[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":94},["ShallowReactive",2],{"movie-seo-tt0150388":3},{"movieId":4,"title":5,"year":6,"sources":7,"metadata":34,"relatedMovies":47,"similarMovies":60,"collections":90,"is_curated":91,"verified":92,"lastUpdated":93},"tt0150388","The Dragon Painter",1919,[8,19,26],{"channelId":9,"sourceId":10,"id":10,"title":11,"description":12,"addedAt":13,"duration":14,"language":15,"year":6,"viewCount":16,"type":17,"channelName":18},"UCgLqpXqmEJoyDYE_lpY1DXg","rkUIkPKPk1M","The Dragon Painter (1919) | Colorized Public Domain Silent Drama with Sessue Hayakawa and Tsuru Aoki","The Dragon Painter (1919) is a silent American drama produced by Haworth Pictures Corporation and distributed by Robertson-Cole. Directed by William Worthington, the film stars Sessue Hayakawa and Tsuru Aoki, a married couple in real life, who deliver one of the most compelling portrayals of early Asian characters in Hollywood cinema. Restored and colorized by Colorized Public Domain, this public domain classic allows modern audiences in the United States, Europe, and worldwide to experience a forgotten masterpiece of silent-era storytelling.\n\nPlot Summary:\nSet in the mountains of Japan, the story follows Tatsu, a reclusive and eccentric painter who believes that the gods have taken his fiancée away, transforming her into a mythical dragon. Obsessed with his visions and fueled by his artistic genius, Tatsu creates paintings filled with passion and intensity. His life changes when he encounters Ume-Ko, a young woman who resembles his lost love. She turns out to be the daughter of a master painter who sees Tatsu’s brilliance and marries him to Ume-Ko. For the first time, Tatsu finds happiness, but his creative energy wanes as he embraces domestic life. Torn between love and artistry, the film explores themes of sacrifice, creativity, and the balance between passion and stability.\n\nCast and Crew:\n• Director: William Worthington\n• Producer: Haworth Pictures Corporation\n• Distributor: Robertson-Cole\n• Based on: The novel The Dragon Painter by Mary McNeil Fenollosa\nStarring:\n• Sessue Hayakawa as Tatsu the painter\n• Tsuru Aoki as Ume-Ko\n• Edward Peil Sr as Kano Indara, Ume-Ko’s father\n• Toyo Fujita in a supporting role\n\nFilm Significance:\nThe Dragon Painter is considered one of Sessue Hayakawa’s most important surviving films and one of the finest examples of early Asian representation in American cinema. Unlike the stereotypical roles often given to Asian actors in the early 20th century, this film portrays Tatsu as a complex, passionate, and tragic artist, giving Hayakawa space to display his acting talent. Tsuru Aoki, his real-life wife, adds depth to the narrative as Ume-Ko, symbolizing both inspiration and stability. The film is also significant as a surviving artifact of Haworth Pictures Corporation, one of the first Hollywood companies owned by an Asian actor. It remains a rare example of a Hollywood production centered on Japanese culture, blending romance, myth, and artistic struggle.\n\nEnhanced Public Domain Explanation:\nThis film is in the public domain, which means it is completely free of copyright restrictions and can be legally shared, viewed, studied, and preserved without limitation. Colorized Public Domain restores and enhances these historic works through careful digital cleaning, visual restoration, and colorization techniques. Our mission is to ensure that timeless classics like The Dragon Painter remain available to a worldwide audience. By presenting them in color and modern quality, we make them more engaging and accessible to younger generations who might otherwise overlook black-and-white cinema. This process respects the original film while providing a new layer of appreciation for today’s viewers.\n\nWhy Watch This Colorized Edition:\nThe original 1919 release was silent and black-and-white, like most films of its era. While historically authentic, such films are often skipped by modern viewers unfamiliar with silent cinema. By restoring and colorizing The Dragon Painter, we make it easier for audiences in the US and Europe to connect with the artistry and cultural themes it offers. This edition highlights the groundbreaking presence of Sessue Hayakawa, one of the first true international film stars, and Tsuru Aoki, one of the earliest Japanese actresses to achieve recognition in Hollywood. For film historians and casual viewers alike, this edition bridges the gap between 1919 cinema and modern viewing habits.