Drifting

Tod Browning directs this atmospheric crime drama set in the opium dens of Shanghai, where an American woman running a smuggling operation encounters an undercover government agent. Anna May Wong appears in a supporting role that, while secondary, demonstrates her growing screen magnetism. The Shanghai setting, like many Hollywood depictions of Asia in this era, is more fantasy than reality, but Browning brings the same fascination with criminal subcultures and moral ambiguity that would define his best work. Priscilla Dean holds the screen as the morally complex heroine, and the film's frank treatment of the drug trade and its underworld was daring for its time. An intriguing early entry in the careers of both Browning and Wong.