The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

Writers:

Sherwood King (story)
Orson Welles (screenplay)
(more)

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Alland	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jessie Arnold	...	Schoolteacher at Aquarium (uncredited)
Jack Baxley	...	Guard (uncredited)
Steve Benton	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Vernon Cansino	...	Man (uncredited)
Doris Chan	...	Chinese Girl (uncredited)
George Chirello	...	Man (uncredited)
Wong Chung	...	Li (uncredited)
Eddie Coke	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Peter Cusanelli	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Al Eben	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Edythe Elliott	...	Old Lady (uncredited)
Heenan Elliott	...	Guard (uncredited)
John Elliott	...	Court Clerk (uncredited)
Errol Flynn	...	Man in background outside of cantina (uncredited)
Joseph Granby	...	Police Lieutenant (uncredited)
Robert Gray	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Alvin Hammer	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Maynard Holmes	...	Truck Driver (uncredited)
Tiny Jones	...	Woman (uncredited)
Byron Kane	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Milton Kibbee	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Preston Lee	...	Chinese Man (uncredited)
Grace Lem	...	Chinese Woman (uncredited)
Billy Louie	...	Chinese Girl (uncredited)
Charles Meakin	...	Jury Foreman (uncredited)
Philip Morris	...	Port Steward / Peters (uncredited)
Sam Nelson	...	Captain of yacht Circe (uncredited)
Mary Newton	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Joe Palma	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Guard (uncredited)
Gerald Pierce	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Joe Recht	...	Garage Attendant (uncredited)
Mabel Smaney	...	Woman (uncredited)
Harry Strang	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Norman Thomson	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Philip Van Zandt	...	Policeman / Thug (uncredited)
Dorothy Vaughan	...	Old Woman (uncredited)
Blackie Whiteford	...	Big Coke drinker with vest (uncredited)
Richard Wilson	...	Assistant District Attorney (uncredited)
Artarne Wong	...	Ticket Taker (uncredited)
Jean Wong	...	Ticket Seller (uncredited)

Directed by
Orson Welles		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Sherwood King		(story based on a novel)
Orson Welles		(screenplay)
William Castle		uncredited
Charles Lederer		uncredited
Fletcher Markle		uncredited

Produced by
William Castle	....	associate producer
Orson Welles	....	producer
Richard Wilson	....	associate producer
Harry Cohn	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Heinz Roemheld

Cinematography by
Charles Lawton Jr.
Rudolph Maté		(uncredited)
Joseph Walker		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Viola Lawrence

Art Direction by
Sturges Carne
Stephen Goosson		(as Stephen Goossón)

Set Decoration by
Wilbur Menefee
Herman N. Schoenbrun		(as Herman Schoenbrun)

Costume Design by
Jean Louis		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Clay Campbell	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sam Nelson	....	assistant director
William Castle	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Lodge Cunningham	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Lawrence W. Butler	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
John Daheim	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Wilson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Edward Cronenweth	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Irving Klein	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Richard H. Kline	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Don Murphy	....	grip (uncredited)
Ned Scott	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director (as M.W. Stoloff)
Herschel Burke Gilbert	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Dorothy B. Cormack	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Errol Flynn	....	technical advisor: yacht scenes (uncredited)
Virginia Van Upp	....	story continuity (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)
• Mercury Productions (uncredited)

Distributors

• Columbia Film (1948) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1948) (USA) (theatrical)
• Filmes Castello Lopes (1949) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia Films (1947) (France) (theatrical) (35 and 16 mm)
• Union Film Wien (1950) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2003) (Italy) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Black Irish (USA) (working title)
Take This Woman (USA) (working title)
The Girl from Shanghai (USA) (working title)

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:

After distinguished service during WWII in coastal patrol off California, the Zaca was sold out of Errol Flynn's estate and went through years of neglect and disputes in ownership. Rescued from certain destruction and restored by a wealthy Italian businessman, it sails now out of Monte Carlo, and is recognized as one of the finest yachts in the world.

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:

George Grisby: Just tell 'em you're taking a little tarrrr-get practice

Movie Connections:

Referenced in All's Welles That Ends Welles (2009)

Soundtrack:

Please Don't Kiss Me

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.