In May, The Cary celebrates Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a spotlight on actress, Anna May Wong.
Anna May Wong was the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood. Her career spanned motion pictures, television, and theater. She appeared in more than 60 movies, including silent films and one of the first movies made in Technicolor. Throughout her life, she advocated for greater representation of Asian American actors in Hollywood. Her legacy continues to inspire actors and filmmakers today. Wong is also the first Asian American to be on US currency (Quarter, 2022).
An intoxicating mix of adventure, romance, and pre-Code salaciousness, Shanghai Express marks the commercial peak of an iconic collaboration. Marlene Dietrich is at her wicked best as Shanghai Lily, a courtesan whose reputation brings a hint of scandal to a three-day train ride through war-torn China. On board, she is surrounded by a motley crew of foreigners and lowlifes, including a fellow fallen woman (Anna May Wong), an old flame (Clive Brook), and a rebel leader wanted by the authorities (Warner Oland). As tensions come to a boil, director Josef von Sternberg delivers one breathtaking image after another, enveloping his star in a decadent profusion of feathers, furs, and cigarette smoke. The result is a triumph of studio filmmaking and a testament to the mythic power of Hollywood glamour.
Appearing in over sixty movies throughout her career, Anna May Wong was the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood. In addition to her roles in silent films, television, and stage, Wong landed a role in one of the first movies made in Technicolor. Internationally recognized, her legacy continues to influence entertainers around the world.
While working on films in the United States, Wong was still asked to play stereotypical Asian roles. When the director of the film Dangerous to Know asked her to use Japanese mannerisms when playing a Chinese character, Wong refused. Wong later accepted another stereotypical role in Daughter of the Dragon because she was promised that she would be able to appear in a Josef von Sternberg film. She later appeared in one of her most famous films, Shanghai Express, with her friend Marlene Dietrich. After this movie in 1932, Wong spent the next year touring China. She returned to the United States in the 1950s and became the first Asian American to lead a US television show for her work on The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong. Wong was also planning to return to film in the United States.
TICKETS + INFO