(1927) Dolores Costello, Warner Oland, Charles E. Mack, Josef Swickard, Anna May Wong, Angelo Rossitto. Costello and Swickard are fading San Francisco aristocracy. Disaster looms when an evil land shark (expertly played by Oland, who keeps his dwarf brother—Rossito—in a cage) attempts to steal their land. Costello’s beauty lures one of Oland’s circle (Mack) to her aid. Unknown to the Chinatown hierarchy, their cruel landlord (Oland) is secretly Chinese. There are many twists in this late silent gem, issued with music and sound effects. Don’t listen to the cultural critics—this is a great film. The 1906 earthquake scenes are amazing. B&W with color tinted sequences. 35mm.
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