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IMDbPro

The Bitter Tea of General Yen

  • 19321932
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
4K
YOUR RATING
Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
DramaRomanceWar
A Chinese warlord and an engaged Christian missionary fall in love.A Chinese warlord and an engaged Christian missionary fall in love.A Chinese warlord and an engaged Christian missionary fall in love.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
4K
YOUR RATING
    • Frank Capra
    • Grace Zaring Stone(from the story by)
    • Edward E. Paramore Jr.(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Barbara Stanwyck
    • Nils Asther
    • Toshia Mori
    • Frank Capra
    • Grace Zaring Stone(from the story by)
    • Edward E. Paramore Jr.(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Barbara Stanwyck
    • Nils Asther
    • Toshia Mori
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 63User reviews
    • 38Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Photos66

    Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
    Barbara Stanwyck in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
    Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
    Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
    Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
    Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
    Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Connolly in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
    Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Connolly in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
    Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
    Nils Asther in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
    The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
    Barbara Stanwyck in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Barbara Stanwyck
    Barbara Stanwyck
    • Megan
    Nils Asther
    Nils Asther
    • General Yen
    Toshia Mori
    Toshia Mori
    • Mah-Li
    Walter Connolly
    Walter Connolly
    • Jones
    Gavin Gordon
    Gavin Gordon
    • Bob
    Lucien Littlefield
    Lucien Littlefield
    • Mr. Jackson
    Richard Loo
    Richard Loo
    • Capt. Li
    Helen Jerome Eddy
    Helen Jerome Eddy
    • Miss Reed
    Emmett Corrigan
    Emmett Corrigan
    • Bishop Harkness
    Jessie Arnold
    Jessie Arnold
    • Mrs. Blake
    • (uncredited)
    Clara Blandick
    Clara Blandick
    • Mrs. Jackson
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Bolder
    Robert Bolder
    • Missionary
    • (uncredited)
    Nora Cecil
    Nora Cecil
    • Missionary
    • (uncredited)
    Wong Chung
    Wong Chung
    • Chinese Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Knute Erickson
    Knute Erickson
    • Dr. Hansen
    • (uncredited)
    Willie Fung
    Willie Fung
    • Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Adda Gleason
    Adda Gleason
    • Mrs. Bowman
    • (uncredited)
    Ella Hall
    Ella Hall
    • Mrs. Amelia Hansen
    • (uncredited)
      • Frank Capra
      • Grace Zaring Stone(from the story by)
      • Edward E. Paramore Jr.(screen play)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The Bitter Tea of General Yen was the first film to play at Manhatten's fabled Radio City Music Hall upon its opening on January 6, 1933. It was also one of the first films to deal openly with interracial sexual attraction. It was a box office failure upon its release and has since been overshadowed by Capra's later efforts. In recent years, the film has grown in critical opinion. In 2000, the film was chosen by film critic Derek Malcolm as one of the 100 best films in The Century of Films.
    • Goofs
      The beginning sequence takes place as the text reading the "Burning of Chapei" is flashed on the screen. The burning of Chapei occurred on September 18, 1931, while the film was still in production. The film follows the original novel, which was set in the late 1920s during the Chinese Civil War. The Chinese Civil War was clearly integrated into the plot of the film. Little, if any, of the plot makes reference to the Japanese/Chinese conflict of 1931-1932. None of the characters in film are identified as Japanese. Capra wanted it to be an Academy Award contender and hoped to create interest by adding this connection to the timely events.
    • Quotes

      Megan Davis: Can't you forgive her? She's only a child. You can always do so much more with mercy than you can with murder. Why don't you give her another chance? Oh, I know you feel that she has deceived you and sold information to your enemies; perhaps, even been unfaithful to you. All that's dreadful and if its true you have a certain justification in wanting to crush her. But, I want you to think of all those things and then forgive her. I don't know how you feel about Mah-Li; I mean, whether you love her or, well, as a lover. But, that's of no importance. I want you to see the beauty of giving love where it isn't merited. Any man can give love where he's sure of its return. That isn't love at all. But, to give love with no merit, no thought of return, no thought of gratitude even; that's ordinarily the privilege of God. And now its your privilege. Oh, General, with all you have within you, your superior brain, your culture, how can you be so blind to spiritual braveness? Do this thing I ask you. Do it for me. Do it even blindly, if you must, and I promise you, I'm so sure of it, I promise you that for the first time in your life you'll know what real happiness is.

    • Connections
      Featured in Frank Capra's American Dream (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      Onward Christian Soldiers
      (1871) (uncredited)

      Music from "St. Gertrude" by Arthur Sullivan (1871)

      Lyrics by Sabine Baring-Gould (1865)

      Sung by an unidentified quartet at the wedding

    User reviews63

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Bitter Tea sweet film making by Capra
    A year before his major breakthrough film It Happened One Night director Frank Capra made this romantic tragedy that is filled with provocative topic and outstanding set design sensually photographed by master cinematographer Joseph Walker.

    Megan Davis (Barbara Stanwyck) arrives in China in the middle of a civil war to marry her missionary husband Dr. Robert Strike and then work alongside him. Before they even marry they are separated during an evacuation and Davis finds herself in the hands of warlord General Yen (Nils Asther) . Yen at first mocks Davis but soon finds himself falling heavily for her.

    The Bitter Tea of General Yen is filled with characters making bad decisions. Davis and Strike are nearly killed due to their naive condescension and trusting Megan is betrayed twice by her maid with huge consequence. General Yen cold and cruel as he may be also succumbs in his case to incurable romanticism. Only Jones (Walter Connolly) the arms dealer is grounded in reality to the dire situation that faces them.

    Director Capra ably provides scenes of both chaos ( refugee evacuations, night battles ) and tranquility in the idyllic setting of Yen's compound palace where the General sets about seducing Megan with delicate charm while firing squads outside in the courtyard dispatch his enemy. Capra also finds time to get some satiric shots in at Western superiority and hypocrisy but it is the sexual tension between the leads that is at the center of Yen.

    Megan's ambiguity is excellently conveyed by Stanwyck's actions and immature responses to the different world she finds herself. She's totally out of her element and her western ways are constantly checkmated by Yen. As Yen, Nils Asther cuts a dashing figure as the highly cultured warlord. He's cruel by occupation but sensitive in nature, especially around women as Jones informs us and it ultimately brings about his ruin. His scenes with Stanwyck resonate with cultural clash and erotic implication and Capra ups the ante even further with a Freudian dream that Megan has.

    Capra went on to make more famous and bigger films but he would never approach the eroticism or cynicism that this provocative thirties work offered causing me to wonder if success took some of the edge out of him..
    helpful•10
    1
    • st-shot
    • Jul 4, 2010

    FAQ5

    • What is 'The Bitter Tea of General Yen' about?
    • Is 'The Bitter Tea of General Yen' based on a book?
    • Was Megan in love with Yen?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 6, 1933 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • Mandarin
      • French
    • Also known as
      • San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 28 minutes
      • Black and White

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