Library and Archives Canada
The Secrets of Chinatown is a 1934 feature-length film set in British Columbia. It was directed by Fred Newmeyer and produced by Kenneth Bishop. From 1928 to 1937, British law required that fifteen percent of films shown in Britain be of Commonwealth origin, which limited the number of American imports. Filmed and set in Canada, The Secrets of Chinatown is known as a “quota quickie” – one of twenty-two low-budget feature films made in the British quota years by registered Canadian companies with American backing. The film’s script was adapted from Guy Morton’s novel, The Black Robe, which was the film’s alternate title when it screened in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, so as not to offend the large Chinese populations in those cities. Harry Hastings, a lead actor in the film, reportedly prefaced each of the Victoria screenings with a reminder of the film’s ‘fictional’ nature. Vancouver’s Chinese Consul requested that film be removed from circulation, citing racist slurs, negative portrayals of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, and misrepresentations of Chinatown. However, British Columbia’s film censor did not deem the film’s material sufficiently offensive to warrant censorship.
Chinese Immigration Register listing: Ah Foo, a Merchant from Victoria, BC, his wife Chan See and his children, Ah Wah, Ah Bank, Ah New, Ah Fong, Yew Qui, Kem Fat and Ah But, Certificates 6302-6310, dated April 24, 1891.
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