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:

According to Orson Welles, this film grew out of an act of pure desperation. Welles, whose Mercury Theatre company produced a musical version of "Around the World in 80 Days," was in desperate need of money just before the Boston Preview. Mere hours before the show was due to open, the costumes had been impounded and unless Welles could come up with $55,000 to pay outstanding debts, the performance would have to be canceled. Stumbling upon a copy of "The Man I Killed," the novel upon which this film is based, Welles phoned Harry Cohn, instructing him to buy the rights to the novel and offering to write, direct and star in the film so long as Cohn would send $55,000 to Boston within two hours. The money arrived, and the production went on as planned.

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:

Michael O'Hara: Do all rich women play games like this?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Life on Mars: (#1.7)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Na Baixa do Sapateiro (Bahia)

Mirror, mirror...

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.