Product Description

Platform:  DVD MOVIE Publisher:  ALPHA VIDEO Packaging:  DVD STYLE BOX At the height of World War II Kwan Mei a beautiful Chinese aristocrat is forced to work in the rice paddies as a slave. She and the rest of her village are subject to the brutal whims of their Japanese captors whose sadism is matched only by their greed. When the Japanese general is bewitched by Kwan Mei's beauty she sees her chance for vengeance. Endangering her life and inviting the mistrust of her comrades Kwan Mei becomes the general's lover in hopes of gathering information that will help the struggle against their masters. On the eve of a massive Japanese invasion Kwan Mei risks everything on a bloody insurrection that will protect her country from the invading horde.It what may have been his most well-timed and well-crafted movie William Nigh told the story of America's Chinese allies with sympathy and respect. With a cast assembled from PRC regulars like Anna May Wong (Bombs Over Burma) character actors like Harold Huber (from the Charlie Chan series) to bona fide stars like Mae Clarke (Frankenstein Public Enemy) the characters were given a depth and dignity rarely matched in the poverty row era. Starring: Anna May Wong Harold Huber & Mae ClarkeDirected by: William Nigh DVD Details: Run Time: 68 minutesNumber of Discs: 1Originally Released in 1943Black & WhiteNo region encoding; For global distribution.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79264 in DVD
• Brand: Alpha Video
• Released on: 2005-05-31
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Platform: DOS
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .56 pounds
• Running time: 90 minutes

Customer Reviews

Propaganda Flick Features Wong's Talent
Lady from Chungking and Bombs over Burma both starred Anna May Wong; predictably both were made by the same production company at about the same point in the war. Both came at a time when the Japanese (guilty by association - the Japanese Americans) became the enemy (the "Other") and with equal vigor all the rest of the Asians - particularly the Chinese Americans saw a change of heart - we are now all allies. This adds credence to the old adage that "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." This is an effective and low budget wartime drama. Anna May Wong's has that special something that adds a bit of magic. The story has Wong as the leader of a resistance group (but this time in the fields (undercover since she is THE Lady from Chungking) to the Japanese invaders in China. Anna May Wong is once again nothing short of stellar. She does however get lots of assistance from her supporting crew. Mae Clarke is hot as "Times Square." The core of Orientalism is seen in the Japanese general with whom Wong's character must outsmart. Harold Huber is miscast for the role. However, for the purposes of the movie he is perfect as the greedy yet short-sighted, egotistical but foolish Japanese general we have been racialized to believe. In this movie, unlike Bombs over Burma, Wong gets to explore her range. At certain times in the movie she is this meek subject of the occupiers, at other instances she is this tough as nails leader of the underground ready to sacrifice everything... and I mean "everything." Despite taking the risk of falling prey to this form of Orientalism may is decked out and looks hot and elegant as the Lady from Chungking - I would fall for her. General Kaimura did not stand a chance. Anna May Wong might be better remembered for high budget productions like The Thief of Bagdad but it is great to see her in this propaganda flick that make available examples of her wide range of talents.

Miguel Llora

Anna May Wong stars again
Obviously low budget and a war propaganda film but many merits and the stellar performance of Anna May Wong as the Chinese aristocrat battling the brutal Japanese invaders. Good in telling the conditions in China under the Japanese.