Silent film obsession - Piccadilly

One of the pinnacles of British silent cinema, Piccadilly is a sumptuous showbiz melodrama seething with sexual and racial tension. The Chinese-American screen goddess Anna May Wong stars as Shosho, a scullery maid in a fashionable London nightclub whose sensuous tabletop dance catches the eye of suave club owner Valentine Wilmot. She rises to become the toast of London and the object of his erotic obsession - to the bitter jealousy of Mabel, his former lover and star dancer (played by Ziegfeld Follies star Gilda Gray).
-BFI review

Piccadilly is a remarkable silent film that is more memorable for the charismatic screen presence of Anna May Wong, than its melodramatic plot. Pandora's Box, which came out the same year, has a more powerful story, but Piccadilly touches upon the then taboo relationship between races. Forbidden desire toward those not like ourselves seemed daring, romantic and exotic, but they could never be consummated on film. The lover, whether male or female, always returned to white society, while the other fell victim to self sacrifice. Anna May Wong complained that for most of her career her characters always died at the end. Here is no exception. But Piccadilly offers her the best screen role of her career. As a dishwash girl in a fancy nightclub, she as Shosho is discovered as a hidden talent to the club owner, who is not happy with the draw of his current star, Mabel, who was a former lover. She is discovered because he goes down to the washroom to fire someone for not properly cleaning a dish, which was served to a customer. Shosho was dancing on the countertop, and was reprimanded. But Wilmot, the club owner, saw potential, and later takes her under his wing and grooms her to be the next star of the club. Shosho is no starry eyed neophyte; she is smart enough to demand control over her look and to hire a family member to play the music. Her performance is a hit. Mabel is jealous of her success, and of Wilmot's increasing ardor for her. An argument follows, and Shosho is killed. A twisting courtroom trial follows, and the killer is sentanced.

While having notable parts in the silent Thief of Bagdad and Peter Pan, Anna May Wong captured worldwide notice with her role in Piccadilly. She was perfect for silent film -- her eyes and body language oozed sensuality and expression. This is one of the only films where she is allowed to kiss a white man. The director, E.A. DuPont captures the feel of 1920's jazz age London as well as the grimy underworld that barely separated the two. The overall acting of the cast is good, probably above average for it's day, but for modern viewers it will seem a little stiff. Recommended to silent film lovers and those with an interest in the screen legend of Ann May Wong.