#933: STERNBERG, Josef von: Shanghai Express (1932)

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STERNBERG, Josef von (United States)
Shanghai Express [1932]
Spine #933
DVD


An intoxicating mix of adventure, romance, and pre-Code salaciousness, Shanghai Express marks the commercial peak of an iconic collaboration. Marlene Dietrich is at her wicked best as Shanghai Lily, a courtesan whose reputation brings a hint of scandal to a three-day train ride through war-torn China. On board, she is surrounded by a motley crew of foreigners and lowlifes, including a fellow fallen woman (Anna May Wong), an old flame (Clive Brook), and a rebel leader wanted by the authorities (Warner Oland). As tensions come to a boil, director Josef von Sternberg delivers one breathtaking image after another, enveloping his star in a decadent profusion of feathers, furs, and cigarette smoke. The result is a triumph of studio filmmaking and a testament to the mythic power of Hollywood glamour.

82 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2018
Director/Writer


From the story by Harry Hervey.
Screenplay by Jules Furthman.

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

 The Booklet

Eighty-four page booklet featuring essays by Imogen Sara Smith, Gary Giddins, and Farran Smith Nehme.

Commentary

None.

Interview

With film scholar Homay King, author of Lost in Translation: Orientalism, Cinema, and the Enigmatic Signifier.

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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