Laowai Rampage in Shanghai – The Night Angry Italians Trashed the Isis Cinema in Hongkew

Years ago I came across a reference to the riot at the Isis Theatre (cinema) in Hongkew in February 1937. I thought it worth a little investigation. On a cold February night in 1937 200 Italians – Squadrini posted in Shanghai, Italian sailors on shore leave and some particularly nationalistic local Fascisti Shanghailanders descended upon the Isis Theatre (cinema) in Hongkew and trashed it. As you can see from the newspaper article below there was quite a fight and the Russian projectionists got done over. The interior of the cinema was wrecked and they stole the film. Why such a kerfuffle?

The film in question was a Soviet Russian made movie showing the atrocities committed by Italy in its invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) a year or two before. The Italians in Shanghai were obviously not happy at the film’s portrayal of their country and its empire building actions under Mussolini. The Nationalist Chinese government tried to get the film back, but I don’t think they ever did. The cinema did recover and resume screenings of other films.

The Isis was up on Boundary Road (now Tianmu Road), effectively the junction between the International Settlement in Hongkew (Hongkou) and the Northern External Roads in Chinese controlled Paoshan (Baoshan). The Laslo Hudec designed cinema was close by the North Szechuen Road (now Sichuan Road North) and not far from the heavily patronised Venus Cafe. The fighting spilled out of the cinema onto Boundary Road until a combined force of Shanghai Municipal Police, Japanese Gendarmes, Italian military police and the Chinese police turned up to sort it all out.

The North Szechuen Road