The Bitter Tea of General Yen
The Bitter Tea of General Yen is a 1933 American pre-Code drama war film directed by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck, and featuring Nils Asther and Walter Connolly. Based on the 1930 novel of the same name by Grace Zaring Stone, the film is about an American missionary in Shanghai during the Chinese Civil War who gets caught in a battle while trying to save a group of orphans. Knocked unconscious, she is saved by a Chinese general warlord who brings her to his palace. When the general falls in love with the naive young woman, she fights her attraction to the powerful general and resists his flirtation, yet remains at his side when his fortune turns.
Theatrical release poster
Nils Asther and Barbara Stanwyck as General Yen and Megan Davis.
Toshia Mori as Mah-Li.
Theatrical release poster
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic screen presence and versatility. She was a favorite of directors, including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang, and Frank Capra, and made 85 films in 38 years before turning to television.
Stanwyck in 1939
Stanwyck as a Ziegfeld girl in a 1924 photo by Alfred Cheney Johnston
Photoplay magazine cover
Stanwyck in her award-nominated role as Stella Dallas in 1937