Being a fan of film-noir, considering Orson Welles' 'Citizen Kane' and 'A Touch of Evil' in particular cinematic masterworks and having liked Rita Hayworth in several of her other films like 'Gilda', 'The Lady from Shanghai' had all the ingredients to want to see it and be good.
'The Lady from Shanghai' isn't perfect, and it is not among Welles' best, but it is a fascinating and very impressive work indeed. It is easy to see why it is so divisive and why it hasn't clicked with some. It does get bogged down by an absurd to the point of farce courtroom scene, and Welles' performance, character and accent are just bizarre and come close to unbalancing a film that is no stranger already to weirdness. Much of the film is very compelling and never ceases to fascinate, but the storytelling does at times get murky and over-complicated.
However, Hayworth is every bit as glamorous as in 'Gilda' and she has never been more dangerous or vamp-ish. Everett Sloane is similarly brilliant, giving a performance even better than that in 'Citizen Kane', while Glenn Anders gives the creeps effortlessly. Despite reservations for his acting here, Welles directs magnificently with some truly jaw-dropping and unique visual and directorial flourishes (especially the climax) and the dialogue scorches.
'The Lady from Shanghai' is visually stunning, with an astounding and vast array of cinematic techniques, while it is atmospherically scored and scorchingly written (even with constant narration, it doesn't feel over-explanatory or pointless like narration can do). Much of the story is a lot of fun and deliciously twisted with a great tongue-in-cheek approach. It is hardly surprising that the Hall of Mirrors climax is so legendary, with it being so suspenseful and so stunning visually, though the aquarium scene is note-worthy too.
Overall, a flawed film noir but fascinating too. 8/10 Bethany Cox
'The Lady from Shanghai' isn't perfect, and it is not among Welles' best, but it is a fascinating and very impressive work indeed. It is easy to see why it is so divisive and why it hasn't clicked with some. It does get bogged down by an absurd to the point of farce courtroom scene, and Welles' performance, character and accent are just bizarre and come close to unbalancing a film that is no stranger already to weirdness. Much of the film is very compelling and never ceases to fascinate, but the storytelling does at times get murky and over-complicated.
However, Hayworth is every bit as glamorous as in 'Gilda' and she has never been more dangerous or vamp-ish. Everett Sloane is similarly brilliant, giving a performance even better than that in 'Citizen Kane', while Glenn Anders gives the creeps effortlessly. Despite reservations for his acting here, Welles directs magnificently with some truly jaw-dropping and unique visual and directorial flourishes (especially the climax) and the dialogue scorches.
'The Lady from Shanghai' is visually stunning, with an astounding and vast array of cinematic techniques, while it is atmospherically scored and scorchingly written (even with constant narration, it doesn't feel over-explanatory or pointless like narration can do). Much of the story is a lot of fun and deliciously twisted with a great tongue-in-cheek approach. It is hardly surprising that the Hall of Mirrors climax is so legendary, with it being so suspenseful and so stunning visually, though the aquarium scene is note-worthy too.
Overall, a flawed film noir but fascinating too. 8/10 Bethany Cox