A Chinese posing as an American goes to Monte Carlo where he falls in love with Alanna, who later goes berserk upon learning his true identity.A Chinese posing as an American goes to Monte Carlo where he falls in love with Alanna, who later goes berserk upon learning his true identity.A Chinese posing as an American goes to Monte Carlo where he falls in love with Alanna, who later goes berserk upon learning his true identity.
Wilson Benge
- Bathurst's Butler
- (uncredited)
Ivan Christy
- Cafe Manager
- (uncredited)
Wong Chung
- One of Lee Ying's Associates
- (uncredited)
Geraldine Dvorak
- Roulette Player
- (uncredited)
James Eagles
- Spud
- (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
- Indian Woman
- (uncredited)
Robert Homans
- Dugan
- (uncredited)
George Irving
- Attorney
- (uncredited)
Dorothy Mathews
- Alice Hart
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Frank Lloyd(uncredited)
- Writers
- Rex Beach
- Bradley King(screen version)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe 2-strip Technicolor sequence, running 442 feet, i.e. the flashbacks to San Francisco's Chinatown, when Sam was a child, only survives in black and white and has been given a Sepiatone treatment for the Turner Classic Movies presentation.
- GoofsWhen Sam writes his father about being in the South of France, the visual shown next is the Catalina Casino on Catalina Island just off the southern California coast, something very well known to the film industry where this film was made or to anyone from the West Coast.
- Alternate versionsFirst National Pictures, Inc. also released this film as a silent, for which Bradley King also wrote the titles.
- SoundtracksPretty Little You
(1929) (uncredited)
Music by Sol Violinsky
Lyrics by Ben Ryan
Sung by Frank Albertson, James Eagles, Geneva Mitchell and Barbara Leonard
Featured review
East Is East & West Is West, Usually
A wealthy young man, raised as a SON OF THE GODS, must confront his Chinese heritage while living in a White world.
Although the premise upon which this film is based is almost certainly a biological impossibility and the secret of the plot when revealed at the movie's conclusion makes all which has preceded it faintly ludicrous, the story still serves up some decent entertainment and good acting.
Richard Barthelmess has the title role as the sweet-natured Oriental whose life is terribly complicated because he looks Caucasian. Barthelmess keeps the tone of his performance serious throughout, gazing intently into the middle distance (a mannerism he developed during Silent Days) whenever his character is indecently misused. He makes no attempt to replicate his classic performance in D. W. Griffith's BROKEN BLOSSOMS (1919) and this is to his credit. Beautiful Constance Bennett is the millionaire's daughter who makes Barthelmess miserable. She is gorgeous as always, but her behavior does not endear her to the viewer and her terrible illness in the final reel is kept mercifully off screen.
Multi-talented Frank Albertson has a small role as Barthelmess' improvident buddy. Serene E. Alyn Warren and blustery Anders Randolf play the leading stars' very different fathers, while Claude King distinguishes his brief appearance as the English author who befriends Barthelmess.
Movie mavens will recognize little Dickie Moore, uncredited, playing Barthelmess as a tiny child.
The original Technicolor of the flashback sequence has faded with time to a ruddy tint. The shot purporting to be the South of France instead looks suspiciously like Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California.
Although the premise upon which this film is based is almost certainly a biological impossibility and the secret of the plot when revealed at the movie's conclusion makes all which has preceded it faintly ludicrous, the story still serves up some decent entertainment and good acting.
Richard Barthelmess has the title role as the sweet-natured Oriental whose life is terribly complicated because he looks Caucasian. Barthelmess keeps the tone of his performance serious throughout, gazing intently into the middle distance (a mannerism he developed during Silent Days) whenever his character is indecently misused. He makes no attempt to replicate his classic performance in D. W. Griffith's BROKEN BLOSSOMS (1919) and this is to his credit. Beautiful Constance Bennett is the millionaire's daughter who makes Barthelmess miserable. She is gorgeous as always, but her behavior does not endear her to the viewer and her terrible illness in the final reel is kept mercifully off screen.
Multi-talented Frank Albertson has a small role as Barthelmess' improvident buddy. Serene E. Alyn Warren and blustery Anders Randolf play the leading stars' very different fathers, while Claude King distinguishes his brief appearance as the English author who befriends Barthelmess.
Movie mavens will recognize little Dickie Moore, uncredited, playing Barthelmess as a tiny child.
The original Technicolor of the flashback sequence has faded with time to a ruddy tint. The shot purporting to be the South of France instead looks suspiciously like Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California.
- Ron Oliver
- Feb 25, 2006
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- El hijo de los dioses
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $436,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
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