Anna May Wong documentary featured at weekend film festival

September 16, 9:12 PMSF Silent Movie ExaminerThomas Gladysz

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By Thomas Gladysz
SF Silent Film Examiner

A documentary about a legendary Chinese American film star whose career spanned the silent and sound eras will be twice screened this weekend in San Francisco. Anna May Wong ~ Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life, Times and Legend will be shown along with two other documentaries at the First Annual San Francisco Autumn Moon Film Festival. The event, which will be held on Saturday and Sunday, will take place at the Four Seas Restaurant.

The first annual festival, sponsored by the San Francisco Chinatown Merchants Association, will screen Elaine Mae Woo’s acclaimed 2007 documentary on Anna May Wong along with two highly regarded documentaries by Jeff Adachi, The Slanted Screen from 2006, and the recently released You Don't Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story. Both filmmakers will be on hand for the festival.

From silent film star Sessue Hayakawa to the present, The Slanted Screen explores the portrayal of Asian men in American cinema, chronicling the experiences of actors who have struggled against ethnic stereotyping. You Don’t Know Jack tells the story of Jack Soo, an Oakland native who became one of the first Asian Americans cast in the lead role of a television series, the short-lived mid-Sixties sitcom Valentine’s Day. Soo later starred in the popular series Barney Miller (1975-1978).

For fans of silent and early film, the highlight of the weekend might well be Anna May Wong ~ Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life, Times and Legend. Written, directed, and produced by Woo, this first ever documentary on the actress is based on interviews with the actress’ family, friends, fellow artists and colleagues - as well as film footage gathered from archives in the United States and Europe.

Anna May Wong (1905 - 1961) was the first Chinese-American actresses whose stardom was international. Born near Chinatown in Los Angeles to second-generation Chinese-American parents, Wong became infatuated with the movies at an early age. She defied expectations, and from bit parts, Wong eventually went on to appear and sometimes even star in such notable films as Toll of the Sea (1922), Douglas Fairbanks' The Thief of Bagdad (1924), E.A. Dupont's Piccadilly (1929) and Josef von Sternberg's Shanghai Express (1932), with Marlene Dietrich.

Though beautiful, ambitious, and considered a star, Wong was seldom given roles deserving of her talents. Nevertheless, her long and varied career spanned both silent and sound film, television, stage, and radio. In the 1950s, the actress even made television appearances and starred in her own series The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong (1951), the first U.S. television show starring an Asian-American.

Anna May Wong ~ Frosted Yellow Willows is the first film by Elaine Mae Woo. The filmmaker, who had worked in marketing, did not have a background in film history. After being told about Wong, Woo felt compelled to bring the actress’ remarkable story to light. It took ten years. In a recent interview, Woo stated that she hoped others would, in turn, be inspired by her efforts. Woo also suggested she is considering making a second part to her documentary.

Anna May Wong ~ Frosted Yellow Willows is narrated by the award-winning actress Nancy Kwan. Among Kwan’s memorable performances is the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song (1961), the first major American film with an all-Asian cast. Notably, Anna May Wong had been planning a return to the screen in Flower Drum Song when she passed away at the age of 56.

The First Annual San Francisco Autumn Moon Film Festival will take place Saturday, September 19th and Sunday, September 20th at the Four Seas Restaurant. The restaurant is located at 731 Grant Avenue, between Clay & Sacramento Streets.

Devotees of the actress – and there are many – should not miss this opportunity to see Anna May Wong ~ Frosted Yellow Willows. According to the film’s maker, this weekend’s screening will likely be one of the last for some time. The documentary has not been released on DVD.