Mr. Wu (1927 film)

Last updated

Mr. Wu
Mr-wu-movie-poster-md.jpg
Film poster
Directed by William Nigh
Based on
The play Mr. Wu
by
  • Henry Maurice Vernon
  • Harold Owen
[1]
Starring
Cinematography John Arnold [1]
Edited by Ben Lewis [1]
Music by Louis F. Gottschal [1]
Production
company
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Release date
  • March 26, 1927 (1927-03-26)
Running time
80 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States [1]
Language Silent (English intertitles)

Mr. Wu is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by William Nigh and starring Lon Chaney, based on a 1913 stage play. Chaney portrays a Chinese patriarch who tries to exact revenge on the Englishman who seduced his daughter.

Contents

Plot

Full film

In the prologue, Chaney plays Grandfather Wu, entrusting his grandson's education to a trusted English associate, stating "The West is coming to the East. He [my heir] must be prepared for both." Chaney also plays the part of the grandson as a young man who enters an arranged marriage with a delicate girl who dies after giving birth to a daughter. Wu swears he will raise the child as a daughter and a son.

As Mr. Wu's daughter, Nang Ping, emerges into womanhood, he arranges a marriage for her with a mandarin. A lively, spirited girl, she has been educated by her father's old tutor. Despite the seclusion of her father's palace, she meets and falls in love with Basil Gregory, a young Englishman. His father is a diplomat who does not respect Chinese ways and insults the "damned Chinks" to their faces, although the rest of his family is courteous.

Basil later informs Nang Ping that he must return to Britain with his family. However, she surprises him with the revelation that she carries his child. Later, Basil indicates he indeed wants to marry her, but she then claims she was merely trying to establish if he was an "honorable man", and reveals she is already engaged in an arranged marriage. Via a nosy gardener, Nang Ping's father discovers the relationship.

Lon Chaney as Mr. Wu, conducting an orchestra of women. Lon Chaney as Mr Wu.png
Lon Chaney as Mr. Wu, conducting an orchestra of women.

While Wu agonizingly peruses his culture's ancient writings, he concludes that a dishonored daughter must "die by the hand of her father." Despite his great tenderness and love for her, he interprets customary Chinese law as grimly necessitating Nang Ping's execution. Father and daughter bid each other a tearful goodbye. She asks him to spare her lover, indicating that would make death less painful and less meaningless for her. She then obediently retreats to the home's central shrine. The last scene of that act concludes as the curtain dramatically drops over the profile of Wu lifting his sword high above his daughter's prostrate form.

Wu then goes about exacting revenge on the Gregory family, whom he feels is responsible for the "dishonor" and subsequent death of his daughter. He invites Mrs. Gregory and her daughter to his home and tricks the daughter into going into Nang Ping's room, immediately locking her in, imprisoning her on the room's raised outdoor terrace. He has Basil tied up in an adjacent garden, flanked by an axe-wielding servant. By sunset, Mrs. Gregory has the choice of either condemning her son to death or her daughter to prostitution. She says there is another way and offers her own life. Wu explains that this is not the custom in China; the parents are obliged to live on and bear the shame. Nonetheless, Mrs. Gregory continues to insist Wu take her life instead of those of her children, and in an ensuing struggle, Mrs. Gregory stabs Wu with a knife from a nearby desk, thus freeing herself, and ultimately, her daughter and Basil. Wu staggers to strike the gong to signal that Basil should be killed anyway, but a vision of Nang Ping appears, shaking her head and imploring her father with outstretched arms. Pursuing the ghostly image into the hall, Wu dies and is found by his old friend and tutor, who picks up Wu's prayer beads and says "Thus passes the House of Wu."

