Lady from Shanghai (The)

Genre: film noir (fittingly in black and white)

With: Rita Hayworth (Elsa Bannister), Orson Welles (Michael O'Hara), Everett Sloane (Arthur Bannister), Glenn Anders (George Grisby), Ted de Corsia (Sidney Broome), Erskine Sanford (Judge), Gus Schilling (Goldie)

Director: Orson Welles

Screenplay: Orson Welles (based on a story and novel by Sherwood King), with help from William Castle, Charles Lederer and Fletcher Markle

Release: 1947

Studio: Mercury Productions, Columbia Pictures Corporation

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10 

 

Cruisin’ for a bruisin’ 

 

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Story-line: one night in New York City, Michael O’Hara, an Irish sailor, sees a very attractive woman enjoying the sights and chats with her for a moment or two. Later, he finds her being attacked by ruffians in Central Park and manages to rescue her. They chat some more and discover that they share an adventurous spirit. As you can guess, they will meet again in a more romantic setting – a yacht circling North America – but in the presence of her husband and a couple of annoying fellas.

Pluses: stellar acting by Rita Hayworth (a voluptuous, intelligent Elsa), Orson Welles (a daring Michael), Everett Sloane and Glenn Anders, efficient direction, a complex and perverse screenplay full of twists, turns, cynicism and snappy dialogues, appropriate production values, excellent cinematography, a helpful musical score that heightens the drama and a riveting 18-minute denouement.

Minuses: the screenplay confused me somewhat but it made sense once I took the time to figure it out. On screen, Rita and Orson make a dynamite couple but it is worth noting that they were facing each other in divorce proceedings when this movie was shot. 

Comments: LADY FROM SHANGHAI isn’t called a film noir for nothing. It offers everything you could wish for in a crime thriller: burning passion, mysterious characters, a tricky story that keeps you guessing and a memorable ending to boot. As Michael would say when asked about his tastes in liquor, ‟Doesn't have to be wholesome... just as long as it's strong.”

 

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