Cocaine

A decadent, controversial tale of London's seedy underbelly, where an elegant Chinese club host enslaves the weak with white powder.

In this decadent tale of drugs and the London underworld the cosseted daughter of a respectable businessman - in fact head of a cocaine racket - succumbs to the pleasures of drink and drugs. Vivid nightlife scenes recreate the interwar world of flappers and hedonists; the dapper club owner and seedy street dealer are both Chinese (played by white actors), common stereotypes at the time.

The third Chinese character, a sympathetic lackey, is played by an uncredited Chinese actor; his natural performance points up the hamminess of the other two. Retitled While London Sleeps following censorship problems, Cocaine was the directorial debut of Graham Cutts, a prominent figure in 1920s and 30s British cinema and a mentor (and later rival) to the young Alfred Hitchcock.