Piccadilly (1929)

A young Chinese woman, working in the kitchen at a London dance club, is given the chance to become the club's main act which soon leads to a plot of betrayal, forbidden love and murder.

Director:

Ewald André Dupont

Writer:

Arnold Bennett (original screenplay)

Stars:

Gilda Gray, Anna May Wong, Jameson Thomas

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gilda Gray	...	Mabel Greenfield
Anna May Wong	...	Shosho
Jameson Thomas	...	Valentine Wilmot
Cyril Ritchard	...	Victor Smiles (as Cyrill Ritchard)
King Hou Chang	...	Jim (as King Ho Chang)
Hannah Jones	...	Bessie
Gordon Begg	...	Coroner
Harry Terry	...	Publican
Debroy Somers and His Band	...	Band at the Piccadilly Club

Storyline

The star attraction of the Piccadilly Club is the dancing team of Mabel and Vic. Victor is infatuated with Mabel, but she rejects his advances, since she is in love with Valentine Wilmot, the club's owner. One night, as Mabel and Vic perform their act, there is a disruption caused by a customer who is unhappy about a dirty plate. When Wilmot goes back to the kitchen to investigate, he finds several employees in the scullery watching Shosho, one of the dishwashers, dancing on a table. That night, Wilmot fires both Shosho and Victor. But the club's sagging fortunes soon lead him to re-evaluate Shosho's talent.

---

Plot Keywords:

murder of an asian woman | shooting a woman | dancing | dishwasher | chinese | 

---

Taglines:

JUST AS GOD MADE HER She Loved, and Loving She Gave-Her Heart, Her Soul, to a Man Who Played, and Laughed, and Loved Another. A SOUND PICTURE (Print Ad-Free Lance-Star, ((Fredericksburg, Va.)) 24 August 1929)

---

Genres:

Drama | Crime

---

Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last silent film for Anna May Wong.

---

Goofs

When Valentine Wilmot is talking to the costume shop owner; his right hand is leaning against the door frame. But on the next immediate cut; Wilmot's right hand is now off the door frame and in the process of moving toward the door frame to lean on it.

---

Quotes

Valentine Wilmot: Just imagine the whole place being upset by one little Chinese girl in the scullery. Dancing in the scullery - and upsetting your dancing in the restaurant!

---

Crazy Credits

The opening credits appear on the sides of London buses.

---

Connections

Featured in Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood: Opportunity Lost (1995)

---

Soundtracks

When Love Comes Stealing
(1928) (uncredited)
Written by Erno Rapee, Lew Pollack and Walter Hirsch
The sheet music is shown onscreen; possibly used in the score

User Reviews

Unbelievable Cinematography!!!

Piccadilly is one of the most underrated films I have seen and one of the best kept secret of the silent era. Many praise Anna May Wong for her performance, and justifiably so. She steels the scenes from the main actors (Jameson Thomas and Gilda Gray) and turns the film about a story about her character.

But, and this is a big BUT. I think the main star of the film is the Cinematography (by Werner Brandes). It's simply breathtaking and unbelievable "modern". There is a lot of influence from German expressionism (and understandably so since Werner Brandes is German) but it's much more than that. The shots are quite long, for a silent film and the movement of the camera resembles what one would see in films a decade later (It even reminded me in many ways of Tarkovsky). The same goes for the subject but the stile of the film resembles Film Noir.

See this if you like beautiful cinematography. It left me speechless! What a pearl!!!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 1929 (USA)

Also Known As:

Piccadilly

Filming Locations:

British International Pictures Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British International Pictures (BIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 109 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1