Cinefórum-Clásico

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 Early Norma Talmadge vehicles are scarce these days, and "The Forbidden 
City" is one of the better of her earlier ones - though of course lacking 
the more sumptuous production values of her much bigger films of the 20's. 
While it is easy to understand the popularity of Talmadge's films -- films
of strong emotional content which had their parallel in such talkies as 
Garbo's "Camille", Bette Davis' "Dark Victory" and Greer Garson's "Random 
Harvest" - it is a little difficult today to understand the tremendous
popularity of Norma Talmadge herself. To me at least, neither her 
personality nor her acting capabilities survive the years half as well as
those of her sister Constance -- even admitting that comparison is a trifle
difficult because of their completely different fields. (Along with Dorothy
Gish, Constance Talmadge was one of the most accomplished silent screen 
comediennes). Nevertheless, what Davis and Stanwyck were to tear-jerkers
(and I don't use that term in a derogatory sense) of the thirties and 
forties, so was Norma Talmadge to the equivalent films of the 20's --
but in a much wider sense, both in her concentration on that type of
film, and in the enormous following she attracted. Since I must admit 
to being most familiar with the beginning and the end of her career, and
to have seen comparatively little of her work from her peak period, 
possibly it is unjust of me to generalise in such a critical fashion.

In any event, "The Forbidden City" is a slight but stylish essay into
"Madame Butterfly" territory. The Plot is straightforward in the extreme, 
but the whole production is nicely mounted, with some extremely good
lighting and camerawork, and handsome sets. Norma Talmadge has a dual
role, although her makeup in the second role (she plays both mother and
daughter) is often not flattering, and although playing an 18-year old, 
she actually looks a good deal older than she had as the mother! 
Incidentally, in this second role she has one classic subtitle: taunted
by a Chinese girl for having no ancestors, she retorts with fire and 
spirit - "I American - I no need ancestors!"

In its issue of January 1919, "Photoplay" commented favorably on the
picture's physical mountings, and considered that "as a thing of beauty"
it was far superior to most of Miss Talmadge's recent pictures, though 
somewhat below their standard dramatically. It also noted the film's
successful attempts to spotlight Miss Talmadge's beauty via some really
first-class close-ups. Most interesting of all however, was the blatant 
and unwitting racism of one of its criticisms. At one point in the story,
a Chinese guard fights another guard in order to help the heroine escape. 
Condemning the barroom brawl technique as being completely unlikely,
"Photoplay" went on to say:
                   "Your Oriental moves more subtly and certainly ... an 
overturned flower-pot, the plunge of a knife, slowly strangling fingers - 
and the outward course of events flow so serenely that even passers-by 
cannot tell murder has been done".