The Road to Dishonour

The Road to Dishonour (German: Der Weg zur Schande, also known as Hai-Tang: Der Weg zur Schande) is a 1930 British-German drama film directed by Richard Eichberg and starring Anna May Wong, Francis Lederer and Georg H. Schnell. It was made at Elstree Studios as part of a co-production deal between Eichberg and British International Pictures.

Multiple-language versions
Like many other films of the early talkie era before dubbing became more widespread, the film was shot in multiple-language versions, each with a different cast. Three versions of the film were made so they could be screened throughout Europe and the colonial world, such as in Mozambique, Australia and South Africa. This was Wong's first sound film billed as the star, and in all three versions she appeared as the female lead.

An English-language version (The Flame of Love/The Road to Dishonour) and a French-language version (Le Chemin du déshonneur, sometimes referred to as L’Amour, maître des choses in French film magazines) of the film were made with different casts except for Wong, who spoke her part in three different languages. Confusingly, all three versions are often referred to simply as Hai-Tang.

Cast

 * Anna May Wong as Hai-Tang, Star einer chinesischen Gruppe
 * Francis Lederer (credited as Franz Lederer) as Leutnant Boris Borrisoff, Adjutant
 * Georg H. Schnell as Großfürst Pawel, General-Gouverneur
 * Hermann Blaß as Birnbaum, Klavierspieler
 * Edith d'Amara as Yvette, Chansonette
 * Ley On as Wang-Hu, Hai-Tangs Bruder
 * Hugo Werner-Kahle as Oberst Morawjoff, Regimentskommandeur
 * Hay Yung as Dschung Dschou - der Älteste der Truppe

Music
As was common in the early days of talkies, the film also received two title hits composed by Hans May. Fritz Rotter wrote the lyrics. Played by prominent bands, they were also distributed on gramophone records.

Audio samples:
 * One day the miracle of love will come. Slow-Fox, Ben Berlin and his orchestra, with German chorus singing: Leo Monosson. Grammophon B. 51 797,
 * Russian love songs (Without woman and without wine, no Russian can be). Marek Weber and his orchestra, vocals: Franz Lederer. Electrola E.G.1798 (60-848),
 * No Russian can be without a woman and without wine. Foxtrot, Fred Jones and his jazz symphony with chorus vocals. Electro Eltag 2356 (Matr. 5416), rec. February 1930, (“Fred Jones” was Sam Baskini)