The Bitter Tea of General Yen

"They found a love they dared not touch!"

1933 1h 28m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 105

DramaRomanceWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Shanghai, China, the 1920s. In the midst of a bloody civil war, General Yen, a ruthless warlord, rescues Megan Davis —who was about to marry a missionary— from certain death amid the chaos.

“They found a love they dared not touch!”

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Cast

Barbara Stanwyck
Megan
Nils Asther
General Yen
Toshia Mori
Mah-Li
Walter Connolly
Jones
Gavin Gordon
Bob
Lucien Littlefield
Mr. Jackson
Richard Loo
Captain Li
Helen Jerome Eddy
Miss Reed

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Frank Capra
Writers: Edward E. Paramore Jr., Grace Zaring Stone
Languages: Mandarin, English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

93 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Frank Capra, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by W. Franke Harling. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Edward Curtiss shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther and Toshia Mori carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Frank Capra directs. Joseph Walker behind the camera. W. Franke Harling scores. Edward Curtiss cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Mandarin, English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
293 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, English, French.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Frank Capra, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by W. Franke Harling. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Edward Curtiss shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther and Toshia Mori carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "They found a love they dared not touch!".
10IMDB entry: tt0023814 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.