The Shanghai Gesture

This is a beta version of NNDB

The Shanghai Gesture (25-Dec-1941)

From a play by: John Colton

Name Occupation Birth Death Known for

Albert Bassermann Actor 7-Sep-1867 15-May-1952 German actor

Eric Blore Actor 23-Dec-1887 2-Mar-1959 Sullivan's Travels

Marcel Dalio Actor 17-Jul-1900 20-Nov-1983 The Sun Also Rises

Walter Huston Actor 6-Apr-1884 7-Apr-1950 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Ivan Lebedeff Actor 18-Jun-1895 31-Mar-1953 Russian-American character actor

Victor Mature Actor 29-Jan-1913 4-Aug-1999 Samson and Delilah

Maria Ouspenskaya Actor 29-Jul-1876 3-Dec-1949 Waterloo Bridge

Gene Tierney Actor 19-Nov-1920 6-Nov-1991 Laura

REVIEWS

Review by PBP (posted on 3-Jul-2007)

I saw this film when it first played in the local theater. In fact I waited for years for it to come up on tv reruns and I still have a tape copy of the film. B&W but it's a great film. I often use the ending line -- "You like chinese new year." It also was in my opinion one of Vic Mature best parts.

Review by Chicago Noir Fan (posted on 30-Dec-2007)

Brecht meets Sam Fuller. Pioneering noir esque film- . Too bad the DVD from Image does such a lousy job in transferring what was surely a great looking film. 'Shanghai Gesture's moralistic tale is set in Shanghai but universal in its 'final judgement' sequences. Rare to find a 40's film that seems to talk to adults. Not perfect, but a unique piece of art for its time.

Review by anonymous (posted on 18-Jul-2006)

Having just seen this odd noir I highly recommend it. The opening scene of Mother Gin Sling's nightclub is wild & decadent. All performances are over the top but Ona Munson as Mother Gin Sling's puts out any memory of her as Belle Watling in GWTW. Fascinating, who knew Gene Tierney could really let her hair down w/acting chops rarely seen in any of her roles. She plays a spoiled rich kid working the other side of the tracks and with a name like Poppy the setting couldn't get any better. Though Victor Mature gives her a run for the money and no one has looked better wearing a Fez (except maybe Elmer Fudd). This is a wild ride and an often overlooked noir who rates up there with the best of them.

Have you seen this film? We would love to see your review.
Submit your review for this film

Locate a copy of this film here.

Do you know something we don't?
Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile