Piccadilly (1929)

Monday July 9, 7pm, The Paramount Seattle



"Just imagine the whole place being upset by one little Chinese girl in the scullery."

A failing nightclub owner abandons his star for a beautiful Chinese dishwasher, who becomes an exotic sensation. Shosho leaves her old life behind and blossoms in the spotlight, while bitter, jilted Mabel withers on the vine, setting the stage for a tragic confrontation. Directed by a cornerstone of Weimar cinema, the great E. A. Dupont, and exquisitely photographed by Werner Brandes, Piccadillly was British International Pictures "…most expensive and prestigious production at the time." Featured performers include Thomas Jameson as Valentine the amoral boss, Gilda Gray as his faded star, Cyril Ritchard as her fawning partner and Anna May Wong in a dazzling role as the drudge turned star who saves the Piccadilly Club. Charles Laughton's cameo as a drunken, temperamental patron is memorable. In spectacular fashion, Piccadilly exposes the seedy underbelly of nineteen-twenties nightclub life, from the box-office to the scullery, and the fish rots from the head down.

   

STG Presents!
Seattle Theatre Group, the Paramount Theater and Trader Joe's present the return of Silent Movie Mondays with E. A. Dupont's Piccadilly (1929), starring Anna May Wong, featuring live musical accompaniment performed at the Paramount's original 1928, Publix One 4/20 Wurlitzer organ by Jim Riggs.