Piccadilly
Piccadilly
| 01 June 1929 (USA)
Piccadilly Trailers

A young Chinese woman, working in the kitchen at a London dance club, is given the chance to become the club's main act.

Reviews
Alicia I love this movie so much
Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good
Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
Catherina If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
kcfl-1 Don't believe the hype. "Picadilly" is visually splendid. The problem is that the pacing is so incredibly slow, it can give silents a bad name. Within a year, "The Last Command" and "Wind" were released. Those looking for a great film would be advised to see those, not this. I do admire Dupont's use of quick pans, tints, point-of-view shots and other directoral touches. But the script is lame. One example: the boss hires a fired dishwasher to be a star attraction without an audition, because he remembers seeing her dance briefly on a table. It seems to take forever to get to the few points it is trying to make. Example: Before the boss confronts the dishwasher, we see him accosting the waiter, the chef, and other bits of business before a story takes shape.
kerrydragon Beautifully shot movie,especially the tinted scenes, which really captivated me.Most silent movies are grainy,this print is very crisp,clear and has been wonderfully restored.I loved the streams of gay guys in the club at the start,and the edge that the party crowd had even back then.Very hep.The style was way better than any 30's movies I have seen.Jameson Thomas was very hot in this,manly he oozed sex appeal in my opinion.Also Mabel,reminded me of a young Shirley Maclaine,only sexier.Anna May Wong was wonderful as usual,its just too bad,she wasn't treated as the American she was,instead of the stereotypical Chinese,just off the boat roles she usually got.I will see this again as it was one of the best silents I have ever seen.
jadedalex "Piccadilly" features some Hitchcockian touches, and I was taken aback by the talent and allure of Anna May Wong as "Sho Sho"...Hollywood has always loved the curvaceous blonde, from Harlow to Monroe. No wonder brunettes Louise Brooks and Anna May Wong were passed over by Hollywood. Brooks by her own independent attitude...Ms. Wong, simply from prejudice....she was 'non-white'. She is lovely in this film. Unlike some, I was not put off by the 'modern' soundtrack. I am quite put off by the fact that we did not see Ms. Wong in more starring roles...I think of all of the terrible vehicles that Garbo and Dietrich starred in. Yes, they were lovely creatures, but Ms. Wong, without the prejudice, without World War II (doesn't matter if she was Chinese, she was perceived only as an oriental 'dragon lady'), had the beauty and talent to have been recognized as a true 'star' of her time.
ferbs54 2004 was a very good year for fans of the actress Anna May Wong. It saw a Wong retrospective here in NYC's Museum of Modern Art, the first biography about Ms. Wong, by Graham Russell Gao Hodges, AND the rerelease of 1929's "Piccadilly," shown for the first time in decades. I so enjoyed this film when I saw it on the big screen that year that I decided to have another look at it on this fresh DVD, and my, how good it does look! A fascinating story of the rise of a young Chinese woman from scullery maid to feature dancer at a posh London nightclub, "Piccadilly" is a good introduction to Ms. Wong's many charms for those who have not had the pleasure before, or for those many who enjoyed her work in 1932's "Shanghai Express" and have found it hard to see her elsewhere. "Piccadilly," though a late silent, somehow feels strangely modern, and is beautifully shot and marvelously acted by all. The only disappointment for me regarding this DVD rental was with one of the many extras: a panel discussion about Anna May, hosted by B. Ruby Rich in 3/04 at San Francisco's Castro Theatre and including author Hodges AND another legendary Chinese actress, Nancy Kwan. The sound quality of this extra was so extremely echoed and garbled that it was impossible for me to decipher more than a few words of what I'm sure was a fascinating discussion. Doesn't anybody do a quality check on these DVDs before they're released? Whotta disappointment, indeed!