Dragon Seed (1944)

Directors:

Harold S. Bucquet
Jack Conway

Writers:

Pearl S. Buck (novel)
Marguerite Roberts (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

August 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

The lives of a small Chinese village are turned Upside down when the Japanese invade it. And heroic young Chinese woman leads her fellow villagers in an uprising against Japanese Invaders.

Plot Keywords:

China | Invasion | Merchant | Student | Village

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Katharine Hepburn	...	Jade Tan
Walter Huston	...	Ling Tan
Aline MacMahon	...	Ling Tan's Wife
Akim Tamiroff	...	Wu Lien
Turhan Bey	...	Lao Er Tan - Middle Son
Hurd Hatfield	...	Lao San Tan - Youngest Son
J. Carrol Naish	...	Japanese Kitchen Overseer
Agnes Moorehead	...	Third Cousin's Wife
Henry Travers	...	Third Cousin
Robert Bice	...	Lao Ta Tan - Eldest Son
Robert Lewis	...	Captain Sato
Frances Rafferty	...	Orchid Tan - Lao Ta's Wife
Jacqueline deWit	...	Wu Lien's Wife
Clarence Lung	...	Fourth Cousin
Paul E. Burns	...	Neighbor Shen
Anna Demetrio	...	Wu Sao
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Philip Ahn	...	Leader of City People (uncredited)
Albert Baldo	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
Lionel Barrymore	...	Narrator (uncredited) (voice)
Abner Biberman	...	Captain Yasuda (uncredited)
John Bleifer	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
Luke Chan	...	City Man (uncredited)
Spencer Chan	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Marlowe Chuck	...	Wu Lien's First Child (uncredited)
Noel Cravat	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
Johnny Dong	...	Student (uncredited)
Claire Du Brey	...	Hysterical Woman (uncredited)
Arthur Dulac	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
Edward Emerson	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
Frank Eng	...	Student (uncredited)
Benson Fong	...	Sudent (uncredited)
Harold Fong	...	Clerk (uncredited)
Lee Tung Foo	...	Innkeeper (uncredited)
Wing Foo	...	Student (uncredited)
Paul Fung	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Roland Got	...	Speaker with Movies (uncredited)
Alex Havier	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
Ted Hecht	...	Major Yohagi (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
David Hui	...	Jade's Child (uncredited)
Percy Incion	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
Pete G. Katchenaro	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
Joseph Kim	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
Paul King	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Eddie Lee	...	City Man (uncredited)
Norman Lee	...	Wu Lien's Second Child (uncredited)
Robbie Lee	...	Young Farmer (uncredited)
James B. Leong	...	City Man (uncredited)
Jung Lim	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Emil Luna	...	Japanese Official (uncredited)
Charles Lung	...	Japanese Diplomat (uncredited)
Ma	...	Water Buffalo (uncredited)
Abraham Mirkin	...	(uncredited)
Leonard Mudie	...	Old Peddler Selling Poison (uncredited)
Jay Novello	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
Frank Puglia	...	Wu Lien's Old Clerk (uncredited)
Jack Santos	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
Teru Shimada	...	Villager (uncredited)
Hayward Soo Hoo	...	Orchid's First Child (uncredited)
Leonard Strong	...	Japanese Official (uncredited)
Frank Tang	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Edna Mae Tom	...	Chinese Woman (uncredited)
Wei Fan Tseui	...	Student (uncredited)
Irene Tso	...	Wu Lien's Third Child (uncredited)
Philip Van Zandt	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
Prince Waln	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
Richard Wang	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
Beal Wong	...	Farmer / Japanese Officer (uncredited)
Tai Ling Wong	...	Orchid's Second Child (uncredited)
Victor Wong	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
Winifred Woo	...	Jade's Child (uncredited)
Richard Yee	...	Student (uncredited)
Beverly Young	...	Orchid's Second Child (uncredited)

Directed by
Harold S. Bucquet
Jack Conway

Writing credits
Pearl S. Buck		(novel)
Marguerite Roberts		(screenplay) and
Jane Murfin		(screenplay)

Produced by
Pandro S. Berman	....	producer

Original Music by
Herbert Stothart

Cinematography by
Sidney Wagner		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Harold F. Kress

Casting by
Rufus Le Maire		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Valles

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup designer
Irma Kusely	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrew Marton	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Al Shenberg	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Hugh Hunt	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
Robert Shirley	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
Newell Sparks	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
Newell Sparks	....	unit sound mixer (uncredited)
Michael Steinore	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
John A. Williams	....	sound mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Mark Davis	....	special effects camera (uncredited)
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	miniatures (uncredited)
Danny Hall	....	miniatures (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
John Schmitz	....	second camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene	....	costume supervisor

Music Department
Edward Baravalle	....	music mixer (uncredited)
Murray Cutter	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
M.J. McLaughlin	....	music mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Lewis	....	screen test director
Wei Fan Hsueh	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Robert Lewis	....	dialogue director (uncredited)
Mitch Rawson	....	publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Loew's (as Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Loew's (1944) (USA) (theatrical) (as Loew's Incorporated)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1944) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• USA Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (VHS)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Home Entertainment Group  package by (1985 release)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

147 min (copyright length) | USA:148 min (Turner library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #10000) | Finland:K-16 | Argentina:Atp | Sweden:15 | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Actor Robert Lewis functioned also as screen test director and dialogue director.

Quotes:

Lao Ta Tan - Eldest Son:[rhetorically] Do you not know that in a woman eagerness passes for weakness?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Chee Lai

Katherine Helpburn is cast in the role of a Chinese woman--need I say more!?!?

I just finished skimming through the reviews for this film and noticed that the first one actually had the gall to give this movie a score of 10! A 10 would place this film in the illustrious company as other great films such as GONE WITH THE WIND, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES or GIGI--surely it's an insult to these other great films to compare DRAGON SEED to them in any favorable way! Other than the fact they are movies, I just don't see any other rational comparison.

So why did I give the film the ridiculously low score of 2? Well, it features the very worst job of casting of any film--with the possible exception of THE CONQUERER (with John Wayne as 'Gengis Khan' and Susan Hayward as a Mongol princess). In DRAGON SEED, Katherine Hepburn (red haired and possessing a very prim and proper New England accent) and Walter Huston are among the cast playing Chinese people!! Now it was unfortunately common in the 30s and 40s to have such parts played by Westerners but at least some had the ability to almost carry it off well. Heck, Warner Oland and Sidney Toler were MUCH closer to being believable as Chinese (detective 'Charlie Chan') than either Huston or Hepburn!!! As for the rest of the story, it's a relatively dull and uninspiring Pearl Buck story with none of the impact or style as THE GOOD EARTH--a fine film from a decade earlier (despite the all Anglo cast once again). Instead, it's an anti-Japanese film made to promote the war effort in the Pacific.

By the way, as a bit of trivia, the red haired Agnes Morehead deserves special recognition, as she not only played a Chinese lady in this film but Genghis Khan's mother in THE CONQUERER--proving that horrendously stupid casting can be infectious.

Also, for more fun casting decisions featuring the most ridiculous Westerners playing Asians, try watching Edward G. Robinson in THE HATCHET MAN--an amazingly good film despite having 'Little Caesar' pretending to be Chinese. Other odd ones (humorous because they were so very, very offensive) were Marlon Brando in TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON and Mickey Rooney in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S. I swear to you, all these movie references are true--Hollywood was THIS out of touch and the public actually went to these films in droves!