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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 532

The Forbidden City

191862 minUnited States

Video edition: YouTube
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs: 62:04
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

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Synopsis

A Chinese princess's relationship with an American brings a severe punishment when the court learns she is pregnant. Years later, the daughter of that union seeks the father she has never known. Her search carries the family story beyond the palace and into the Philippines, where inherited prejudice continues to shape her prospects.

Cast

Norma Talmadge

Thomas Meighan

DirectorsSidney Franklin

Historical context

Norma Talmadge plays both mother and daughter in a melodrama organised around racial exclusion. Its Chinese court and cross-cultural romance are Hollywood constructions, with a white star's dual casting reflecting the industry's contemporary practice of portraying Asian characters through impersonation.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film reference Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain — US term reference

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

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Availability checked on September 10, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Norma Talmadge — Royal Atalier, N.Y. · Public domain
Thomas Meighan — Unknown photographer · Public domain

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