Plot: Lily Wong is a second-generation Chinese-American woman who has always dreamed of becoming an actress, but never could get a part out side the stereotypical "dragonlady" role that is given to all asian women in American films. Leaving a casting call one day, a nice handsome agent, Jonathan Ritz, notices her and tells her she's be perfect for the next MGM blockbuster about a southern belle during the civil war. Lily is overcome with gratitude and her daydreams of being a big-time actress cloud her judgement. She agrees to a private reading with the agent at his apartment later that night. As the night progresses, the Jonathan's motives make it clear that he's not really interested in Lily as an actress, but just wants her for sex. After some repeated "No's" from Lily, Jonathan gets more forceful, and when he tries to cover her mouth, she grabs the nearest object and gives him a hard hit to the skull. Jonathan falls to the ground, completely still, a small pool of blood beginning to seep out of where she hit him. Panicked, Lily grabs her things and flees the apartment. A couple weeks pass and Lily gets a notice from the company she was at a casting call for when she met Jonathan. She receives the staring role in their film, which eventually propels her to stardom. Fast-forward a year or two, the murder of Jonathan Ritz was initially blamed on a neighbor who he had on-going beef with, but after viewing Lily's film, another neighbor recognizes her from that night and tells police. At this point, Lily is living out her dream of being a big-name star. The authorities are after her now and a wild goose-chase ensues across many states. When Lily is eventually caught, she works out a deal with the police men to get them into her next movie if they let her go. The film ends with a shot of Lily triumphantly riding on the top of the police car.
Genre: Crime Drama
Lily Wong: Jadin Wong Jonathan Ritz: James Cagney
Studio: Warner Brothers were known for making films that would challenge social issues, which at the time involved racism, especially in the film industries. Having a lead actress who wasn't white did this.
Director: Dorothy Arzner
Arzner was the only openly gay director in the film industry at this time which I think would make her more willing to take on a controversial film.
Cinematographer: Hal Mohr
Cinematography will be an important element in this film as it works around the Hay's Code to show the more explicit scenes.
The Code and Technology: Because a prominent point in this film is Ritz's attempted rape, working around the Hay's code will be tricky. It won't be illicitly shown, so the conversation between the two characters is what will tell the audience what is going on. Lily will be very clear that she is merely there to do a run-through of the script and Jonathan will be very clear that he wants more than just a run-through. When the conversation gets to the point of being physical (his move on her and her hitting him), the camera will pan to the wall behind them and their shadows will show the action instead. This film will be a talkie but still in black and white. It needs to be a talkie to be able to convey certain scenes, but the B&W goes better with the mood of the film and won't overwhelm audiences who are already trying to handle the talking and non-white lead actress.
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