Piccadilly
Directed by E.A. Dupont
Written by Arnold Bennett
1929/UK
British International Pictures
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/YouTube
Mabel Greenfield: I want you to leave Valentine alone.
Shosho: Oh! You want me to give you back what you couldn’t keep.
The fabulous Anna May Wong meets a fabulously made British silent.
Playboy Valentine Wilmot (Jameson Thomas) has made a success of his Piccadilly nightclub on the West End of London. The clubs star attraction is the dance act of Vic (Cyril Ritchard) and Mabel (Gilda Gray). Vic lusts after Mabel but she loves Valentine. Vic gets fed up and goes off to seek fame and fortune on Broadway. Mabel continues as a solo act.
In the meantime, Shosho (Anna May Wong) is working in the club’s scullery as a dishwasher. But she prefers to entertain her co-workers, leading to an epidemic of dirty plates. Valentine fires her. But when he notices her lovely legs, he asks her to come upstairs and show him her dancing.
Since the departure of Vic, Valentine’s business hasn’t been going too well. He decides to try out Shosho as a specialty act. She is wildly successful. They begin an affair. Thus begins the tragic love quadrangle plot as both Mabel and Shosho’s lover Jim are insanely jealous. I’ll end here. Charles Laughton has a small uncredited bit as a drunken diner who complains about his plate.
This movie has so much going for it from the fabulous design and cinematography to the acting to Dupont’s masterful direction, especially in the several crowd scenes. He captures the contrast between the posh West End and the grimy decadence of Limehouse where Shosho lives. The stealth with which the two leads have to carry on their interracial tryst is also explored. This was one of my favorites of its year. Highly recommended.
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