Stevecorp
Don't listen to the negative reviews
FuzzyTagz
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Taraparain
Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.
utgard14
Wealthy businessman Sir Guy Charteris (Walter Huston) plans to force Shanghai gambling den owner Mother Gin Sling (Ona Munson) to sell her business. She retaliates by corrupting his daughter Poppy (Gene Tierney) with help from gigolo Dr. Omar (Victor Mature). Turns out Sir Guy and Mother Gin Sling have a past history that leads to a plot twist viewers will see coming a mile and a half away.Gene Tierney is jaw-droppingly beautiful and Josef von Sternberg makes the most of her beauty with as many close-ups as possible. The camera certainly loves her. Her acting, which seems to be widely dismissed in most critical reviews I've read, is passable but unimpressive. Ona Munson's Mother Gin Sling is a silly character, decked out like Mrs. Fu Manchu throughout the film. Instant camp. Victor Mature laughably hams it up as an Arabian gigolo. Most of the cast is enjoyable on a campy level except Phyllis Brooks. She's great as a ballsy chorus girl who seems like she walked out of another movie and accidentally wound up in this one. In another film, Brooks might be the prettiest actress in the cast. But alongside Tierney few could stand out.Despite the cosmopolitan cast and setting being reminiscent of the later (and superior) Casablanca, this is a mostly forgettable and stagey melodrama. About the only two things people are likely to take away from this one are Gene Tierney's stunning good looks and Ona Munson's ridiculous costumes.
bkoganbing
Although The Shanghai Gesture was nominated for two Oscars for music scoring and for art&set design, the film is a rather creaky old fashioned melodrama. Based on a Broadway play it is directed by Joseph Von Sternberg who could never recapture what he and Marlene Dietrich did for China setting story like Shanghai Express.We're not on a train in this one, this is a story concerning Shanghai which was an international port in every sense of the word with about fifteen western powers and Japan having a piece of turf that their country's laws governed, not China's. In the western quarter, British section is Madame Gin Sling's popular nightclub and casino, but industrialist Walter Huston has plans for some urban renewal and Gin Sling's club is slated for demolition.Madame Gin Sling is played by Ona Munson who is the best in the film. In Gone With The Wind she played Belle Watling who had a similar establishment in Atlanta. But Gin Sling is lots different than Belle Watling. And she recognizes Walter Huston as her long lost former husband who abandoned her years ago. She's got special plans for him that involve his daughter Gene Tierney who is a spoiled brat of a girl.All I can say is this one really goes over the top. The Shanghai Gesture is a play not likely to revived any time soon. The cast does what they can with it, but it's way too melodramatic for current taste.
MartinHafer
"The Shanghai Gesture" is one of those weird Hollywood films that is set in China--yet practically no one in the film appears to be Asian--at least when it comes to the major characters! And, in the few cases where there are Asian main characters, they are clearly played by American actors--such as Ona Munson (in completely ridiculous garb) and Mike Mazurki! This WAS the norm for the 1930s and 40s--and even continued into the 50s and 60s (with Tony Randall and 6'^7" Christopher Lee, of all people, playing Chinese men)...how this sort of casting was never a major issue is beyond me--it certainly would not be acceptable to have white actors playing black characters. Plus, there were some fine Asian actors that would have loved the work! In addition to this bizarro casting wasn't enough, Victor Mature plays a guy who sports a fez and cape--and is called 'Omar'! Wow--only in Hollywood!It's pretty obvious that this film was originally a play, as just about everything occurs in a gambling den in Shanghai. The way scenes are presented has this stagy feel. But, the original play was MUCH more racy and tons of the plot needed to be changed to meet the demands of the Production Code. For instance, in the play, the setting was a brothel! So, they had to sanitize the script in order to get approval to show this movie in American theaters.If you think about it, this setting is very much like 1942's "Casablanca"--it,too, is set in a gambling den and bar. Its patrons are very multinational and there is a strong undercurrent of vice. But, there is a style, dialog and a great ensemble cast in "Casablanca" that puts it in a completely different league than "The Shanghai Gesture". The film finds Tierney in the gambling den and the seemingly nice Mature prods her to try her hand at gambling. At first, she wins big and wants to cash in her chips and leave, but he convinces her to continue. Not only does she lose all her money and jewelry, but has been extended lots of credit--and there appears to be no way she can ever repay the loans. Obviously Mature has pushed her into this situation so that she will owe her soul (and body) to the proprietress, 'Mother Gin Sling' (Munson). And yet, oddly, Tierney throws herself at Mature! What a dummy!Later, after throwing a ridiculous temper-tantrum, Tierney goes to see her father--the man who thinks he's going to shut down the 'gambling house' and deport its owner. Now, however, Tierney's debt makes this seem doubtful. How all this is worked out at a kooky dinner party is something you can find out for yourself...if you really care! Frankly, I stopped caring only about halfway through this silly film.Now let's talk about Mother Gin Sling. I probably am not allowed to use the name the play originally used for her--IMDb doesn't allow swearing in the reviews. You really have to see her to believe it--she looks like something out of a sci-fi film--like the original "Flash Gordon" or "The Fifth Element"! Her hair and silly makeup just have to be seen to believed. And, she looks laughable...and about as Asian as a taco! As for Tierney, this film is early in her career so I guess we can't blame her too much for her bad acting (particulary at around the 60 minute mark)--really, really bad acting. She goes from a cool and sexy lady to a totally annoying child who makes you want to backhand her--she was THAT annoying and her performance that shallow! Frankly, it was embarrassing to watch her and I am amazed that I was able to keep watching...though I am a glutton for punishment!To put it bluntly, a pretty stupid film without a lot to recommend it. Perhaps the big confrontation scene between Munson and Walter Huston might provide some decent entertainment...but I doubt it.
JohnHowardReid
John Colton who co-authored Rain, the stage adaptation of the short story titled "Miss Thompson" by W. Somerset Maugham, was also solely responsible for another huge Broadway success, The Shanghai Gesture, a legend in 1926 theatregoing. On the other hand, the 1941 movie, directed and photographed (as the credits plainly state) by Josef von Sternberg (Paul Ivano was his camera operator), lost such a large amount of money, it permanently damaged his reputation. Pictorially, the movie is a noir masterpiece. The director has a great time with his opulently picturesque sets, peopled with a vast number of colorful Hollywood extras. Given the full von Sternberg treatment of soft, caressing lighting, Gene Tierney looks absolutely ravishing. Most attractively costumed, she plays up the melodramatic aspects of the plot to the hilt and is only distanced by Ona Munson who rivets our attention while she makes mincemeat of all the dialogue's best lines. Oddly, Victor Mature, of all people, ranks third to Munson and Tierney in the splendid acting department. He plays a rare unsympathetic role with amazing conviction and hits just the right note of superficial self-assurance. In the fall-guy role, Walter Huston enacts the man of the moment with his customary bravado, but is constantly out-pipped by many of the great support players like Phyllis Brooks and particularly Mike Mazurki who has the movie's famous fade-out line, "You likee Chinese New Year?"
