Tired of playing supporting roles in Hollywood, Anna May Wong traveled to Europe in search of better parts. And did she find one! Her electric, sexually charged performance in Piccadilly is a revelation. Wong is mesmerizing as Shosho, the Chinese dishwasher who overnight becomes the toast of the town — and the object of every man’s desire. The camera adores Wong — her beauty glows in every frame. Piccadilly was the brilliant apex to director E. A. Dupont’s trilogy of theater films (Varieté and Moulin Rouge), showcasing his signature mix of great acting, dazzling imagery and balletic camera movements. Remastered by the BFI National Archive and presented in High Definition.

For thoughts on Piccadilly, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/tgmHjkh1298?si=vCegQBd27crLgGwp&t=3120]

Video Quality

Piccadilly makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Milestone Films with a wonderful transfer from a restoration conducted by the BFI National Archive. For a film that is over 90 years old, this is a truly pleasing presentation. The gorgeous color-tinted photography makes an impression in high definition with natural grain intact. There is a welcome amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the setting. The contrast is well contained, but the transfer exhibits moments of flicker and specks of damage to the print. There are stray lines that make a quick appearance without upending the overall aesthetic of the film. The transfer shows off a welcome amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels present with some fine depth with no egregious occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. Milestone Films has treated this one well.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track which holds up without issue. The film is graced with a score from Neil Brand which complements this one famously. As this is a silent film, the music is the only element to contend with in this track, and it sounds powerful and spritely with no clipping or age-related wear and tear. Silent film fans should be happy with the sound quality, as it delivers the consistency that the film deserves.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film historian Farran Smith Nehme provides a very informative commentary track in which she discusses the restoration efforts for this film, how this feature fits into the silent era of filmmaking, the background of the creatives and performers, how the film speaks in tandem with modern pictures such as Babylon and more.

Introduction to the 1929 Sound Version: A five-minute prologue for a sound version of the feature is provided.

Neil Brand On The Score For Piccadilly: A 20-minute interview with the composer in which he discusses how he approached scoring this film, how he suited sounds to different characters, weaving in history to his sounds and more.

San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival Panel – “Dangerous to Know: The Career and Legacy of Anna May Wong”: A 22-minute excerpt of a panel moderated by B. Ruby Rich featuring panelists such as actress Jacqueline Kim, author Karen Leong, actress Nancy Kwan and author Graham Russell Gao Hodges. This exploration provides some welcome insight into Wong as a person and the impact her career had on the history of cinema.

Final Thoughts

Piccadilly is a standout effort from Anna May Wong, who uses her evocative screen presence effectively in the crafting of this transfixing character. With only her looks and body movement, you gain so much from her performance which suits the narrative well. The story is quite dramatic, but it mostly stays away from melodrama. In terms of silent-era cinema we have seen, this ranks pretty high. Milestone Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a dandy of an A/V presentation and a lovely assortment of special features. If you are a fan of Anna May Wong, this is a necessary addition to your collection. Recommended

Piccadilly is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics and Milestone Films have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.