The Road to Dishonour (German: Der Weg zur Schande, also known as Hai-Tang: Der Weg zur Schande) is a 1930 British-German drama film directed by Richard Eichberg and starring Anna May Wong, Francis Lederer and Georg H. Schnell. It was made at Elstree Studios as part of a co-production deal between Eichberg and British International Pictures.
Like many other films of the early talkie era before dubbing became more widespread, the film was shot in multiple-language versions, each with a different cast. Three versions of the film were made so they could be screened throughout Europe and the colonial world, such as in Mozambique, Australia and South Africa. This was Wong's first sound film billed as the star, and in all three versions she appeared as the female lead.
An English-language version (The Flame of Love/The Road to Dishonour) and a French-language version (Le Chemin du déshonneur, sometimes referred to as LâÂÂAmour, maître des choses in French film magazines) of the film were made with different casts except for Wong, who spoke her part in three different languages. Confusingly, all three versions are often referred to simply as Hai-Tang.
As was common in the early days of talkies, the film also received two title hits composed by Hans May. Fritz Rotter wrote the lyrics. Played by prominent bands, they were also distributed on gramophone records.
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