''Mr. Wu'' is a 1919 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

and starring

Matheson Lang Matheson Alexander Lang (May 15, 1879 – April 11, 1948) was a Canadian-born stage and film actor and playwright in the early 20th century. He is best remembered for his performances roles in Great Britain in Shakespeare plays. Biography Lang w ...

Roy Royston Roy Royston MC (born Roy Charles Crowden, 5 April 1899 – 7 October 1976) was an English actor who appeared in a large number of films between 1912 and 1966, beginning as a child actor. Most of his films were silents made before the First Wo ...

Lillah McCarthy Lillah Emma McCarthy, Lady Keeble CBE (22 September 1875 – 15 April 1960) was an English actress and theatrical manager. Biography Lila Emma McCarty was born in Cheltenham on 22 September 1875, the seventh of eight children of Jonadab McCar ...

and

Meggie Albanesi Margherita Cecilia Brigida Lucia Maria Albanesi (8 October 1899—9 December 1923) was a British stage and film actress. Life and career She was born in London on 8 October 1899. Her father was Italian-born Carlo Albanesi (1856-1926), a piani ...

. It was based on a 1913 play ''Mr. Wu'' by Maurice Vernon and

Harold Owen William Harold Owen (5 September 1897 – 26 November 1971) was the younger brother and biographer of the English poet and soldier, Wilfred Owen. He was born at the home of his paternal grandparents in Canon Street, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, where hi ...

. During the filming Albanesi became infatuated with Lang. The picture was made by

Stoll Pictures Stoll Pictures was a British film production and distribution company of the silent era, founded in April 1918. Background During the early to mid-1920s it was the largest film company in Britain and one of the biggest in Europe. Its major domes ...

, and was one of their first major successes.

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

played the title role in a 1927

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

. The screenplay concerns a Chinese

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

who murders his daughter.

Plot summary

A Chinese Mandarin murders his daughter after she falls in love with an Englishman.Sweet p.119

Cast

- Mr Wu *

- Mrs Gregory *

- Nang Ping *

- Basil Gregory *

Teddy Arundell Teddy Arundell (1873 in Devon – 5 November 1922, in London) was a British film actor of the silent era. Selected filmography * ''The Lyons Mail'' (1916) * ''Justice'' (1917) * ''Nelson'' (1918) * '' The Swindler'' (1918) * ''The Splendid Cowar ...

- Mr Gregory

References

Bibliography

* Sweet, Matthew. ''Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema''. Faber and Faber, 2005.

External links

* 1919 films British silent feature films 1919 drama films 1910s English-language films Films directed by Maurice Elvey British films based on plays Stoll Pictures films British drama films British black-and-white films 1910s British films Silent drama films {{1910s-UK-film-stub