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The Lady from Shanghai
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The Lady from Shanghai (1947) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 17 | slideshow) Videos
The Lady from Shanghai (1947) -- Trailer for this murder mystery starring Rita Hayworth

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   7,285 votes
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Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Sherwood King (story)
Orson Welles (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Lady from Shanghai on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 June 1948 (USA) more
Tagline:
One who keeps his nature keeps his original nature in the end. more
Plot:
Fascinated by gorgeous Mrs. Bannister, seaman Michael O'Hara joins a bizarre yachting cruise, and ends up mired in a complex murder plot. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Monologue - Femme Fatale.
 (From FilmExperience. 7 December 2009, 9:00 AM, PST)

What's On Tonight: House, Good Eats, One Tree Hill, Rita Rocks
 (From AOL - TVSquad. 30 November 2009, 9:14 AM, PST)

User Reviews:
Mirror, mirror... more (104 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited 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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Black Irish (USA) (working title)
Take This Woman (USA) (working title)
The Girl from Shanghai (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
87 min | UK:92 min (original release) | West Germany:81 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
UK:A (original rating) (1948) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (f: fr,16) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #12111)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Errol Flynn's own pet dachshund is seen in the yacht scenes, since it is Flynn's yacht Zaca in the film. Flynn also did all the aerial photography for that film's yacht scenes and is in the film incognito. more
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. more
Quotes:
Michael O'Hara: It's a bright, guilty world. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Care Bears Movie (1985) more
Soundtrack:
Amado Mio more

FAQ

Is "The Lady from Shanghai" based on a book?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Who is the lady from Shanghai?
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27 out of 38 people found the following review useful.
Mirror, mirror..., 1 April 2004
8/10
Author: jotix100 from New York

One can only imagine the film Mr. Welles might have finished without the interference of the studio! This film is a flawed Welles, but worth every minute of it because one can see the greatness of perhaps America's best motion picture director of all times!

We can see the toll it took on Orson Welles the filming of this movie. The story has a lot of holes in it, perhaps because of the demands of the studio executives that didn't trust the director.

It is curious by reading some of the opinions submitted to IMDB that compare Orson Welles with the Coen brothers, Roman Polanski, even Woody Allen, when it should be all of those directors that must be regarded as followers of the great master himself. No one was more original and creative in the history of American cinema than Mr. Welles. Lucky are we to still have his legacy either in retrospective looks such as the one the Film Forum in New York just ended, or his films either on tape or DVD form.

Rita Hayworth was never more lovingly photographed than here. If she was a beauty with her red hair, as a blonde, she is just too stunning for words. Everett Sloan and Glenn Anders made an excellent contribution to the movie.

The only thing that might have made this film another masterpiece to be added to Orson Welles body of work, was his own appearance in it. Had he concentrated in the directing and had another actor interpret Michael O'Hara, a different film might have been achieved altogether. Orson Welles has to be credited for being perhaps a pioneer in taking the camera away from the studio lot into the street. The visuals in this film are so amazing that we leave the theater after seeing this movie truly impressed for the work, the vision and the talent he gave us.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
What, exactly, was the plot Grisby was trying to hatch? stills-6
Was Welles Separated at Birth from... Gluck-3
What a complete and utter mess morrowmmm
Scene in Chinese puppet theater svengali12
It's so bad it's GREAT! Plot, accents, etc... Felonious-Punk
TRIVIA: What ethnicity is Orson Welle's CHARACTER in this movie??? weirdal_27-1
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