Piccadilly by Ewald André Dupont

Like most people who have seen the silent film noir Piccadilly (1929), the one thing that stands out is Anna May Wong. Unlike stereotypical portrayals of Asian characters in Hollywood, Wong holds her own as a seductive femme fatale in this tale of an unseeming love triangle. Wong clearly steals the show with her naturalistic style of acting and her presence on screen that was both captivating and enchanting. I would like to make a point on Wong’s representation in the film that antithesises her with the stereotypical Asian role.
In Cynthia W. Liu’s article ‘When Dragon Ladies Die, Do They Come Back as Butterflies? Re-Imagining Anna May Wong’, she comments on the stereotypes characterized by Asian women. According to Liu, the “butterfly” or “lotus blossom” stereotype personifies “naïveté and self-abnegation”; a description that generalizes Asian women as submissive and nonresistant. However, Wong depicted a character that was nothing of the sort.
A noteworthy aspect of the film is Shosho’s transformation as the beautiful and mysterious scullery maid to the show-stopping vixen main attraction of the club and the film’s male lead. Upon Shosho’s first meeting with Valentine Wilmot, we see a shyness and apprehensiveness to her; the camera focuses on her face, her eyes looking down. But there is also a passive sensuality and suggestiveness hidden underneath her timid exterior waiting to come out illustrated by an innocent concealed kiss with Jim to the overt displays of seduction with Valentine Wilmot. Here we see a complete transition of a shy girl into a strong sexually confident woman.
The film from my perspective was not just another film that only perpetuated the gross stereotypes of Asians in an era of heavy racial intolerance, in fact, quite the opposite. The film glorifies Wong’s character’s ‘Asianness’, drawing away from stereotypes and misconceptions and, as such, capitalizing on the ways in which she is perceived by the Western world – her infamous dance scene which subsequently gave her new found fame is a testament to that. From the sparkly Cambodian-inspired outfit she wears to the soft blurriness of the background, Wong simply shines – the scene was almost dreamlike as if depicting a mythical being.
The way women are portrayed in the film demonstrates that they emanate a certain dominance and authoritativeness. Both Shosho and Mabel utilize their sexual appeal to their advantage. Valentine Wilmot becomes entranced by Shosho exemplified by her successful, yet natural efforts of seducing him and it is hard not to understand why due to Wong’s sensual aura that translates on to film so well. The dominance of women in the film gives rise to the emasculation of men. Both Jim and Valentine fall victim to Shosho’s charm and sexual appeal rendering them subordinate to her authority. Shosho’s quiet authority induces a contract at the club and the affections of Valentine and the stringing-along of Jim who is madly in love with her; something to which she pays no attention. The impact of her authority, however, causes havoc in the end as Valentine loses his star attraction as a result of his love affair with her and the building up of jealousy that leads Jim to kill Shosho. Just like any femme fatale, “In classic film noir, the sexes do not complement eachother; instead, sexual attraction ignites a destructive combustion” (Kaplan, Women in Film Noir, 1978).