The Bitter Tea of
General Yen is a melodrama set in 1920s China, the late warlord period in
which various factions vied for power while Japan quietly built its strength
across the sea. It involves a young
missionary woman, a crafty warlord, and the collision of idealism with the
practical requirements of power.
A very young Barbara Stanwyck plays the idealistic
missionary woman (more of a girl, really, but I don’t think Barbara Stanwyck
was ever truly a girl – she was probably the savviest young woman in the second
grade), and Nils Asther plays General Yen.
Either Stanwyck is miscast or I just can’t get over the impact of movies
like Ball of Fire and Double Indemnity. I just didn’t buy her idealism, and she can’t
quite sell a religious speech on which the movie’s story hinges. Asther makes a fine general, charming and
ruthless, but I couldn’t help but be distracted by the fact that he was a
made-up European guy surrounded by an Asian supporting cast.
Since I never bought into the female lead’s character, I never could quite suspend my disbelief and buy into the movie. Yes, the photography was lovely, as were the sets and costumes. If nothing else, Ms. Stanwyck was always a pleasure to watch. But when the spell doesn’t work, we’re left with nothing but pictures and sound. I wanted to love The Bitter Tea of General Yen, but it didn’t work for me.
Since I never bought into the female lead’s character, I never could quite suspend my disbelief and buy into the movie. Yes, the photography was lovely, as were the sets and costumes. If nothing else, Ms. Stanwyck was always a pleasure to watch. But when the spell doesn’t work, we’re left with nothing but pictures and sound. I wanted to love The Bitter Tea of General Yen, but it didn’t work for me.
