The Shanghai Gesture

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Steve S The critics in 1941, and the armchair reviewers today, seem to miss the high-camp quality of this comedy classic, and accordingly miss the humor. Look at Ona Munson’s lacquered hairdos, for crying out loud—all of them, because they get bigger and more fabulous with each scene! “Mother Gin Sling” is not written or portrayed as a serious dramatic character; she is a camp goddess worthy of John Waters, but in Oleg Cassini costumes that Waters could never afford. How tragic that this film was ever reviewed as a drama. In the ‘60s, the acid-drag troupe “The Cockettes” spoofed this movie into their most outrageous musical, “Pearls Over Shanghai.” They got the joke. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/08/24 Full Review Steve D Not as good as it should be with this cast. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/13/24 Full Review Ken R Shanghai Gesture – Out Of the Fog and Smoke What a surprise this turned out to be. Von Sternberg literally paints his images onto the screen with his ever-moving camera, as he glides and weaves through his remarkably maze-like sets. With French born Cinematographer Paul Ivano, we are treated to dazzling images and a screen adaption that belies the stage origins of John Colton's interesting and rather complex play. Strong dialogue plays a key role in cementing the rhythm and flow of the fascinating sequences as they build to an unexpected finale. Walter Huston is compelling as ever as the powerbroker hiding a mysterious past, with a very young Gene Tierney playing more believably than I've ever seen before as the newcomer – taking the fast lane towards a dead end, alongside an equally youthful Victor Mature as an opportunistic casino gigolo. A string of assorted colorful characters are brought to life under Josef Von Sternberg's skillful direction. As rarely played as it is now, it should be seen by all students & lovers of solid vintage cinema. Some good DVDs available. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Poorly directed, poorly acted and poorly scripted. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member A study in whitewashing and '40s schmaltz. It's so mundane that it starts with a suicide attempt, ends with murder, heavily features a love triangle and 'culminates' with a family-drama-reveal one-two but still packs zero punch. There's no tension, no nerve - only a meagre plot where even the protagonists are extras. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member a fair to good drama noir movie from 1941 starring Gene Tierney,Walter Huston,Victor Mature and a good cast. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Shanghai Gesture

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