POIGNANT STORY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 530, 13 May 1933, Page 2

POIGNANT STORY

the bitter tea of general yen coming on • saturday. I barbara stanwyck starring 1 1 Never since "Broken Blossoms" has 1 a more poignant love story of the 1 Orient been screened than "The Bitter I Tea of General Yen," a spactacular | feature which opens on Saturday, 1 May 20, at the Majestic Theatre with 1 Barbara Stanwyck starred in her I greatest role. 1 Delieately woven against the intrii ca^e and karbulent hackgrounjl of il Chinese civil war, this romantic tiaij gedy reaches moments of greatnoss i from the portrayal of Miss Stanwyck i as a timid American girl who i falls under the spell of the Orient ■m and is swept into emotional rehellion | against her piiim, New England upi bringing. _ . 1 Frank Capra, Columhia directorial 1 genius, has conceived a truly epic film s that is dramatically and emotionally 1 powerfuU "The Bitter Tea of Genei ral Yen" has the sweep of dynamic 1 power and a p'sychologically dramatic j sensitivity. Thrown into the midst of the splenI dour of the Orient when she is cap1 tured by the fascinating, cultured and s romantic General Yen (portrayed 1 pletely captivated hy the allure of the tf Orient, and falls in love with Yen, i forgetting entirely the missionary she came to China to marry. It is de h picted with such suhlety, restraint and i • good taste that it never offends. The extensive scope of the ^ battle scenes of what will go down in his- ~ tory as the most dramatic conflict of this decade are stirring. More than 3000 Chinese extras were employed for the sensational scenes of ravage and destruction in Shanghai. { Nils Asther, in his first important { role since he made his return to picj tures, will, without question, win back i many .more fans than he ever h'ad before talkies interrupted his screen career while he learned English. His acting is really something t0 rave about. Walter Connolly,, one of the finest

character actors on the stage, is charming and effective in the role of a delightful renegade wh'o gives advice on financial matters to General Yen. Toshia. Mori is east in an imp'ortant feminine role as General Yen's concubine. Her beauty and ability promise her even a greater success in films than(Anji|a May Wong, She is really delightful. • The other members of the excellent supporting east are Gavin Gordon, Lucien Littlefield, Helen Jerome Eddy, Richard Loo, Emmett Corrigan, Martha Mattox, Clara Blandick and the 3000 Chinese ajready mentioned. Every one gives a fine and understanding performance.