The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Writers:

Sherwood King (story)
Orson Welles (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 June 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

Tagline:

One who keeps his nature keeps his original nature in the end.

Plot:

Fascinated by gorgeous Mrs. Bannister, seaman Michael O'Hara joins a bizarre yachting cruise, and ends up mired in a complex murder plot.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Dock | Seaman | Yacht | Partner

Cast

Rita Hayworth	...	Elsa Bannister
Orson Welles	...	Michael O'Hara
Everett Sloane	...	Arthur Bannister
Glenn Anders	...	George Grisby
Ted de Corsia	...	Sidney Broome (as Ted De Corsia)
Erskine Sanford	...	Judge
Gus Schilling	...	'Goldie' Goldfish
Carl Frank	...	District Attorney Galloway
Louis Merrill	...	Jake
Evelyn Ellis	...	Bessie (Bannister maid)
Harry Shannon	...	Cab Driver

Also Known As:

Black Irish (USA) (working title)
Take This Woman (USA) (working title)
The Girl from Shanghai (USA) (working title)
Die Lady von Shanghai (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
La dama de Shanghai (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
La dame de Shanghai (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
A Dama de Shangai (Brazil) (alternative spelling) [pt]
A Dama de Shanghai (Brazil) [pt]
A Dama de Xangai (Portugal) [pt]
Dama z Szanghaju (Poland) [pl]
De dame uit Shanghai (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
I kyria ap' ti Sangai (Greece) [el]
Kvinden fra Shanghai (Denmark) [da]
La dama de Xangai (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
La signora di Shanghai (Italy) [it]
Lady från Shanghai (Sweden) [sv]
Nainen Shanghaista (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

87 min | Germany:79 min | UK:92 min (original release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) (1948) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #12111)

Filming Locations:

Acapulco Bay, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn thought the movie would ruin his star, Rita Hayworth, and held the release of the picture back for one year. Cohn ordered director Orson Welles to insert "glamour" shots (close-ups) of Hayworth. Because of the success of Hayworth's singing in other films, Cohn ordered filming of the scene where Hayworth sings "Please Don't Kiss Me."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Mrs. Bannister is lunging for the exit in the mirrored room, the "broken glass" in the foreground stays in frame as the camera pans to the right, spoiling the illusion of a cracked window.

Quotes:

Bessie, Bannister's Maid/Cook: You heard him, Mr. Poet. I need the money.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Trouble Man (1972)

Soundtrack:

Amado Mio

Orson Welles takes on a pulp-noir novel and, at the least, makes it his own

As I watched one of Orson Welles' last contributions to Hollywood as a filmmaker, I knew I was watching a great movie unfold, though at times I did not know why. The story in The Lady from Shanghai has the prime elements of a film-noir: average-Joe lead, femme fatale, conspicuous supporting characters, and a comprehensible if somewhat convoluted plot structure. It is an entertaining ride, and it's filled to the brim with Welles' unique gifts as a director, but there are scenes that tend to just not work, or don't feel complete in what was Welles' full vision (the latter is unfortunately too true- executive producer Harry Cohn and the Columbia execs are to blame for that).

Welles co-stars with his then wife, the profoundly gorgeous Rita Hayworth, as Mike O'Hara, an Irish worker who can and does get angry at the right people. Hayworth is Mrs. Bannister, married to Mr. Bannister (Everett Sloane, who played Mr. Bernstein in Citizen Kane), who is accompanied by a friend Mr. Grisby (Glenn Anders, who has great control in his eyes). They want to go sailing on their yacht and take O'Hara along for the ride, and at first he's reluctant, but agrees since he's falling for the married Mrs. As their journey unfolds, O'Hara finds that Bannister and Grisby are not pleasant to be around, and more so with Grisby, who at first seems out of his gourd. Yet as the plot unfolds, O'Hara is drawn into a scam that Grisby is planning for insurance money, with results that I dare not reveal (although they have been discussed over and over by others).

Whatever liabilities pop up here and there in the mystery part of the story (and those few noticeable moments where shots were studio dictated), the performances and the look of the film are what remains striking after over fifty-five years. Though he doesn't have the terrific Greg Tolland (Kane's DP) at his side, dependable Charles Lawton Jr. assists Welles in creating an atmosphere that is both elegant and stark, covered in shadows, deep focus, low angles, the works. A particular accomplishment is the fun-house mirror scene, which is merely a highlight among others. Welles himself is always dependable as an actor- even if his accent isn't anything special- and Hayworth herself makes a scene a little more lush, despite her path in the story.

The Lady from Shanghai is worth checking out, especially for Welles, Hayworth, or film-noir buffs (fans of the Coen brothers might find this fascinating as well). It may just take a little while, repeat viewings (as was for Touch of Evil), for the underlying motives in the plot to sink in.