\n\nSubscribe and Explore More Classics:\n📌 Subscribe for more colorized classics: https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002F@ColorizedPublicDomain?sub_confirmation=1\n\nWe upload restored and colorized films from the silent era through the Golden Age of cinema, preserving both popular titles and overlooked treasures. By making them available in accessible quality, we ensure they remain relevant and engaging for today’s audiences in the US, Europe, and beyond.\n\n#TheDragonPainter #SessueHayakawa #TsuruAoki #SilentDrama #1919Cinema #PublicDomainMovie #ClassicCinema #AsianRepresentation #FilmRestoration #ColorizedClassic",1766537334,2989,"en",507,"youtube","Colorized Public Domain",{"channelId":20,"sourceId":21,"id":21,"title":5,"size":22,"addedAt":23,"year":6,"downloads":24,"type":20,"channelName":25},"archive.org","silent-the-dragon-painter",1173042026,1767744675,795,"Archive.org",{"channelId":20,"sourceId":27,"id":27,"title":28,"description":29,"size":30,"addedAt":31,"language":32,"year":6,"downloads":33,"type":20,"channelName":25},"the-dragon-painter-1919","The Dragon Painter (1919)","I've been researching newly public domain films from 1929 and earlier, along with other pictures of the era that I find interesting, so I'm uploading the best possible copies that I can find. In this silent romance drama, Tatsu, played by Sessue Hayakawa, is a painter who lives in the mountains of Hakawa, Japan. He has a strange obsession that the villagers gossip about: he believes he once had a fiancé who was turned into a dragon by the gods. This film from Hayakawa's independent studio was a minor success upon release, and since being rediscovered in 1988 has found new fans worldwide. ",2716005009,1767744717,"eng",76,{"Rated":35,"Runtime":36,"imdbRating":37,"imdbVotes":38,"Genre":39,"Plot":40,"Director":41,"Writer":42,"Actors":43,"Language":44,"Country":45,"Awards":46},"TV-PG","53 min",6.6,659,"Drama, Romance","Tatsu is a slightly delusional painter who lives in the wilderness. He spends his days painting nothing but the image of his love, a princess he believes to have been incarnated as a dragon. His work is noticed by a servant of Kano Indara, an aging master painter who has no male heir or disciple to pass his skills to. The servant brings Tatsu to Indara under the belief that Indara can help him find his princess in exchange for allowing Indara to pass his knowledge on to him. Once there, Tatsu is led to believe that Indara's daughter, Ume Ko, is the princess. Tatsu agrees to stay, but now that he has found his love he no longer has the inspiration to paint the masterpieces that he once produced. Ume Ko pretends to kill herself so that Tatsu can once again find inspiration through his sorrow, and once he regains this she reveals herself to him. He has learned that \"love must be a slave to art\", and they live out the rest of their days together, with Tatsu painting her as he once did.","William Worthington","Richard Schayer, Mary McNeil Fenollosa","Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki, Edward Peil Sr.","None","United States","1 win",[48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59],"tt0010791","tt0191263","tt0184572","tt0004838","tt0009559","tt0009937","tt0009968","tt0010227","tt0010641","tt0010680","tt0010806","tt0010844",[61,64,67,70,73,76,79,81,84,87],{"movieId":62,"distance":63},"tt0002415",0.7042,{"movieId":65,"distance":66},"tt0032156",0.7142,{"movieId":68,"distance":69},"tt23147084",0.719,{"movieId":71,"distance":72},"tt28513331",0.721,{"movieId":74,"distance":75},"tt0061847",0.7247,{"movieId":77,"distance":78},"tt4985854",0.727,{"movieId":80,"distance":78},"tt0051720",{"movieId":82,"distance":83},"tt0074102",0.7274,{"movieId":85,"distance":86},"tt1165285",0.7306,{"movieId":88,"distance":89},"tt0095937",0.7307,[],true,false,"2026-01-07T00:11:57.685Z",1779355540116]