Anna May Wong: A Complete Guide to Her Film, Stage, Radio and Television Work Paperback – August 31, 2010

I have not read the biographies the one reviewer has mentioned. I feel that this book should be judged on its own merits. I don't have a problem with the price. This book looks like it has all the information on her career as is available.Anyone just needing a list of films can go to many online sources, saving their money on the bios too. To find out other details and minor bits of her career, I feel that this book does its job very well.One of the mistakes that many film sources make is to include 'The Savage Innocents' in her filmography. Leibfried and Lane give very sound reasons for her not being in the film, and they are correct in saying that there was another Anna May Wong, which was someone capitalizing on the name of the more famous one. I have seen the film, and there is no way that this was Wong Liu Tsong, of whom this book is concerned. They are to be commended for not bowing to the rest of the pack. They are also to be commended for digging much deeper than simply listings and articles.I have Leibfried's other work on Haggard and Kipling, along with an early article he wrote on Anna May Wong. He seems to have been around, researching and contributing to the arts for many years.It's obvious that the two authors who are concerned with her career truly cared about getting it right.None of McFarland's books are low priced, so if you can't afford it, don't buy it and complain later.It is interesting to note her radio career. I would guess that many stars had radio careers or numbers of appearances, yet they often get overlooked.I have the radio show of Pearl Buck's "The Patriot," which is well described in this book. People scramble to save Old Time Radio shows as much as they try to preserve movies, and I am very happy that this one is not only saved, but catalogued in her career.

To the reader who calls himself Shang: I am the main author of this work and am sorry that you feel that you have misspent your money. No one, certainly not I, forced you to buy the book, though your purchase is certainly appreciated. As for the timing of its publication, you must realize that Mr. Lane and I spent a number of years collecting the information found therein; we did not know of the two biographies because they were conceived far more recently. We welcomed their appearance, however, figuring that our book would be bought in conjunction with one of those in order for readers to have a complete picture of the woman who was Anna May Wong. Our book was a labor of love; as admirers of Miss Wong and her achievements, we did our utmost to present readers with every aspect of her lengthy career, which had previously been covered in but a few articles, mostly of mine. Further, the book is intended as a reference work, no shame there; it is precisely what it purports to be. If you can do better, then do so and keep your petty complaints to yourself. You said nothing of the numerous rare photos or the many contemporary reviews concerning her lost films. The prologue says better than any referral to "Daoist" theories what difficulties Miss Wong faced in attaining her goals. Did these add nothing to the value of the book in your opinion? Your are bold with your statements, sir, but too timid to even identify yourself, thereby attaching no credence to your comments. Certainly our grammar is far superior to yours - "costed;" "mistakened;" "does not worth much"????? Where did you get those terms - from a World War II PRC movie? It's pidgin English at its worst, pal.

In ANNA MAY WONG: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO HER FILM, STAGE, RADIO AND TELEVISION WORK authors Philip Leibfried and Chei Mi Lane deliver an authoritative work of solid research and scholarship.It's a quaintly old-fashioned book. In layout and writing style it could've been published thirty or forty years ago. Aptly, the slightly anachronistic format and feel is a fine showcase for the authors' good old-fashioned scholarship and authority. Its focus is no doubt narrower than other the two other books devoted to Wong, but is completely successful within its stated scope and goals.The book sketches Wong's life in admirable fashion, but lavishes most attention to her work in film and stage. The authors' research was truly exhaustive, and it would be hard to imagine the book ever being eclipsed. It will remain an important reference work for any scholar of Wong's work for many years to come.Richly detailed and enlivened by juicy excerpts from vintage reviews, I can imagine this book inspiring hours of pleasure for any film buff or Wong fan.Alas, the book notes that many of Wong's films are lost, but this admirable work keeps them alive in some small way through its honest affection and scrupulous scholarship.

I must disagree respectfully with the many laudatory customer reviews on McFarland's book about Anna May Wong.Many times, McFarland provides genre enthusiasts highly specialized books that are a delight on persons or subjects all but ignored by other publishers. As many times, however, McFarland publishes overpriced works that are shallow, lacking detail, lacking perspective and otherwise remind the reader of the unsophisticated drivel that used to be the only available critiques.Unfortunately, Anna May Wong falls into the latter category. The biographical materials is scant and uninformative on this fascinating and too little known talent. The filmography is shallow, with virtually no critical analysis or historical perspective.40 years ago, when I first looked for books on horror films, film noir and other genres, all that one could find were poorly written, sometimes nicely illustrated, works that only added to the low reputation of such films and their fans. The late 1960s and thereafter, however, saw the rise of serious film critiques, written not turgidly but with the enthusiasm of intelligent, informed fans.McFarland often contributed to the rise of useful film criticism, which makes its shoddy Anna May Wong all the more inexcusible.

