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The Bitter Tea of General Yen– 1933 Capra
- Much like capra’s it’s a wonderful life the film can get very dark- early on there’s a hanging man in war-ravaged china blocking the mise-en-scene like a von Sternberg film
- Quickly edited but there’s some mistakes here with some slopping in scene dialogue continuity editing- Capra would get much better
- Very nice post-war set pieces with tons of extras- powerful scenes
- There’s a very interesting surrealism interlude- almost like a small silent film featuring the Nils Asther character as an almost nosferatu-like vampire with long nose and fingernails—it has very dramatic music like the silent, too
- I love Stanwyck and she’s fine here (not one of her better roles) but she’s better as a femme fatale than as the purer character here
- The film doesn’t fully follow the capra ethos
- The star crossed lovers would work again in it happened one night and yet again in mr smith goes to Washington (cynical Jean Arthur vs boy scout Jimmy Stewart)
- In the archives but not top 10 of 1933- lesser Capra
- Recommend
Drake2017-06-05T20:45:07+00:00
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