The paintings of Tatsu (Hayakawa), a handsome village youth and wild-spirited artist, portray his imaginary princess, who has been transformed into a dragon.  Seduced into becoming the apprentice of a great master by the sight of the man’s daughter dressed as his dream lover, Tatsu finds that love will demand a supreme sacrifice if the fantasy is to become flesh and blood.  This story with the allure of folklore shows off the larger-than-life talent of Japanese American star Hayakawa (THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, HOUSE OF BAMBOO), who came of age in the silent era, but went to a mainstream career of more than one-hundred roles over six decades, in defiance of Hollywood stereotypes. 

The Dragon Painter is a silent film but will have a live accompaniment by Goh Nakamura. The new Dragon Painter score was commissioned by Rob Buscher and Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival in 2017. DigiBeta video.  (BS)

A panel discussion follows the screening.