Piccadilly

E.A. (Varieté) Dupont's Piccadilly stars the sultry Anna May Wong in one of her greatest roles. One of the last silent movies to be made before the advent of talkies, the 1929 silent masterpiece has been brilliantly restored by the British Film Institute. 

After many years of being passed over for leading roles in Hollywood, Anna May Wong left for Europe in search of better work. Her electric performance in Piccadilly is one such example. In the film, the owner of Club Piccadilly dumps his jazz star (Gilda Gray) in favor of a young Chinese scullery maid Shosho (Anna May Wong) discovered working —and dancing—in the back kitchen. Shosho’s big break sets off a plot of betrayal, intrigue, and forbidden love.

With lavish costumes and stunning cinematography, Piccadilly is a wonderful opportunity to see Asian-American actress Anna May Wong in one of her few silent starring roles. 

This screening is part of our ongoing series "From Silent Film Star to American Icon: Celebrating Anna May Wong", presented in partnership with the Wharton Studio Museum and Cinemapolis in honor of Silent Movie Month in Ithaca. The series is made possible by generous support from the Asian-American Studies Program, the East Asian Program at the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, the Department of History, the Department of Performing and Media Arts, and the Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. 

 "Wong is sensationally expressive and projects a modern, coolly appraising sexuality. Visually eloquent and often dazzling, the movie is no less terrific."" (J. Hoberman, Village Voice) 

Film website: https://milestonefilms.com/products/piccadilly