A Tale of Two Worlds (1921)

A white child is adopted and raised by a Chinese citizen and brought to San Francisco, where no one surmises that she is actually not Chinese.

Director:

Frank Lloyd

Writers:

Charles Kenyon (scenario), Gouverneur Morris (story),

Stars:

J. Frank Glendon, Leatrice Joy, Wallace Beery

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
J. Frank Glendon	...	Newcombe
Leatrice Joy	...	Sui Sen
Wallace Beery	...	Ling Jo
E. Alyn Warren	...	Ah Wing (as E.A. Warren)
Margaret McWade	...	Attendant
Togo Yamamoto	...	One Eye
Yutaka Abe	...	The Worm (as Jack Abbe)
Louie Cheung	...	Chinaman
Chow Young	...	Slave Girl
Etta Lee	...	Ah Fah
Ah Wing	...	Servant Spy
Goro Kino	...	Windlass Man
Arthur Soames	...	Dr. Newcombe
Edythe Chapman	...	Mrs. Newcombe
T.D. Crittenden	...	Mr. Carmichael (as Dwight Crittenden)

Storyline

A white child is adopted and raised by a Chinese citizen and brought to San Francisco, where no one surmises that she is actually not Chinese.

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Plot Keywords:

china | chinatown san francisco | san francisco california | boxer rebellion

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

13 March 1921 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Water Lily

Company Credits

Production Co:

Goldwyn Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min 70 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Fun stuff with a great design.

This is enjoyable hokum, that could well have inspired John Carpenter's "Big Trouble In Little China". Leatrice Joy lets all emotional stops out as the white girl raised by Chinese, who doesn't know she's white. And it's not surprising as she is made up to look Chinese. But true to racist beliefs of 1921 she falls in love with one of her own - a rich white boy played sweetly by J. Frank Glendon. But Leatrice is pledged to the evil Wallace Beery, in Chinese make-up. So it all turns into a race for the altar involving a torture room where the walls and roof close in on you. Great fun, if you excuse the racism, and with a fabulous design by Cedric Gibbons - Joy's costumes are exquisite. Set in the Chinatown of a city in the American west, guess which?