Mr. Wu

With of course the help from Lon Chaney at his ever best. I have it in an excellent copy from TCM France. It is really an amazing movie, where the great and unique Lon Chaney is as awesome, outstanding as ever, in a role which only him could have. The lead character with of course a doomed fate, that will surprise no one and I don't spoil anything by saying this. I don't even imagine such a story made in the "sound" era. It is totally crazy, incredible in the good way. This is a pure drama, powerful, gripping but, again, with Lon Chaney, how could it be different? I checked William Nigh's filmography and it seems that's his best picture before the talkies period, a period when Nigh will slowly but surely fall down into the B and Z movies depths. He will also use Bela Lugosi in another Chinese character as Mr Wong.

No, not a great silent film, but nearly so and still an absorbing and entertaining 90 minutes in which to wallow in yet another great Lon Chaney performance. And with some high MGM production values, I almost wished some of Cedric Gibbons' garden scenes could have been shot in Technicolor, although the b&w nitrate print is pristine and atmospheric.

Simple tale expertly unfolded: Honourable Mandarin Mr. Wu's beautiful daughter Nang Ping falls in love with heavily made up Englishman Ralph Forbes with the usual tragic biological consequences. Worthy of University dissertations is the portrayal of both East and West as hamstrung by racist social customs and conventions, real and fictional. It persists today: some people are simultaneously hamstrung by the fact that miscegenation can be frowned upon in certain backward quarters but paradoxically also that a member of one race can act the part of another on film and stage. Mr. Wu is shown to be the then usual Chinese stereotype with inscrutable savagery masked with a veneer of (Western) inculcated civilisation, but a real Chinese would have had to have played it the same as Chaney: it was merely the custom after all. And the whites were also shown to be usual Western stereotypes in a foreign country with condescension and arrogance mixed with ingenuousness. Anna May Wong is here in another good role as sidekick to the unfortunate heroine, whilst Holmes Herbert had a few patronising scenes and never looked older. The climax to the affair is striking - if remade today I'd expect a somewhat different conclusion to mull over!

All in all well worth watching for enlightened silent melodrama fans.

In this weighted telling of the clash of two cultures Lon Chaney gives two magnificent portrayals of a Chinese Patriarch and his son bound to an ancient Cantonese Tradition regarding honor. The problem is the story pitting American mother Courage against ancient, outmoded bloodthirsty and sadistic Chinese tradition. In spite of its blatant bias Chaney brings to both elder and younger. admirable qualities with a certain dignity.

Raised by a strict grandfather Wu is determined to keep the Chinese tradition of choosing his daughter's husband to be sight unseen. She rebels when she meets a Britisher who in a nice touch has to climb over a wall to meet her. They get serious she dishonors the family, she must die. And that's not all.

With the Chinese Exclusion Act in place until 1943 one might see how easy it was to make one culture look so good and one so hostile. It's handsomely designed safely composed in favor of Chaney's beautifully nuanced and restrained performances while Rene Adoree as Wu's daughter Nang Ping seems contrived in comparison to Anna Mae Wong in a supporting role who would have brought so much more to the lead.

Even with it's blatant xenophobic thrust Mr. Wu is a fascinating document for the times of social acceptance. Just as much is to be said for the artistry of Mr. Chaney.

As a youngster in the 1950's I was in a library thumbing through a large movie book when I found a few pages dedicated to Lon Chaney,there were several photos of him in make-up. I just stared at the photos with a great interest.One of the photos that awed me was that of Mr. Wu,it and other characters were a sharp contrast to his natural features. Through the years I've been able to obtain some of the more common Chaney movies but only recently have I viewed this movie.It didn't take long to grab my attention,the opening credits were accompanied by a powerful music score that assured the viewer they were about to see a drama.Overall I would say the music for this video copy contributed to a solid 25% of my viewing enjoyment.Other points of the movie that made it enjoyable for me were: As in other of his movies Lon Chaney doesn't rely only on make-up to entertain an audience,he does his homework on his character and adds distinct mannerisms that fit the part he is playing.The human goodness of the daughter(Adore)the way she can make her father(Chaney) smile who otherwise is usually serious.Anna May Wong does not have a major part but when seen she has great screen presence.Louise Dresser another talented actress takes part in a very serious scene that let's the viewer know what acting is all about.Upon viewing the whole movie there is one stand-out and that is mr. Chaney,there is no doubt he is the star of the movie.One is left with the feeling that his performance reached out to the audience a little further than the others.It can be said this movie is about a young man(Forbes)meeting a young lady(Adoree) and falling in love. What makes the movie though is the result of this encounter.If I were to view this movie with someone other than family I'd want to make them aware some parts demean Asians in picture and word,take it out nothing is lost only gained.I only encourage people to watch movies that I like,this is one of them.

Turner Classic Movies aired this movie with a new music score for the first time on Oct 31, 2000. It was GREAT! It was the first time it has been shown on TV. Mr. WU is about a Chinese man who's daughter has fallen in love with a man from the west. The man already has plans to marry his daughter into another Chinese family of great society. When Wu finds out the man from the west decided to leave his daughter he realizes he must carry out an old Chinese law stating if a daughter is defiled the father must kill her. Will WU kill his daughter? TCM should be showing this movie often now that it has a music score. Look for Lon Chaney's make up as both Mr. Wu and Wu's grandfather. A must see for Lon Chaney fans.