The Courageous Coward (1919)
Sessue Hayakawa was making the transition from Asian villain to sympathetic hero in this picture. The plot is a combination of racial stereotypes that were common in the U.S. during the silent era and real-life situations experienced by Asians living Stateside. Hayakawa plays Suki Iota, a student who, while born and bred in America, wants a wife with traditional Japanese values. She appears in the form of Rei (Tsuru Aoki, Hayakawa's real-life wife), a singer who becomes known as the Japanese Nightingale.
Director: William Worthington
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Sessue Hayakawa as Suki Iota |
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Tsuru Aoki as Rei Oaki |
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Toyo Fujita as Tangi |
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George Hernandez as Big Bill Kirby |
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Francis McDonald as Tom Kirby (as Francis J. McDonald) |
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Charles A. Post as Cupid (as Buddy Post) |
| Directing | William Worthington | Director |
| Writing | Thomas J. Geraghty | Story |
| Writing | Frances Guihan | Writer |
| Camera | Dal Clawson | Director of Photography |
