Directed by
Josef von Sternberg
USA 1941
A young woman, Poppy (Gene Tierney), out for excitement in Shanghai, enters a gambling house owned by "Mother" Gin Sling (Ona Munson), a dragon-lady who worked herself up from poverty to buy the casino. Sir Guy Charteris (Walter Huston), wealthy entrepreneur, has purchased a large area of Shanghai, forcing Gin Sling to vacate by the coming Chinese New Year. Under orders from Gin Sling, who has found out Poppy is Charteris' daughter, the smarmy Doctor Omar (Victor Mature) leads Poppy deeper and deeper into an addiction to gambling and alcohol. Gin Sling, realizing that Charteris was her long-ago husband who she thinks abandoned her, plans her revenge by inviting Charteris to a Chinese New Year dinner party to expose his past indiscretions. Charteris, however, has a surprise of his own to spring on Gin Sling.
****
An intriguing and at times surprisingly subversive film which stars Huston as the tycoon whose business involvement in buying a property in Shanghai attracts the wrath of Munson, the owner of a casino in the area. When he comes face to face with his daughter (Tierney), who has been manipulated by an Arab (Mature), his world falls apart and he is forced to re-examine his relationship with money as well as with his family. Sublimely conveyed by von Sternberg, The Shanghai Gesture is proof of what Hollywood can do if it allows its talent the room to maneuver.
Excerpt from Channel 4 located HERE
Posters
 |
 |
 |
Theatrical Release: December 25th, 1941
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC
| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
| Distribution | Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC | |
| Runtime | 1:38:42 | |
| Video | 1.33:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.65 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
|
|
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
| Bitrate: |
|
|
| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) | |
| Subtitles | English, None | |
| Features |
Release Information: Edition Details: • none |
|
| Comments: |
This would have to be considered a disappointment by Noir fans - the Image Entertainment disc is totally bare-bones (only chapter menus) and the image is extremely dirty and hazy - no improvement over the initial releases. It appears to be directly from analog and is about as filthy and image as I can remember seeing. Plus there are damage marks and speckles. Audio is similarly weak. What a shame that this is the company that bought out Home Vision. The only real positive to this edition is the price, but the film is so rich in style I would dearly love to see some restoration work by someone - possibly in another region? |
DVD Menus
 |
 |
Screen Captures
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Recommended Reading in Film Noir (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir by Foster Hirsch |
Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City by Nicholas Christopher |
Shades of Noir: A Reader by Joan Copjec |
The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the
Classic Era of Film Noir by Eddie Muller |
The Little Black and White Book of Film Noir:
Quotations from Films of the 40's and 50's by Peg Thompson, Saeko Usukawa |
Film Noir by Alain Silver |
Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era,
1940-1959 by Michael F. Keaney |
Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir by Foster Hirsch |
| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
| Distribution | Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC | |
DONATIONS Keep DVDBeaver alive and advertisement free:
Mail cheques, money orders, cash to: or CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
|
Gary Tooze 1775 Rowntree Court Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 4V3 CANADA |
|
Thank You!
