East Is West

This is not an easy film to see but if you turn over the right rocks you may be able to. It's fun to watch devout Jew Robinson and lovely Mexican Lupe Velez play orientals (it was o.k. to use that term back then; don't understand why it no longer is....). This is possibly the second of Robinson's Asian portrayals; "possibly" as Robinson's Cobra Collins in OUTSIDE THE LAW is of somewhat ambiguous ethnicity although his mother in that film is clearly of Asian extraction. Seeing Robinson in virtually any film in which he appeared prior to LITTLE CAESAR is both fascinating and of cinematic historical significance. EAST IS WEST is no exception. Don't let your viewing and possible enjoyment of the film be marred by revisionist thinking i.e. it being racially stereotypical and thus now more than 80 years later we should deem it offensive etc. It was a different if not necessarily a better time. Just accept this film at face value as well as in its proper historical and chronological contexts and you might have some fun with it. It's clear to see Robinson was enjoying it all; much more so than he did the somber hatchet man he played 2 years later in a film of the same title. Hope you can find a decent, watchable copy as did I.

I have seen and reviewed most of Edward G. Robinson's films and would love to one day see and review them all. However, a few films are simply unavailable and have probably decomposed over time. A few, like "East Is West", do exist...but the copies are VERY poor. This one bordered on being unwatchable as the picture is a mess and the sound isn't all too good either. So, if I ever find a better copy, I'll re-watch and possibly re-review the picture. Additionally, a better copy might have decent captions, and understanding the lead better as she delivered her lines would have made watching much more enjoyable.

Like many films of the 1930s-50s, this Hollywood film features many white actors pretending to be Asians. I dislike this less because of political correctness but more because it just seems silly to see these American folks in such ridiculous roles for them. Asians playing Asians would have been a lot more realistic! In fact, American films with Asians in the leads during this period are pretty rare, whereas practically every great actor of the era at one time played Asians, such as Walter Huston and Katharine Hepburn in "The Dragon Seed", Louise Rainier in "The Good Earth" (for which she received an Oscar!) and even John Wayne in "The Conqueror"! "East Is West" is unusual because Edward G. Robinson plays an Asian-American...and he also played one in "The Hatchet Man" around that same time period! Despite my rant, I am NOT saying not to see such films...as in many cases the movies are still wonderful and entertaining despite the dumb casting decisions. I can dislike something and still not give up on it completely...and you can probably do the same.

Lupe Valez plays 'Ming Toy'...a Chinese woman who is bought and sold like an antique or a pound of meat. As a result, she eventually finds herself in America and the film seems to infer that she was involved in prostitution. Charlie Yong (Robinson) finds himself attracted to her and this 'Chop Suey King' ends up buying her as well. But is he her savior or will he use her and abuse her or will she end up bouncing from one 'owner' to another or will she actually manage to find love...even if it's with some white guy...which apparently is strictly forbidden.

While Robinson is a bit better than Lupe Valez, this isn't saying much. She is just a sad stereotype of a Chinese lady and her acting range was not good enough to make her performance seem credible.

So is the film, despite it's casting, worth seeing? Yes. While it's far from perfect and the casting is weird, for 1930 the film TRIES to be very progressive and is about empowering Ming Toy to demand her rights. An odd combination but it makes for a moderately interesting film...a time-passer which manages to entertain despite the cast.

I would like to recommend this picture to you. It has a message of tolerance and humanity. It has three fine lead actors early in their careers in Lew Ayres, Lupe Velez and Edward G. Robinson. It has a fine supporting cast. However, sometimes good messages and talent get caught up in production issues and a script that preaches ineptly. That's what happened here and if you sit through it it will seem like a stern and undesirable duty by the time you are done. So don't.

It's not just the presence of actors in yellowface. A lot of Hollywood actors played all-purpose foreigners. Universal Studios made its living off B movies for the secondary movie houses, and the idea of telling their audience of conservative, small-town Americans that they were a bunch of racist jerks would have been foolish -- if it had even been thought of. Any positive message is lost in the idiotic portrayals and the deus ex machina ending.

So don't see this one. The kindest thing that could be said is that it has not aged well. To say that would be a lie. It was a mess to begin with.

I have to say that unless you are an Edward G. Robinson completist, Lupe Velez is the only reason to watch East Is West. She really does a good job as Ming Toy a woman who Billy Benson ( Lew Ayres) believes is Chinese but in the end finds out is actually white. As for Robinson, he is really strange in this movie, which is one of three films where he played an Asian: Outside The Law ( excellent) and The Hatchet Man ( perhaps his worst film). Finally, I not consider this movie to be racist like some others do, because Benson loved Ming Toy unconditionally so enough with the PC garbage. The movie can be found on YouTube which is actually a plus. I give it 5/10 stars. Mostly for Lupe Velez