As described, speedy delivery, highly recommended!

*レビュー掲載後追記:【以下レビューは、ハードカバー版(ISBN-10:0786416335)に対するものですが、Amazon.co.jpが、勝手に他バージョンにも転載しています】リチャード・バーセルメス、ロン・チャニー、エドワード・G・ロビンソン、ボリス・カーロフ、ポール・ムニ、マーナ・ロイ、キャサリン・ヘプバーン…。彼らに共通することをすぐに答えられる方は、なかなかの映画ファンだろう。答えは、全員、アジア人を演じたことがあるということ。今でこそ、アジア人の俳優がハリウッドでも活躍しているが、サイレント期から1940年代ぐらいまでは、白人のスター俳優が、一重まぶたの異様なメーキャップでアジア人を演じること―俗に言う「イエロー・フェイス」―が当たり前のように行われ、決して珍しいことではなかった。そんな時代にあって、サイレント期に主演を張ったアジア人女優がいた。アンナ・メイ・ウォン(1905-1961)だ。ハリウッドで、主演級を張ったということでは、早川雪洲と双壁のアジア人だろう。1905年に、ロサンゼルスで、クリーニング店を営む中国移民の子として生まれたウォン(7人兄弟の2番目)は、幼い頃から女優になることを目指し、映画界に。中国の義和団事件を描いた『紅燈祭』のエキストラ出演を皮切りに、16歳(！)という若さで、初の2色式テクニカラー長編『恋の睡蓮』(" Treasures American Film Archives " Disc2収録)に主演し、その名を知られることになる。その後、いくつかの作品に出演しながらも(中でも最も有名なのは、『バグダッドの盗賊』のモンゴルの奴隷役だろう)、イエロー・フェイスの白人俳優の助演に甘んじることに嫌気が差したウォンは、アメリカを飛び出し、ヨーロッパの映画界(ドイツ、イギリス)に活路を見い出す。ウォンの神秘的なエキゾチズムは、たちまちヨーロッパ映画界を席巻し、E・A・デュポン監督の『ピカデリイ』を頂点として、世界映画史に名を刻むことになったことは、あまりに有名だ。ちょうど、その頃、映画界は、サイレントからトーキーという技術的転換期を迎え、ウォンは、再びアメリカへと戻るが、依然、彼女に舞い込むのは、ステレオ・タイプのアジア人の端役ばかりで、映画女優としての活躍の限界を感じ、1946年の"Impact"を最後に、実質的に映画界を引退(1960年に出演した『黒い肖像』が最後の作品で、その後、『フラワー・ドラム・ソング』への出演契約もしていたらしい)。その後は、舞台、ラジオ、TVへとシフトし、1961年に、心臓発作で56歳という若さでこの世を去った。生涯、独身を貫いたということなので、文字通り、「演じる」ということに人生を捧げた人だったのだろう。本書は、そのアンナ・メイ・ウォンの全仕事―映画、舞台、ラジオ、TV―を完全網羅したガイド・ブック。当時の資料を徹底的に洗い、作品一本、一本に解説を付けた労作だ。その解説も、的確で、"The Honorable Mr. Buggs"の当時の評で、出演者の上山草人を中国人と誤記している―当時の観客にとって、「アジア人」俳優の認識は、その程度だったということを知る上で、象徴的な誤記だろう―のをきちんと訂正している(P45)あたりも信頼が置ける。写真も豊富で、表紙に使われている『帰らぬ船出』からの写真も、魅惑的で美しい。著者である、フィリップ・リーブフライドとチェイ・ミ・レーンのウォンの功績をきちんと記録したいという深い愛情と強い熱意が感じられる一冊に仕上がっている。部数が出る類の書ではないので、頁数(全179頁)の割に、かなり高額な設定になっているが、これは仕方のないところだろう。アンナ・メイ・ウォンのファンには欠かせない一冊だと思う。 Treasures American Film Archives