The Tong Man | |
---|---|
Directed by | William Worthington |
Written by | Richard Schayer (scenario) |
Based on | The Dragon’s Daughter by Clyde Westover |
Produced by | George W. Stout |
Starring | Sessue Hayakawa |
Cinematography | Frank D. Williams |
Production company | Haworth Pictures Corporation |
Distributed by | Robertson-Cole Distributing Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 5 reels |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Tong Man is a 1919 American thriller film directed by William Worthington and produced by Haworth Pictures Corporation. [1] [2]
The Tong Man survives and is available on home video. [3] The film has long been preserved by the Library of Congress. [4]
As described in a film magazine, [5] Luk Chen (Hayakawa), whose heart beats for Sen Chee (Eddy) and for her alone, is commissioned by the tong of which he is a member to murder her father for failure to deliver her to Ming Tai (Roberts), a power in San Francisco's Chinatown. His love proves stronger than his sense of duty and he fails to execute the command, so Ming Tai performs the duty in his stead. Ming Tai then abducts Sen Chee. Luk Chen effects a rescue and they conceal themselves in a dungeon belonging to Ming Tai. Their enemy discovers them and for a time it seems their end is only seconds away. They are then rescued and make their way by boat to China.
Sessue Hayakawa was one of the first Asian actors and filmmakers to gain great fame and success in the United States. He starred in both English-language and Japanese-language films. His career peaked during the silent film period but continued on and eventually thrived in the talkie era, culminating with an Academy Award-nominated performance in The Bridge on the River Kwai in 1957.
The Secret Game is a surviving 1917 American silent drama film produced by Jesse Lasky and released through Paramount Pictures. It was directed by William C. deMille and starred Sessue Hayakawa. It survives complete at the Library of Congress and was released on DVD.
The Swamp is a 1921 American silent drama film released by the Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation and directed by Colin Campbell. The film was written and produced by Sessue Hayakawa, who also co-stars with Bessie Love. A print of this film is preserved at the Gosfilmofond archive in Moscow.
The Vermilion Pencil is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Norman Dawn, and produced and distributed by Robertson–Cole. It is based on the eponymous 1908 novel by Homer Lea. The film stars Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa in multiple roles, and white actors Ann May, Bessie Love, and Sidney Franklin, all in Asian roles. It is now a lost film.
A Tale of Two Worlds is a 1921 American silent drama film produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures and directed by Frank Lloyd. The film stars several well-known actors including Leatrice Joy, Wallace Beery, Edythe Chapman, and J. Frank Glendon. The film has been preserved at the Library of Congress.
Drag Harlan is a 1920 American silent Western film produced and released by the Fox Film Corporation and directed by J. Gordon Edwards. The film is based on an original story for the screen and stars William Farnum along with Jackie Saunders as leading lady.
The Victoria Cross is a surviving 1916 American drama silent film directed by Edward LeSaint and written by Paul M. Potter and Margaret Turnbull. The film stars Lou Tellegen, Cleo Ridgely, Sessue Hayakawa, Ernest Joy, Mabel Van Buren and Frank Lanning. The film was released on December 14, 1916, by Paramount Pictures.
The Call of the East is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and written by Beulah Marie Dix. The film stars Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki, Jack Holt, Margaret Loomis, James Cruze, and Ernest Joy. The film was released on October 15, 1917, by Paramount Pictures. It is not known whether the film currently survives, which suggests that it is a lost film.
The White Man's Law is a surviving 1918 American silent drama film directed by James Young and written by Marion Fairfax and John B. Browne. The film stars Sessue Hayakawa, Florence Vidor, Jack Holt, Herbert Standing, Mayme Kelso, and Forrest Seabury. The film was released on May 6, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.
The Gray Horizon is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by William Worthington. Sessue Hayakawa's Haworth Pictures Corporation produced the film and he himself played the lead role. Bertram Grassby, Tsuru Aoki, Eileen Percy, Mary Jane Irving, and Andrew Robson also featured in the film.
Five Days to Live is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Norman Dawn and featuring Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki, Goro Kino, Misao Seki, Toyo Fujita, and George Kuwa.
The Temple of Dusk is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by James Young. It was produced by Sessue Hayakawa's Haworth Pictures Corporation.
The Man Beneath is a 1919 American silent crime drama film directed by William Worthington and produced by Sessue Hayakawa's Haworth Pictures Corporation. An incomplete copy of the film is in the collection of the EYE Film Institute Netherlands.
His Debt is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by William Worthington and produced by Haworth Pictures Corporation.
The Beggar Prince is a lost 1920 film directed by William Worthington and produced by Sessue Hayakawa's Haworth Pictures Corporation.
The Brand of Lopez is a 1920 American film directed by Joseph De Grasse and produced by Sessue Hayakawa's Haworth Pictures Corporation. Although the main characters are a matador and an actress, there are no bull fighting or theater scenes portrayed in the film.
An Arabian Knight is a 1920 American drama film directed by Charles Swickard and produced by Sessue Hayakawa's Haworth Pictures Corporation. Its survival status is classified as unknown, which suggests that it is a lost film.
She Loves and Lies is a 1920 American silent comedy drama film directed by Chester Withey and starring Norma Talmadge, Conway Tearle, and Octavia Broske.
The First Born is a 1921 American silent film romantic drama directed by Colin Campbell and produced by and starring Sessue Hayakawa. It was distributed by the Robertson-Cole Company.
The City of Dim Faces is a lost 1918 silent film directed by George Melford and starring Sessue Hayakawa. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures.