‘Unbroken Blossoms’ returns to silent film era to explore darker side of American film history – Pasadena Star News

Conlan Ledwith as Richard Barthelmess (left), Ron Song as Moon Kwan (center) and Gavin Kawin Lee as James B. Leong (right) in Unbroken Blossom at East West Players. (Photo by Zev Rose Woolley)

From a revered scene in Little Tokyo, “Unbroken Blossoms” explores the Asian American experience of the silent film era, revealing dark truths about American film history — truths that resonate today.

Its world premiere runs through July 21 at the David Henry Hwang Theatre, home of the historic Asian American theater organization East West Players, where it opened on June 27 to communities in Little Tokyo and beyond.

Written by Philip W. Chung and directed by Jeff Liu, “Unbroken Blossoms” tells the story of two Chinese-Americans who are hired as consultants for director D.W. Griffith’s controversial 1919 film “Broken Blossoms.”

“Broken Blossoms,” a product of the silent film era based on Thomas Burke’s 1916 short story “The Chink and the Child,” was “Hollywood’s first on-screen interracial love story between a white actress and a white actor in yellow makeup,” according to East West Players.

The film tells the story of the relationship between an abused girl and a Chinese immigrant. The girl, played by actress Lillian Gish, is nicknamed the “White Flower” by the Chinese Cheng Huan.

In its historical reinterpretation of the making of “Broken Blossoms,” “Unbroken Blossoms” highlights the experiences of these real-life consultants, the optimistic Moon Kwan and the cynical, aspiring filmmaker James Leong.

The play explores their relationship with D.W. Griffith, particularly after the release of his controversial 1915 film The Birth of a Nation, a film known for its racist depictions of black people and its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan.

Chung, the playwright of “Unbroken Blossoms,” is a Los Angeles-based writer and producer who has worked in theater, film and television.

He has worked with “Fast and Furious” director Justin Lin and was a consulting producer on the “Artbound” episode of the PBS documentary series East West Players.

Chung said he was inspired to write the play after seeing James Leong’s story mentioned in a documentary a few years earlier.

“The fact that someone like him, someone who looked like me, existed at that time and became a real filmmaker,” he said. “Obviously, it was a lot harder back then. It was really inspiring.”

The inspiration behind Chung’s theater pursuits began when he saw David Henry Hwang’s play, “M. Butterfly,” while he was in college.

Chung took his first playwriting class at East West Players because he had always been interested in the history of Hollywood and film and its intersection with Asian American history.

“(East West Players) is an Asian American theater and to be able to tell this story, which is about the legacy of Asian Americans in the performing arts, in a theater that was founded by Asian American artists in 1965, is amazing,” Chung said. “It’s the perfect home for (this story).”

According to Chung, information about consultants Kwan and Leong was limited, which prompted him to create this reinterpretation of an important part of the story. He said that this limited information gave him more freedom as a writer.

In “Unbroken Blossoms,” the consultants represent two different perspectives as Asian American men working in white-dominated spaces in the early 1900s.

Kwan, a father, is presented in the play as optimistic and enthusiastic about working on a film featuring a “Chinese” character. Leong, on the other hand, is more cynical, advising Kwan that when he is at work, the only thing to do is “nod and smile.”

“I wanted to have two characters who embody these two points of view and bring them together in this situation where those points of view are being challenged,” Chung said. “It was really a way for me to explore this conflict between optimism and pessimism and what that must have been like at the time, and what that says about our current times.”

Another important element of the piece, Chung says, is the concept of “nodding and smiling.”

“There’s a kind of thread running through the play of these two Asian men working in Hollywood in 1919: You can’t do much except nod and smile,” Chung said. “And what does it mean to spend your career just nodding and smiling when there’s so much more ambition underneath?”

Jeff Liu, the director of “Unbroken Blossoms,” was previously the literary director at East West Players. This is his sixth main stage at East West Players.

“I think this show is in many ways a tribute to those who came before us and whose shoulders we stand on,” Liu said. “It reminds us how powerful stories are and that just being able to tell their stories is not something we should take for granted.”

Liu said that while the play has some awkward elements, such as a white actor playing a Chinese man, it’s the story that’s important.

“We have a long history of how we’ve dealt with being marginalized in this country,” he said. “And how do we deal with our need to represent ourselves and make our stories relevant?”

Liu said “Unbroken Blossoms” highlights the struggles of artists, but also of humanity. Within those struggles are the intersections between race, gender and how Asian Americans approach these concepts.

“I hope it’s a real game of ideas that will spark discussions about history, about the past, about the present,” he said. “And also, how do you live these different kinds of journeys, how do you smile and bear it, how do you endure, and what do you do with anger?”

Liu said the play touches on many aspects of the Asian American experience, from solidarity to struggle to assimilation.

He said “Unbroken Blossoms” and East West Players are a reminder of the power of stories.

“There’s nothing like it,” he said. “It’s part of our acceptance of the power of the arts, to make small and big differences.”

Actor Ron Song, who plays consultant Moon Kwan, said he felt “blessed” to have joined East West Players.

Moon Kwan is Song’s first professional theater role, as he only began acting professionally in 2021. He also played a supporting role in the Amazon Prime comedy series, “Jury Duty.”

Song said the struggles depicted in the play are still relevant today.

“Seeing the relevance of a story that takes place in this time and understanding where we are today gives us a great starting point for reflection,” he said. “We can see how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go.”

Song said his intention behind Kwan’s character was to provide a continued sense of hope.

“Moon is optimistic,” he said. “That optimism is reflected because it is necessary. Otherwise, you cannot progress, you cannot move forward.”

Song hopes people will leave the theater with a sense of hope, while recognizing the historical challenges these characters faced.

“Racism is a character in this play,” he said. “You can see the different power struggles, the different rooms, the hierarchies that exist, the ways that racism manifests itself. From ignorance to power, from violence to rejection, it’s a complex and multifaceted phenomenon.”

Chung, the playwright, hopes people will become interested not only in Leong and Kwan, but also in other marginalized filmmakers.

“Despite the obstacles, they pursued their dream, and no matter how people want to interpret their success or failure, the fact is that they never gave up,” Chung said.

“Unbroken Blossoms” runs through July 21 at the David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St., in Los Angeles. For more information, visit https://www.eastwestplayers.org/unbroken.