Anna May Wong’s Song (1928) with Live Score by Constant Smiles

Newly rediscovered and restored, SONG stars ANNA MAY WONG as a young dancer whose passionate love for a struggling knife-thrower leads her from the margins of society into a world of glamour, jealousy, and tragedy.

Released mere months before PICCADILLY (which Proctors screened to an adoring audience in 2023), SONG was the first film Wong made in Europe after departing Hollywood in search of more substantial roles. Also released as WASTED LOVE, and again as SHOW LIFE, SONG established Wong as a major star and proved so lucrative for both her and director Richard Eichberg that the two eagerly worked together on three more films: PAVEMENT BUTTERFLY (1929), HAI-TANG (1930) and THE FLAME OF LOVE (1930).

SONG also stars Heinrich George, who memorably portrayed "Guardian of the Heart Machine" in METROPOLIS just a year earlier.

SONG will be screened with a live score by CONSTANT SMILES, a NYC-based band formed in 2009 by Ben Jones (guitar; vocals). Known for both naturalistic dream pop and electronic darkness, Constant Smiles also features Nora Knight (percussion; vocals) and Spike Currier (bass). We had an opportunity to see this wonderful ensemble perform downstate earlier this year, and promise you that you will not want to miss this 1st ever opportunity to hear them here in the GE Theatre at Proctors.

Based largely on the original camera negative, SONG returns to the screen in remarkable visual quality thanks to a stunning restoration by FILMMUSEUM DÜSSELDORF under the direction of ANDREAS THEIN. The organization’s painstaking work allows Wong’s extraordinary beauty and magnetic screen presence to shine more vividly than ever. Head of Collections and Restoration at the Filmmuseum Düsseldorf, Thein spends much of his time tracking down neglected and forgotten films from the Weimar era. His restorations have travelled to major festivals and film heritage institutions around the world.

104 minutes | Not Rated