The Shanghai Gesture (1941)

A young woman, Poppy, out for excitement in Shanghai, enters a gambling house owned by "Mother" Gin Sling, a dragon-lady who worked herself up from poverty to buy the casino. Sir Guy ... See full summary »

Director:

Josef von Sternberg

Writers:

Josef von Sternberg (adaptation), Geza Herczeg (collaborator for adaptation),

Stars:

Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Victor Mature

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gene Tierney	...	Victoria Charteris
Walter Huston	...	Sir Guy Charteris
Victor Mature	...	Doctor Omar
Ona Munson	...	'Mother' Gin Sling
Phyllis Brooks	...	Dixie Pomeroy
Albert Bassermann	...	Van Elst
Maria Ouspenskaya	...	The Amah
Eric Blore	...	Caesar Hawkins
Ivan Lebedeff	...	Boris
Mike Mazurki	...	The Coolie
Clyde Fillmore	...	Percival Montgomery Hower
Grayce Hampton	...	Lady Blessington
Rex Evans	...	Mr. Jackson
Mikhail Rasumny	...	Mischa Vaginisky (as Mikhail Rasumni)
Michael Dalmatoff	...	The Bartender (as Michael Delmatoff)

Storyline

A young woman, Poppy, out for excitement in Shanghai, enters a gambling house owned by "Mother" Gin Sling, a dragon-lady who worked herself up from poverty to buy the casino. Sir Guy Charteris, 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 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 suprise of his own to spring on Gin Sling.

---

Plot Keywords:

chinese new year | gambling | shanghai | dinner party | casino | 

---

Taglines:

People Live in Shanghai for Many Reasons... Most of Them Bad!

---

Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Chinese

Release Date:

15 January 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shangai, ville de folies

Filming Locations:

Chinatown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arnold Pressburger Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 99 min (copyright length) 98 min (1981) (restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, on 1 February 1926 and had 206 performances. The opening night cast included C. Henry Gordon, Mary Duncan and William Worthington, with Florence Reed in the role of "Mother Goddam." A 1928 revival included J. Carrol Naish, who was also tested for a part in the movie.

---

Quotes

'Mother' Gin Sling: [of an ordinance that would outlaw her establishment] I've lived by my own ordinances for a long time now, and I intend to disregard all others.

---

Crazy Credits

[after the cast credits] ... and a large cast of HOLLYWOOD EXTRAS who without expecting credit or mention stand ready day and night to do their best - and who at their best are more than good enough to deserve mention.

---

Connections

Featured in La société du spectacle (1973)

---

Soundtracks

"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows"
(1918)
Music by Harry Carroll
Lyrics by Joseph McCarthy
Played on piano by Rex Evans at Gin Sling's dinner party

User Reviews

Much better than some reviewers would have you think.

Most of those movie review reference books you see floating around in paperback call this film campy idiocy. It's campy only in the sense that it was made at a time when a certain degree of heavy-handedness and melodrama was the norm in films. It's certainly not idiotic. It is a story of perceived betrayal and self-degradation. The play it was based on was considered quite thought provoking and socially daring. The film was somewhat cleaned up but still addressed the main issues. The characterizations are quite involving, especially Mature's.