Watch
The Bitter Tea of General Yen

The Bitter Tea of General Yen

1933
Romance, Drama
1h 28m
The American missionary Megan Davis arrives in Shanghai during the Chinese Civil War to marry the missionary Dr. Robert Strife. However, Robert postpones their wedding to rescue some orphans in an orphanage in Chapei section that is burning in the middle of a battlefield... (imdb)
Your probable score
?

The Bitter Tea of General Yen

1933
Romance, Drama
1h 28m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 55.03% from 184 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(184)
Compact view
Compact view
Rated 06 Mar 2011
75
54th
Notable for portraying interracial romance in a time when it was rarely seen (only Broken Blossoms springs to mind). But it's also fueled by power plays... sexual, emotional, and psychological. Until the end, we're never quite sure if the characters are falling in love or simply toying with each other. It makes for some surprising developments. Whether this is bad writing or simply a product of the unusual, almost lyrical nature of the film, I'm not sure. But it certainly is interesting viewing.
Rated 10 Apr 2008
80
68th
The world's cutest Christian missionary gets taken into custody by a Chinese warlord. The two of them get up to something that's, like, y'know, FORBIDDEN. Silly in the way '30s Hollywood movies often were (e.g. patronizing attitudes toward the Chinese, very bad racial impersonations, etc.) but there's much to enjoy here. Walter Connolly in particular is great as such a complete son of a bitch that he *has* to carry a gun to avoid getting his ass kicked daily
Rated 27 Jun 2010
80
91st
I'll take early Capra (Miracle Woman, Lady for a Day, Bitter Tea) over his more-feted mid-period. There's a buzz of energy in these films that hasn't hardened into stridency yet.
Rated 02 Dec 2011
51
2nd
#986
Rated 18 Feb 2013
50
77th
Barbara Stanwyck, a missionary in China, gets kidnapped by a Chinese General/criminal and we get a Hollywood tale about how beautiful Chinese culture is and how evil and worthless their people are. And we have a Dane/Swede Nils Asther as the Chinaman. He does okay I guess, but it's Stanwyck preaching about human worth that this movie is all about. Frank Capra get a good story out of it, the visuals is the best thing about this. While it's easy to hate the bad guys, the story gets too moralistic.
Rated 17 Nov 2013
28
92nd
I don't think Stanwyck has ever been as radiant as when she stepped into his room with full makeup and that sparkly gown.
Rated 02 Jan 2015
50
0th
Frank Capra #3
Rated 23 Oct 2015
100
0th
"Powerful naivete." http://illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2014/11/episode-38-frank-caprabarbara-stanwyck.html
Rated 23 Nov 2015
8
79th
Very well made, but why did she love him? Inner life and sense is elusive, but art and camera are too beautiful.
Rated 23 Feb 2016
13
69th
Star Rating: ★★★1/2
Rated 18 Feb 2019
60
79th
Interesting look at interracial romance, filled with ethnic stereotypes of the 1930s.
Rated 28 Feb 2019
86
40th
85.50
Rated 06 Sep 2022
67
61st
General Yen to Stanwyck: "I'm afraid you are getting wet." Well, yes...but perhaps not in the way to which he was referring. Often inadvertently amusing (the dream-fantasy sequence is hilarious), Stanwyck does her best with the naïve, preachy heroine, which is considerable. Pauline Kael calls this "one of the most sensuously atmospheric (and least cloying) of Frank Capra's films," though it's still a bit heavy-handed with the moralizing. Yen is the most interesting character in the movie.

Collections

(21)
Compact view
Showing 1 - 21 of 21 results

Similar Titles

Loading ...

Statistics

Loading ...

Trailer

No Trailer