Tiger Bay here is part of a French colony in South America, not in Cardiff and the film is a strange mixture, with Anna May Wong as a Chinese "dance hall"/restaurant owner with a Lancashire manageress and a waiter who've emigrated from George Formby films, a German-accented gangster, French-accented police and an English hero and love-interest. Although there's a reference to "effeminate Jews" in the first scene (among British expats at the Gymkhana Club- who are also caricatured themselves) the film is fairly prejudice-free within its limits- the only caricatures are English class and regional-based- 'though- of course- the British hero has to marry the vapid blonde love-interest rather than the much more interesting Lui at the end. Competently filmed, using a few limited sets skilfully and with a battle scene that is surprisingly well-done for a quota quickie, the acting is a strange mixture, Henry Victor, as a gangster, leads a convincingly frightening gang and the lovers are vapid and pale, with elocution taught English accents, but Wong herself acts very well. In the scene where she kills the gangster watches her face and she shows emotions which the censor probably didn't understand, fortunately.
Review of Tiger Bay
