The Shanghai Gesture
Encyclopedia
The Shanghai Gesture is a 1941 American United Artists
film noir
motion picture
starring Gene Tierney
and Walter Huston
, with Victor Mature
and Ona Munson
.
It was adapted for the screen by Josef von Sternberg
, based on the play by John Colton, produced by Arnold Pressburger for United Artists
, and directed by von Sternberg.
The Shanghai Gesture received Academy Award
nominations for Best Art Direction
(Boris Leven
) and Best Original Music Score
.
This early noir
drama
explores the decadent lives and secret pasts of all the main characters, following many stories in an almost-surreal gambling
house owned by "Mother" Gin Sling. Keye Luke
painted the mural that is displayed in the casino.
, and enters Gin Sling's establishment. Dragon-lady
Gin Sling (Munson) worked herself up from poverty to buy the casino
, only to now see it in danger of being taken over by Sir Guy Charteris (Huston), a wealthy entrepreneur who has purchased a large area of Shanghai, and is forcing Gin Sling to vacate by the coming Chinese New Year.
Under orders from Gin Sling, who has found out Poppy is Charteris's daughter, a fez
-wearing Doctor Omar (Mature) 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 surprise of his own to spring on Gin Sling.
From the original play by John Colton, which opened on Broadway 1925. Many changes are in the 1941 movie. Originally the casino was a brothel, Poppy was addicted to drugs (not gambling), and the evil woman who owned it was called Mother Goddam. She shoots Poppy dead at the end after finding out Poppy is her daughter.
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
motion picture
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
starring Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...
and Walter Huston
Walter Huston
Walter Thomas Huston was a Canadian-born American actor. He was the father of actor and director John Huston and the grandfather of actress Anjelica Huston and actor Danny Huston.-Life and career:...
, with Victor Mature
Victor Mature
Victor John Mature was an American stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Mature was born in Louisville, Kentucky to an Italian-speaking father from the town Pinzolo, in the Italian part of the former County of Tyrol , Marcello Gelindo Maturi, later Marcellus George Mature, a cutler,...
and Ona Munson
Ona Munson
Ona Munson was an American actress perhaps best known for her portrayal of prostitute Belle Watling in Gone with the Wind .- Career :...
.
It was adapted for the screen by Josef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg — born Jonas Sternberg — was an Austrian-American film director. He is particularly noted for his distinctive mise en scène, use of lighting and soft lens, and seven-film collaboration with actress Marlene Dietrich.-Youth:Von Sternberg was born Jonas Sternberg to a Jewish...
, based on the play by John Colton, produced by Arnold Pressburger for United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, and directed by von Sternberg.
The Shanghai Gesture received Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
nominations for Best Art Direction
Academy Award for Best Art Direction
The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
(Boris Leven
Boris Leven
Boris Leven was a Russian-born Academy Award-winning art director and production designer whose Hollywood career spanned fifty-three years....
) and Best Original Music Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
.
This early noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
explores the decadent lives and secret pasts of all the main characters, following many stories in an almost-surreal gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
house owned by "Mother" Gin Sling. Keye Luke
Keye Luke
Keye Luke was a Chinese-born American actor. He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed with RKO, Universal and, later, MGM and is generally acknowledged as the leading Asian-American actor of this era of American cinema.-Background:...
painted the mural that is displayed in the casino.
Plot
A young woman, Victoria Charteris, also known as Poppy Smith (Tierney), is out for some excitement in ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, and enters Gin Sling's establishment. Dragon-lady
Dragon Lady (stereotype)
A Dragon Lady is a stereotype of East Asian women as strong, deceitful, domineering or mysterious. The term's origin and usage is Western, not Chinese. Inspired by the characters played by actress Anna May Wong, the term was coined from the villain in the comic strip Terry and the Pirates...
Gin Sling (Munson) worked herself up from poverty to buy the casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
, only to now see it in danger of being taken over by Sir Guy Charteris (Huston), a wealthy entrepreneur who has purchased a large area of Shanghai, and is forcing Gin Sling to vacate by the coming Chinese New Year.
Under orders from Gin Sling, who has found out Poppy is Charteris's daughter, a fez
Fez (clothing)
The fez , or tarboosh is a felt hat either in the shape of a red truncated cone or in the shape of a short cylinder made of kilim fabric. Both usually have tassels...
-wearing Doctor Omar (Mature) 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
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
dinner party to expose his past indiscretions. Charteris, however, has a surprise of his own to spring on Gin Sling.
Cast
- Gene TierneyGene TierneyGene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...
as Victoria Charteris, aka Poppy Smith - Walter HustonWalter HustonWalter Thomas Huston was a Canadian-born American actor. He was the father of actor and director John Huston and the grandfather of actress Anjelica Huston and actor Danny Huston.-Life and career:...
as Sir Guy Charteris, once called Victor Dawson - Victor MatureVictor MatureVictor John Mature was an American stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Mature was born in Louisville, Kentucky to an Italian-speaking father from the town Pinzolo, in the Italian part of the former County of Tyrol , Marcello Gelindo Maturi, later Marcellus George Mature, a cutler,...
as Doctor Omar - Ona MunsonOna MunsonOna Munson was an American actress perhaps best known for her portrayal of prostitute Belle Watling in Gone with the Wind .- Career :...
as 'Mother' Gin Sling - Phyllis BrooksPhyllis BrooksPhyllis Brooks was an American actress and model. Brooks was born Phyllis Seiler in Boise, Idaho on July 18, 1915. She began her career in films at age 20, and had been known as the "Ipana Toothpaste Girl" due to her work as a model...
as Dixie Pomeroy, the Chorus Girl - Albert BassermannAlbert BassermannAlbert Bassermann was a German stage and screen actor.-Career:Bassermann began his acting career in 1887 in his birthplace, Mannheim. He then spent four years at the Hoftheater in Meiningen. He then moved to Berlin. From 1899, he worked for Otto Brahm. He began work at the Deutsches Theater...
as Van Elst
From the original play by John Colton, which opened on Broadway 1925. Many changes are in the 1941 movie. Originally the casino was a brothel, Poppy was addicted to drugs (not gambling), and the evil woman who owned it was called Mother Goddam. She shoots Poppy dead at the end after finding out Poppy is her daughter.
External links
- The Shanghai Gesture at Film Noir of the Week by Sheila O'Malley