That was an excellent one.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

In 1930 this film must have been daring subject matter. Barthelmess, a top box office star, and Bennett, almost at the top, were the bait to lure in the audience. But the plot is hard to swallow. Barthelmess as the super nice Sam is Chinese but doesn't look it and he speaks English like a native American. Why would the other characters in the film believe he was Chinese? The ending, when we learn he's not Chinese, makes perfect sense. But this also ruins the whole moral point about racial prejudice.Bennett plays Allana, a girl in love with love. As an actress she is not yet skilled enough to make her sometimes stilted lines believable and her acting occasionally produces guffaws, such as when she proclaims to Sam, "I love you, I love you ..." and waves her arms about for emphasis. In reviewing this film, Variety wrote that Bennett, "offers a performance of exceptional excellence ... authenticity of her acting" and more words of high praise. Seeing this film in 2015, I fail to see what Variety saw in 1930.The scenes in the south of France, which looks like Catalina Island west of L.A., were idyllic. Sam was happy working for Bathurst, happy spending his days writing on the terrace and his nights at the casino. Whether Sam and Allana find happiness after the fadeout (doubtful), he/they should set up housekeeping/business here, where Sam can be who he is - a rich American who was adopted by a rich Chinese couple, and who, after some necessary mental readjustment and serious study of Confucius, will recognize and accept his good fortune of being the beneficiary of both cultures.

... when matters of race enter the equation. That is the theme of this very early talkie that centers on the social dilemma of Sam Lee, college-aged son of a wealthy Chinese-American man. Sam (Richard Barthelmess) is a well-mannered intelligent young man. He looks Caucasian although he doesn't hide his heritage from his friends and associates. That doesn't mean he wears a sign around his neck announcing it either, and he shouldn't have to. This causes misunderstandings with girls he meets who somehow think they've been taken advantage of if Sam as much as dances with them before they know the truth.He gets tired of this same situation playing out time and time again, leaves school, and goes abroad. There he meets naughty flirt Allana Wagner, a bored wealthy girl who passes her time by breaking hearts. However, Sam's straightforward manner engages her, and soon she is falling for him. Unwilling for history to repeat itself, Sam tries to tell her that he is Chinese, but Allana makes sweeping statements about how nothing matters if they love each other, and poor Sam takes this shallow girl at face value. This sets him up for a very public fall when Allana finds out the truth from her father.This film is very candid for its time in discussing issues of race and social interaction, and it was headed for a very daring end when the writers, at the last minute, produce a happy ending that pulls what could have been some powerful punches.This film is well acted by all of the principal players and the leads are well cast, with Barthelmess always doing well as the thoughtful optimistic guy confronted with a world not as kind and well-meaning as himself. Constance Bennett, the girl with the china doll looks that often belies the cynicism and treachery of the characters she plays, is perfect in her part as Allana. Highly recommended.

A wealthy young man, raised as a SON OF THE GODS, must confront his Chinese heritage while living in a White world.Although the premise upon which this film is based is almost certainly a biological impossibility and the secret of the plot when revealed at the movie's conclusion makes all which has preceded it faintly ludicrous, the story still serves up some decent entertainment and good acting.Richard Barthelmess has the title role as the sweet-natured Oriental whose life is terribly complicated because he looks Caucasian. Barthelmess keeps the tone of his performance serious throughout, gazing intently into the middle distance (a mannerism he developed during Silent Days) whenever his character is indecently misused. He makes no attempt to replicate his classic performance in D. W. Griffith's BROKEN BLOSSOMS (1919) and this is to his credit. Beautiful Constance Bennett is the millionaire's daughter who makes Barthelmess miserable. She is gorgeous as always, but her behavior does not endear her to the viewer and her terrible illness in the final reel is kept mercifully off screen.Multi-talented Frank Albertson has a small role as Barthelmess' improvident buddy. Serene E. Alyn Warren and blustery Anders Randolf play the leading stars' very different fathers, while Claude King distinguishes his brief appearance as the English author who befriends Barthelmess.Movie mavens will recognize little Dickie Moore, uncredited, playing Barthelmess as a tiny child.The original Technicolor of the flashback sequence has faded with time to a ruddy tint. The shot purporting to be the South of France instead looks suspiciously like Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California.

maybe we saw a different copy, but the version i watched had allana deciding she couldn't live without sam even though she thought he was Chinese. he only told her about his being white after she had already decided to stay with him. still unbelievable, but not as bad as if she could only consider him if he was white.yes, the Chinese spoken by the white actors were pretty awful, but at least it was recognizable as an attempt.for 1930, this was a pretty sympathetic portrayal of Chinese, even before world war two made china an ally of the united states against japan.