ANNA MAY WONG | SHANGHAI EXPRESS [1932] Portrait

Anna May Wong. Shanghai Express. [Los Angeles: Paramount Pictures, 1932]. Vintage original 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm) black-and-white glossy silver gelatin photo. Near fine. 

A beautiful portrait of Anna May Wong for one of her most substantial roles in a major talking film, the notorious pre-Code opus Shanghai Express directed by Josef von Stroheim. Though Wong received third billing behind Marlene Dietrich and Clive Brook, her portrayal of Hui Fei is universally regarded as a masterclass in acting. Hui Fei is a fiercely independent woman navigating a train ride from Peking to Shanghai during the Chinese Civil War, which is hijacked by rebel forces. Her performance often overshadowed Dietrich’s. Unfortunately, she would not be cast in another role as complex as this.

Photo coded P671-245.