Cast

Original lobby card with Lon Chaney Mr. Wu lobby card.JPG
Original lobby card with Lon Chaney

Production

Mr. Wu was originally a stage play, written by Harold Owen and Harry M. Vernon. It was first staged in London in 1913; the first U.S. production opened in New York on October 14, 1914 with stage star Walker Whiteside playing Wu. [2]

The film was shot at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in Culver City, California. Script supervisor Willard Sheldon later recalled that Chaney had a good working relationship with director William Nigh and that production went smoothly. [3]

Release

Mr. Wu was released on March 26, 1927. [1] Wu Li Chang, a Spanish-language version of Mr. Wu, was produced in 1930. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>He Who Gets Slapped</i> (film) 1924 film

He Who Gets Slapped is a 1924 American silent psychological thriller film starring Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer, and John Gilbert, and directed by Victor Sjöström. The film was written by Victor Seastrom and Carey Wilson, based on the Russian play He Who Gets Slapped by playwright Leonid Andreyev, which was completed by Andreyev in August 1915, two months before its world premiere at the Moscow Art Theatre on October 27, 1915. A critically successful Broadway production, using an English language translation of the original Russian by Gregory Zilboorg, was staged in 1922, premiering at the Garrick Theatre on January 9, 1922, with Richard Bennett (actor) playing the "HE" role on stage. The Russian original was made into a Russian movie in 1916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evelyn Ankers</span> British-American actress (1918–1985)

Evelyn Felisa Ankers was a British-American actress who often played variations on the role of the cultured young leading lady in many American horror films during the 1940s, most notably The Wolf Man (1941) opposite Lon Chaney Jr., a frequent screen partner.

Man of a Thousand Faces is a 1957 American dark dramatic film detailing the life of silent film actor Lon Chaney, played by James Cagney.

<i>Oliver Twist</i> (1922 film) 1922 film

Oliver Twist is a 1922 American silent drama film adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1838 novel Oliver Twist, featuring Lon Chaney as Fagin and Jackie Coogan as Oliver Twist. The film was directed by Frank Lloyd. It was selected as one of the best pictures of 1922 by New York Times, Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. Walter J. Israel handled the costuming. Studio interiors were filmed at the Robert Brunton Studios in Hollywood. The film's tagline was "8 Great Reels that make you ask for more. Will Hays says Jackie Coogan Films are the sort the World needs." A still exists showing Fagin training his wards to be pickpockets.

<i>Laugh, Clown, Laugh</i> 1928 film

Laugh, Clown, Laugh is a 1928 American silent drama film starring Lon Chaney and Loretta Young. The movie was directed by Herbert Brenon and produced by Irving G. Thalberg for MGM Pictures. A sound version of this film was released in the second half of 1928 and featured a synchronized musical score with sound effects. The film was written by Elizabeth Meehan, based on the 1923 Broadway stage production Laugh, Clown, Laugh by David Belasco and Tom Cushing, which in turn was based on the 1919 play Ridi, Pagliaccio by Fausto Maria Martini.

<i>Where East Is East</i> 1929 film

Where East Is East is a 1929 American synchronized sound drama film starring Lon Chaney as an animal trapper in Laos. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. The motion picture is Chaney's penultimate film without dialogue and the last of his collaborations with director Tod Browning. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer used the Western Electric sound-on-film process to record the soundtrack for the film.

<i>While the City Sleeps</i> (1928 film) 1928 film by Jack Conway

While the City Sleeps is a 1928 American synchronized sound crime drama film about a tough New York City police detective, played by Lon Chaney, out to catch a murdering gangster. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the sound-on-film Western Electric Sound System process. The film was directed by Jack Conway, written by Andrew Percival Younger, and co-starred Anita Page, Carroll Nye, Wheeler Oakman, and Mae Busch.

<i>Outside the Law</i> (1920 film) 1920 film

Outside the Law is a 1920 American pre-Code crime film produced, directed and co-written by Tod Browning and starring Priscilla Dean, Lon Chaney and Wheeler Oakman.

<i>The Blackbird</i> 1926 film

The Blackbird is a 1926 American silent crime film directed by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney. The screenplay was written by Waldemar Young, based on a story "The Mockingbird" by Tod Browning. Cedric Gibbons and Arnold Gillespie handled the set design. Makeup man Cecil Holland also played one of the old men living at the mission. Character actors Eddie Sturgis and Willie Fung appeared in several other Lon Chaney movies during this time period. The film took 31 days to shoot at a cost of $166,000. The tagline was "Lon Chaney in his successor to The Unholy Three". Stills on the internet shows Chaney in his dual role. In April 2012, the film became available on DVD from the Warner Archive collection.

