The Lady from Shanghai

"I told you... you know nothing about wickedness"

1947 1h 27m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 748

MysteryCrimeThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A romantic drifter gets caught between a corrupt tycoon and his voluptuous wife.

“I told you... you know nothing about wickedness”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

YouTubeRent

Fandango At HomeRent

Spectrum On DemandRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Apple TV StoreBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Rita Hayworth
Elsa Bannister
Orson Welles
Michael O'Hara
Everett Sloane
Arthur Bannister
Glenn Anders
George Grisby
Ted de Corsia
Sidney Broome
Erskine Sanford
Judge
Gus Schilling
Goldfish
Carl Frank
Galloway

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Orson Welles
Writers: Orson Welles
Languages: Cantonese, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 68% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

79 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cantonese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Orson Welles, shot by Charles Lawton Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Heinz Roemheld. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Viola Lawrence shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Orson Welles directs. Charles Lawton Jr. behind the camera. Heinz Roemheld scores. Viola Lawrence cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Cantonese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $2.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 68% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
479 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
5Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cantonese, English.
6Directed by Orson Welles, shot by Charles Lawton Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Heinz Roemheld. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Viola Lawrence shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles and Everett Sloane carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "I told you... you know nothing about wickedness".
11IMDB entry: tt0040525 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 9 themes, including "new york city", "shanghai, china", "court", "aquarium".

The technical file

Cinematography: Charles Lawton Jr.
Original score: Heinz Roemheld
Editing: Viola Lawrence
Costume design: Jean Louis
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,300,000
Box office: $1,564,609
Return: 68% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

Also by

Orson Welles

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-20
★ 7/10
This is another film where the two top-billed - Rita Hayworth ("Elsa") and Orson Welles ("Michael") are outshone by a strong supporting effort. This time, that comes from Everett Sloane. Here, he is renowned barrister "Bannister" who needs crutches to walk and is married to the restless "Elsa". She was taking a cab through the park one night when accosted by robbers. "Michael" was passing and came to the rescue. Next thing "Bannister" is asking him to come work on their luxury yacht. Clearly, he is attracted to the wife and soon a rather complex game is afoot - but who is playing whom? Meantime, "Grisby" *Glenn Anders) - the partner of "Bannister" in their law firm tries to embroil "Michael" in a rather cunning wheeze to create a corpse-less crime enabling him to flee his overbearing wife and claim some insurance money. It isn't long before the corpses do start to pile up and "Michael" is front and centre in the courtroom defended by "Bannister" for murder. Who actually did the killing, though? The film is very much at it's best with a strong performance from Hayworth, Welles and Sloane all playing against each other. I found the parallel plot to all be just a bit far-fetched. The ending is cracking, though - and though perhaps I felt there was a little injustice in it, it works really well. The production looks great, Hayworth dons her sailor's cap with panache and though a bit lumbering, Welles gels quite well with her as we progress. Good film, this.

Production companies