SERIES
November at the Trylon
Raised in Hollywood and obsessed with cinema as a child, Anna May Wong longed to be on the silver screen. Because of intense anti-Asian racism and Orientalist stereotyping, she was never given the roles she deserved in the U.S. These four films highlight the defiant characters she played and the results of her lobbying for more agency in her roles.
(1932, 82m) dir Josef von Sternberg w/Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Warner Oland. The Shanghai Express is rambling its way from Beijing to Shanghai when rebels take a British captain (Brook) hostage. Gorgeously photographed in shadows and smoke, Shanghai features Wong’s strength and charisma in her role as Hui Fei. New Restoration SUN 8:30 MON/TUE 7:00…
Screenings: November 3 8:30, November 4 7:00, 8:45, November 5 7:00, 8:45
(1929, 102m, silent w/intertitles) dir Richard Eichberg w/Alexander Granach, Nien Soen Ling. Breaking free from Hollywood typecasting, Wong plays a Chinese dancer who is accused of murder and must defend herself. These screenings are made possible by the University of Minnesota Imagine Fund and Cinema in the Cities and cosponsored by Archives on Screen, Twin…
Screenings: November 10 7:00, November 11 7:00, November 12 7:00
(1937, 62m) dir Robert Florey w/Charles Bickford, Buster Crabbe, Cecil Cunningham. After her father is murdered, Lan Ying Lin (Wong) goes undercover to expose a human smuggling ring—moonlighting as a dancer and disguising herself as a man. Inspired by an idea Wong had upon her return from China. SUN 6:00 MON/TUE 7:00 8:30 Promotional support…
Screenings: November 17 6:00, November 18 7:00, 8:30, November 19 7:00, 8:30
(1939, 57m) dir Nick Grinde w/Akim Tamiroff, J. Carrol Naish, Sidney Toler. Dr. Chang Ling (Toler) and his daughter, Dr. Mary Ling, (Wong) serve the people of Chinatown who are under constant threat from the mafia. When a racketeer (Tamiroff) is shot and ends up at the hands of Mary, she must decide whether or…
Screenings: November 24 7:00, November 25 7:00, 8:30, November 26 7:00, 8:30