Shanghai Express (1932)
First of all, this movie is astonishing and gorgeous, and there are a dozen great reasons to see it. One of them is not the plot, which is slow and contrived. There's a "Grand Hotel" kind of contrivance to the group dynamics which is fun but not so convincing, and the seeminlgy international clash of cultures is stilted.
But it's well acted, and it isn't so bad that you can appreciate the twelve other great things going on.
First, the photography. Lee Garmes is amazing. There are layers to the still scenes and an amazing amount of movement in everything else. Sometimes it's the camera tracking and moving in, sometimes it's the dramatic following of the action. Second, and related, is the light. There is so much beautiful, rich, and often very limited light that you can watch it just for that.
Third, rather obviously, is Marlene Dietrich, who is at her best here (she's at her best in a few of her films).)
The parallel to this is fourth, Anna May Wong, who holds her own in the scenes she shares with Dietrich. Great stuff, and always sad how her career was held back because, quite simply, she wasn't white.
Day for night (Garmes again) is great but even better is night for night-some genuine dark dark scenes. It's 1932, after all.
The mis-en-scene is terrific-very rich with detail, props, and a closed but full recreation of a world on the train, and at the many stations and stops along the way.
The Chinese cast, most without speaking lines. The movie is set in the civil war in China at the time. The guns, the soldiers, the worry, all good backdrop.
Related, there is at least a token acknowledgement that the main Chinese character is not Chinese-he admits to having mixed parents, and that he's not proud of his White blood.
It's also worth saying that the movie is just an hour and twenty minutes, and it's great to have so much happen in a compact way.
The dissolves-yes, I'm drawing attention to the editing technique, which is used a lot, and in a lingering, deliberate way, so one scene slowly dissolves into the next, and the long overlap creates a whole new kind of imagery. And there is a gentle complexity that builds.
And it builds on the layers already there. It's quite amazing how visually deep the movie is foreground to background.
The sound...train sounds and music of all kinds, including some period jazz.
Oh, and it's worth remembering who pulled this all together: director Josef von Sternberg. He needs no introduction, and this is one reason why.
I might not be up to twelve, but this is a great movie in enough ways to survive its plot. Give it a look, and I mean look...it's a feast for the eyes.
First of all, this movie is astonishing and gorgeous, and there are a dozen great reasons to see it. One of them is not the plot, which is slow and contrived. There's a "Grand Hotel" kind of contrivance to the group dynamics which is fun but not so convincing, and the seeminlgy international clash of cultures is stilted.
But it's well acted, and it isn't so bad that you can appreciate the twelve other great things going on.
First, the photography. Lee Garmes is amazing. There are layers to the still scenes and an amazing amount of movement in everything else. Sometimes it's the camera tracking and moving in, sometimes it's the dramatic following of the action. Second, and related, is the light. There is so much beautiful, rich, and often very limited light that you can watch it just for that.
Third, rather obviously, is Marlene Dietrich, who is at her best here (she's at her best in a few of her films).)
The parallel to this is fourth, Anna May Wong, who holds her own in the scenes she shares with Dietrich. Great stuff, and always sad how her career was held back because, quite simply, she wasn't white.
Day for night (Garmes again) is great but even better is night for night-some genuine dark dark scenes. It's 1932, after all.
The mis-en-scene is terrific-very rich with detail, props, and a closed but full recreation of a world on the train, and at the many stations and stops along the way.
The Chinese cast, most without speaking lines. The movie is set in the civil war in China at the time. The guns, the soldiers, the worry, all good backdrop.
Related, there is at least a token acknowledgement that the main Chinese character is not Chinese-he admits to having mixed parents, and that he's not proud of his White blood.
It's also worth saying that the movie is just an hour and twenty minutes, and it's great to have so much happen in a compact way.
The dissolves-yes, I'm drawing attention to the editing technique, which is used a lot, and in a lingering, deliberate way, so one scene slowly dissolves into the next, and the long overlap creates a whole new kind of imagery. And there is a gentle complexity that builds.
And it builds on the layers already there. It's quite amazing how visually deep the movie is foreground to background.
The sound...train sounds and music of all kinds, including some period jazz.
Oh, and it's worth remembering who pulled this all together: director Josef von Sternberg. He needs no introduction, and this is one reason why.
I might not be up to twelve, but this is a great movie in enough ways to survive its plot. Give it a look, and I mean look...it's a feast for the eyes.