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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

Rent for £3.50

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.

Director

E.A. Dupont

Featuring

Gilda Gray and Anna May Wong

Genres

Crime

Certificate

Contains mild violence

Country

United Kingdom

Language

No Dialogue with English subtitles

Rent for £4.50

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