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Piccadilly
The glitter of Jazz Age clubland meets the Far East (of London) in this stunningly restored silent classic, starring Anna May Wong.
Crime 1929 109 mins Silent
Director: E.A. Dupont
Overview
Stunningly designed and photographed, Piccadilly brings a sparkling cocktail of influences to its presentation of 20s London, from West End glitter to a seedy dive bar in cosmopolitan Limehouse. Tragic heroine Shosho (Chinese-American star Anna May Wong) beguiles her way from lowly nightclub kitchen hand to the star attraction; but will a love tryst with her boss be this deco diva's undoing?
Director E.A. Dupont was a German émigré who brought an international flair to late-1920s British cinema. Shosho's dance routines exploit the contemporary fad for eastern exoticism, but Dupont also offers a rare depiction of London's Chinese community and tackles the then risqué subject of interracial sex - though the censors ruled out an actual kiss between Anna May Wong and co-star Jameson Thomas. Piccadilly was restored by the BFI National Archive and is presented here with a specially commissioned score by Neil Brand.
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