The Shanghai Drama (1938)
"Le drame de Shanghaï" (original title)

A Russian emigrant sings in a Shanghai nightclub under the assumed name of Kay Murphy. All she dreams of is a peaceful life with her daughter Vera. But this is only a pipe dream as she has ... See full summary »

Director:

Georg Wilhelm Pabst

Writers:

Alexandre Arnoux, Oscar Paul Gilbert (novel),

Stars:

Raymond Rouleau, Louis Jouvet, Christl Mardayn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Raymond Rouleau	...	Le journaliste André Franchon
Louis Jouvet	...	L'aventurier Ivan
Christl Mardayn	...	Mme Blonski / la chanteuse Kay Murphy (as Christiane Mardayne)
Elina Labourdette	...	Vera Blonski
Valéry Inkijinoff	...	Lee Pang
Dorville	...	Big-Bill, le patron de la boîte de nuit
André Alerme	...	Mac Tavish (as Alerme)
Suzanne Desprès	...	La gouvernante Niania
Gabrielle Dorziat	...	La directrice du collège
Marcel Lupovici	...	Un tueur du Serpent Noir
Robert Manuel	...	Le client attaqué
Pierre-Louis	...	Un marin américain ivre
Linh-Nam	...	Cheng
Foun-Sen	...	Mme Tsé
Mila Parély	...	La capitaine des girls

Storyline

A Russian emigrant sings in a Shanghai nightclub under the assumed name of Kay Murphy. All she dreams of is a peaceful life with her daughter Vera. But this is only a pipe dream as she has been forced by her former lover Ivan to work for a secret criminal organization, "The Black Dragon". Vera, who studies in a Hong Kong boarding-school, knows nothing about her mother's past. When Ivan, who is also Vera's father, resurfaces and blackmails Kay, the young woman is determined to fight back...

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Plot Keywords:

place name in title | based on novel

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

10 January 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Shanghai Drama

Filming Locations:

Saigon, Vietnam

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lucia Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Toi L'inconnu Dont J'ai Révé"
Music by Ralph Erwin
Lyrics by Louis Poterat
Sung by Christl Mardayn

User Reviews

memorable and well done

This movie was shown last night (10/30/98) at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City as part of a G. W. Pabst retrospective. The date of the movie was 1938 and it was very evocative of the period. Although shot in Saigon (instead of Hong Kong), it appeared to be very reflective of what I imagine was the Hong Kong atmosphere at the time - including good references to the many Russian ex-patriots there and their desperation. Not a perfect movie but one to be seen, if available.