Films between 1919 and 1939 with U.S. Asians!

Pearl S. Buck's novel of peasant farmers in China has been brilliantly brought to the screen to create one of the 1930s greatest films. This is one of the very FEW films where it is slightly TOLERABLE, to have non-Asians play the lead roles. Considering the time of the 1930's, it was hard for ANY Chinese and/or Asian to find work. As a result, in two magnificent performances by Paul Muni and Oscar winner Luise Rainer (who portray Wang and O-Lan, respectively), at the story's beginning are first introduced to each other on their wedding day. In a gripping series of events, they endure famine, revolution, the death of a child, betrayal, life as refugees and, in a classic sequence, a swarm of locusts.

The mixing of Asian and Anglo cast members surprisingly detracts nothing from the film's power and credibility with audiences (primarily white, of course). This is due, in no small amount, to Muni and Rainer's portrayals. Franklin's direction is self-assured and his epic stagings of a mass exodus, political riot and the locust swarm are superbly juxtaposed by deeply effecting scenes of interpersonal relationships and familial conflict which would resonate in any language or culture.

What made Oberon's (who was born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson) story of particular interest are the great lengths to which she went to conceal her Asianness. She denied being Indian, cultivated her makeup and lighting to look as pale as possible and even concocted a phony life story that had her born in Australia. Another story to hide her Indian identity parentage, she would falsely represent to visitors that her mother was the maid. The biographer Charles Higham believes that Oberon's perpetuation of this ruse ultimately wore her down emotionally and led to her death at age 68. Oberon's portrayal of Cathy in this highly acclaimed adaptation is probably her best-known and best-loved performance. The film ranked number 73 on the American Film Institute's list of "The 100 Best American Movies," the only entry on that list in which an "Asian" performer gets top billing. (HBO Video)


Wuthering Heights

MERLE OBERON PROFILE:

Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson was born in India on February 19, 1911 to a racially mixed Anglo-Indian mother and white Australian father. She was educated in that country until the age of 17 when she arrived in London.

Portrait

Merle began her career in British films with mostly forgettable roles on her part. She appeared in an uncredited role in ALF'S BUTTON in 1930. Unfortunately, Merle would have that trend for the next three years. Finally, in 1933, she landed a part with substance with her role as Ysobel d'Aunay in MEN OF TOMORROW. That was quickly followed by THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII that same year. Up to this point she had been in British films only. After her portrayal of Lady Marguerite Blakeney in THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL in 1934, she came to Hollywood to try her hand at American film making. The US had already had some idea of Merle's talent because they had seen THE BROKEN MELODY which was released in the US as VAGABOND VIOLINIST.

Wuthering Heights

With her nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actress as Kitty Vane in 1935's THE DARK ANGEL, Merle became a star in both Britain and the US. She appeared in several well received films such as THESE THREE (1936), OVER THE MOON (1937), and THE DIVORCE OF LADY X (1938). In 1939, Merle turned in another masterful performance as Cathy Linton in WUTHERING HEIGHTS. The 1940's proved to be a very busy decade where she appeared in no less than 15 movies.

In 1948 she appeared in BERLIN EXPRESS and would not be seen of the screen again until her appearance as Elizabeth Rockwell in PARDON MY FRENCH (1951). Her final film was INTERVAL in 1973. Afterwards, Merle lived in quiet retirement until her death of a massive stroke on November 23, 1979 in Malibu, California. She was 68 and had kept her beauty to the end.