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Piccadilly
1929
A British silent murder mystery about Shosho (Anna May Wong, SHANGHAI EXPRESS), scullery maid turned dancer from China, who finds herself caught up in a crooked liaison between a suave nightclub owner Valentine and an obsessive fellow dancer Mabel (Gilda Gray). Features a cameo by Charles Laughton in his feature debut. This is .. Read more
| Starring | Anna May Wong, Jameson Thomas, Gilda Gray, Hannah Jones |
|---|---|
| Director | E.A. Dupont |
| Genres | Drama |
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Piccadilly
A British silent murder mystery about Shosho (Anna May Wong, SHANGHAI EXPRESS), scullery maid turned dancer from China, who finds herself caught up in a crooked liaison between a suave nightclub owner Valentine and an obsessive fellow dancer Mabel (Gilda Gray). Features a cameo by Charles Laughton in his feature debut. This is E.A. Dupont's original silent, with a commissioned score by Neil Brand, and amber and blue tinting as appeared in an original 1929 print. This stylish and evocative Jazz Age melodrama, was actually filmed in London's Piccadilly at the Cafe de Paris and seedy Limehouse in the East End.
| Starring | Anna May Wong, Jameson Thomas, Gilda Gray, Hannah Jones, Charles Laughton |
|---|---|
| Director | E.A. Dupont |
| Studio | BFI VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 48 mins Watch now: 1 hr 49 mins |
| Certificate | DVD: , Watch Online: |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English Watch Online: English |
| Released | DVD: 28 Jun 2004 Watch now: 18 Jul 2009 Production year: 1929 |
| Watch now | Subscribe and watch this as part of an unlimited package. |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews
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Big silent buses, spilling light out onto an incongruously familiar West End, display the film's credits and introduce... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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5 out of 6 people found this review helpful
a little gem
What a little treasure if you liked pandoras box you like this too. this film is wonderful insite into pre modern 'multi-cultral' london its also a great story with fabulous photography, acting and costumes Anna May Wong is a great actress it makes you wonder what she would have been if it hadn't been for the colour bar in early hollywood theres also a great little cameo from Charles Laughton who almost steals the show with his performance you can see he had great talent even then
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Most recent members' review
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
A swinging vision of 1920s London
Piccadilly is a silent, black-and-white, and somewhat cheesy melodrama from 1929. So why should you add it to your DVD rental queue without hesitation? Here are three reasons:
1. It looks great, thanks to director E.A. Dupont, art director Alfred Junge and lighting engineer Werner Brande. This is a British film with a German expressionist sensibility, and is therefore of unique interest. It has atmospheric London street scenes, a swanky night-club and smoky lowlife pubs, tinted in moody yellows and blue (not black-and-white!).
2. It sounds great, with a striking new jazz score by Neil Brand (far from silent!). In a fascinating commentary, Brand explains the ideas behind the music.
3. Anna May Wong's smouldering sensuality and exotic dance routines. A genuine screen icon, on DVD at last.
The British Film Institute (BFI) has lovingly restored Piccadilly, and hopefully they are busy working on more neglected gems from the silent era for DVD release. -
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A British silent murder mystery about Shosho (Anna May Wong, SHANGHAI EXPRESS), scullery maid turned dancer from China, who finds herself caught up in a crooked liaison between a suave nightclub ... -