Emperor
Reid Hamilton	...	Lieutenant Philip Halbert

Storyline

The daughter of a Chinese mandarin is sentenced to death for her secret marriage to an American. Their child, raised in the mandarin's palace, grows up and escapes to seek her father, now a high-ranking official in the Philippines.

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Plot Keywords:

mandarin | secret marriage | dual role | interracial baby | melodrama | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 October 1918 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Tale of the Forbidden City

Filming Locations:

Select Studios, Bronx, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Norma Talmadge Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

62 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Touching movie about inter-racial love

I was very moved by this film. Norma Talmadge plays the role of San-San, a mandarin's daughter, who risks all for love of Thomas Meighan's character, an American diplomat named Worden. She is very believable as an oriental girl who is longing for love. Norma also plays the love child of San-San and Worden, as a young adult, trying to escape from her brutal life in the emperor's palace.

This type of story has been done before, but perhaps never so tenderly and sweetly as in this old, old film. This is a haunting movie, with great performances from all the cast. It is not to be missed.