Remembered now mostly for his Academy Award nominated performance as the Japanese officer Colonel Saito in The Bridge on the River Kwai, Sessue Hayakawa first came to fame as one of the great stars of the silent cinema.  He often played the dashing, romantic lead--a rarity for Asian actors in Hollywood, even today.  Hayakawa became so popular and powerful that he established Haworth Pictures to take control of his own career.  The Dragon Painter was the finest of the Haworth productions.  Beautifully acted, gorgeously shot (with Yosemite Valley filling in for the Japanese landscape), and lovingly directed, the film is an absolute marvel. Hayakawa plays Tatsu, an artist living as a hermit in the wilds of Japan.  Thought mad by the local villagers, he believes that his princess has been captured by a dragon.  His obsession leads to artistic inspiration.  

Long considered lost, The Dragon Painter was rediscovered in a French distribution print and brought to George Eastman House for restoration with the original tints.  A new ensemble score by the celebrated composer Mark Izu was commissioned for the 2001 DVD release.