<i>The Road to Mandalay</i> (1926 film) 1926 American film

The Road to Mandalay is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney, Owen Moore, and Lois Moran. It was written by Elliott Clawson, based on a story idea by Tod Browning and Herman Mankiewicz. The script's original shooting title was Singapore. The film took 28 days to complete at a cost of $209,000. The worldwide box office gross was $724,000. Some stills exist showing Chaney's makeup as Singapore Joe.

<i>Bits of Life</i> 1921 film

Bits of Life is a 1921 American film produced and directed by Marshall Neilan. The cast included Lon Chaney and Noah Beery, Sr. For her performance in this film, Anna May Wong received her first screen credit. It is notable as an early anthology film, comprising four short stories: “The Bad Samaritan” by Thomas McMorrow, “The Man Who Heard Everything” by Walter Trumbull, “Hop” by Hugh Wiley, and “The Intrigue” by Marshall Neilan. The four stories were unrelated, shot with different casts, by different directors, and at different times. The poster called the format "The Magazine Idea brought to the screen". The film's tagline was "The Social World! The Underworld! and San Francisco's Chinatown!".

Maid of the Mist is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse, written by James Dayton and featuring Lon Chaney and Pauline Bush. The film is now considered to be lost. The Blake book on Chaney oddly lists Chaney as playing "Jed, the postmaster" in the film, but all other sources claim Chaney played the heroine's father, Lin.

A Mother's Atonement is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse, written by Ida May Park, and featuring Lon Chaney and Cleo Madison. Chaney played a dual role as Ben Morrison. Two stills exist showing Lon Chaney in both of the roles he plays in the film.

<i>The Mark of Cain</i> (1916 film) 1916 film

The Mark of Cain is a 1916 American silent lost film directed by Joe De Grasse, written by Stuart Paton, and starring Lon Chaney and Dorothy Phillips. The film's tagline was "A Thrilling Drama of the Long Arm of the Law With an Absorbing Love Interest". The film's working title was By Fate's Decree.

<i>The Place Beyond the Winds</i> 1916 film

The Place Beyond the Winds is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse, and starring Lon Chaney, Gretchen Lederer and Dorothy Phillips. It was written by Ida May Park, based on the novel by Harriet T. Comstock. The director De Grasse also played a role in the film. The film's original working title was Mansion of Despair. A still exists showing Chaney in the role of Jerry Jo, the homeless man.

<i>Victory</i> (1919 film) 1919 film by Maurice Tourneur

Victory is a surviving 1919 American action film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Jack Holt, Seena Owen, Lon Chaney, Wallace Beery and Bull Montana. The film is an adaptation of the 1915 eponymous novel by Joseph Conrad. The screenplay was written by Jules Furthman and Ben Carré was the art director.

<i>Flesh and Blood</i> (1922 film) 1922 film by Irving Cummings

Flesh and Blood is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Lon Chaney, Noah Beery, Edith Roberts and De Witt Jennings. The film originally had a color flashback scene with Chinese actors, but the color footage is no longer in any of the available prints. The film's working titles were Prison and Fires of Vengeance. Interior scenes were shot at Universal Studios.

<i>Quincy Adams Sawyer</i> 1922 film by Clarence G. Badger

Quincy Adams Sawyer is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Clarence G. Badger. Distributed by Metro Pictures, the film is written by Bernard McConville, based on the 1900 novel Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks, written by Charles Felton Pidgin. The novel had sold over 1.5 million copies at the time, and had had a successful run as a play. Pidgin went on in later years to write two sequels to his novel due to its immense popularity.

Mr. Wu is a 1919 British drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Matheson Lang, Roy Royston, Lillah McCarthy and Meggie Albanesi. It was based on a 1913 play Mr. Wu by Maurice Vernon and Harold Owen. During the filming Albanesi became infatuated with Lang. The picture was made by Stoll Pictures, and was one of their first major successes. Lon Chaney played the title role in a 1927 remake. The screenplay concerns a Chinese Mandarin who murders his daughter.

<i>The Jade Pendant</i> 2017 American film

The Jade Pendant is a 2017 American Western film directed by Leong Po-Chih and starring Godfrey Gao as Tom Wong, Clara Lee as Peony, following a tragic love story leading to the largest mass lynching in American history, of 19 Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles' Chinatown, in 1871.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Mr. Wu". American Film Institute . Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  2. IBDB entry for the play Mr. Wu
  3. Blake 1995, p. 190.

Sources