The Curse of Quon Gwon

Background

Marion E. Wong created the Mandarin Film Company in Oakland, California and served as its president. In an interview with the Oakland Tribune in 1916, she expressed her interest in presenting Chinese culture to American audiences through film. She produced, directed, and wrote the screenplay for The Curse of Quon Gwon, the only film her company made. The film tells a love story featuring Wong's sister-in-law, Violet Wong, as the female lead, and Wong herself as the film's villain. Other members of Wong's family also had roles in the film. According to Violet Wong's grandson, Gregory Mark, the film was turned down from distribution.

Restoration Process

In 1969, Violet Wong told her grandson Gregory Mark about a film canister in the basement of the family home and said "You do something with it." Mark turned it into 16mm, and a few years later, Violet showed the film to her family. In 2004, filmmaker Arthur Dong learned of two nitrate reels and the 16mm print containing footage from The Curse of Quon Gwon that were in the possession of Violent Wong's descendants while researching his documentary film Hollywood Chinese. He was given access to the footage and took it the Academy Film Archive, which restored the film in 2005. As of 2007, it is the earliest known Chinese American feature film and it is also one of the earliest films directed by a woman, Marion E. Wong. Parts of the film remain missing.

Recognitions

In December 2006, the film was recognized as a culturally, historically and aesthetically significant film by the National Film Registry.