I would like to recommend a little movie called “the Lady from Shanghai,” an Orson Welles film noir from 1947. Apparently he adapted it, directed it, and it was briefly an interesting movie, but it was soon torn apart and re-made into a different film by the studio because the boss, Harry Cohn, didn’t get it.
The plot starts off very simply: An ordinary sailor gets drawn in to a circle of three very nasty people. After that, it starts to get complicated. To summarize it simply, each of the three nasty people want the other two dead and Orson is to be the fall-guy. There’s a grand explanation right at the end, but it’s really not important.
What is important is watching the four primary actors (Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles, Everett Sloane and Glenn Anders) play their parts. They’re all good. Rita gets to play a real charter. Everett Sloan cuts through ever scene he’s in like a pneumatic metal shear. I especially want to point out the somewhat obscure Glenn Anders — he is excellent at creating a character who is simultaneously annoying, laughably absurd and quite intimidating.
Now I think I’ll go have a little t-a-a-a-r-r-r-get practice.
As I mentioned earlier, the movie was made and then remade. The effects of this reworking are quite obvious in the editing and the cinematography.
Mashing the original and reshot footage together results in choppy editing and uneven pacing. Frequently there are scenes that play-out in confusing, abrupt bursts. And then there are other ruminacular scenes that just seem to go on longer than they need to. This editing, in its own way, helps establish an appropriate mood because it gives the movie an unsettled, hallucinatory feel. Just watching it makes you feel like you’ve been drugged and you’re… why, you’re wandering around a deserted mad house!
Some of this movie’s cinematography is quite bad. I’m going to assume this is the re-shot footage. And why shouldn’t I? It looks like it was shot on fogged 16mm film.
On the other hand, most of the movie has black and white photography so sharp it feels like it could cut you. Cut you like — like a sea full of sharks — just mad for each other’s blood. There’s ample use of raked lighting. The lighting is so carefully arranged that it creates whites on top of blacks on top of whites on top of blacks. It all builds up scenes with incredible unity and depth. The best parts of the film are shot this way, and it’s a joy to see.
There are a couple of distinct highlights I should mention. Orson’s escape from the courthouse is precipitated by a brief, but enormous fight in the judge’s office. The choreography of this fight is amazing in the efficient way it completely destroys the office. And then, of course, there is the famous closing scene in the deserted amusement park. It’s 10 minutes that look like it inspired the opening to the Twilight Zone.
Also, the yacht featured in this movie is Errol Flynn’s infamous personal love boat. Flynn himself apparently appears someplace in one of the Acapulco scenes, but I’ve never noticed him.
Is it a great movie? No. But what’s there is pretty good. And if you look at it right, you can see what it might have been.
