The Toll of the Sea

Starring: Anna May Wong, Kenneth Harlan, Beatrice Bentley, Priscilla Moran
Directed by: Chester M. Franklin
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Romance
1922

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A Chinese woman (Anna May Wong) falls in love with an American (Kenneth Harlan) who washes up ashore. She seems to have found true love, but he starts to second guess their relationship.

Review:

Tim: I was surprised that I actually really liked The Toll of the Sea. I liked it because it is a melancholy, difficult movie that deals with some grown up themes. I was surprised by the depth of the emotions created in this film, while comes alive due to some good performances. I thought this was a really good movie and it defied some of my expectations of a film from this time.

I thought the central story was pretty powerful. It the story of a woman who is abandoned by her husband when he returns to America from China. The woman longs for him, waits for him, and tries to defy the creeping sense of depression and dread that he will never return. This all comes to life with the quietly beautiful performance by Anna May Wong. Wong conveys strength, but also a great deal of emotion in her performance. There are some moments where you just identify so much with her character- she achieves this with a look that simultaneously conveys courage and horrible pain. It was pretty fascinating to watch and I had a hard time believing Wong was only 19 at the time. Wong is easily the best part of this movie, and one of the main reasons I enjoyed it. I thought she gave a stunning performance, one that made me reflect on the sadness of heartbreak and the battle against depression when it feels like the entire world has conspired to hurt you.

The rest of the cast is fine. I didn't exactly like Kenneth Harlan. I felt like Harlan overacted a bit. Wong was able to convey so much emotion with such a small glance that Harlan felt like he was hammering home his emotions with a huge, huge hammer. I wanted some restraint from him.

The film's conclusion was absolutely heartbreaking. I thought it was so raw and so powerful. Now, the ending could have been better- there were a few moments when implausibility entered the script, but the emotions and the beautiful gesture of sacrifice make up for the more obviously convenient events.

I also want to mention one of the most stunning, memorable aspects of the film. The Toll of the Sea was one of the first movies ever made in color. I've read that it was the 7th color film and only the 2nd in Technicolor. It was also the first color film made in Hollywood. The color definitely adds to the film- the reds and greens are so stunning, because while colorful, the look isn't exactly natural. It made it hard to look away. This is definitely one of the "technical firsts" movies that automatically makes it required viewing.

I liked the color aspect of the film, but that was secondary to the powerful, emotional story. Wong was pretty fantastic. These elements separate The Toll of the Sea from other films, and it make it a very, very good movie.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



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