Energetic and inventive, The Lady from Shanghai overcomes its script deficiencies with some of Orson Welles' brilliantly conceived set pieces. . . Read critic reviews. . Gus SchillingDistrict Attorney . This is a seedy tale, as seedy as they come, where every character is looking out for number 1, no matter the cost (or the crime). The Lady from Shanghai follows seaman Michael O'Hara (Orson Welles), whom after becoming fascinated by the mysterious and beautiful Mrs. Bannister (Rita Hayworth) joins a bizarre yachting cruise, and ends up mixed up in a complex murder plot. Akira Kurosawa once said, “The ordinary Japanese actor might need ten feet of film to get across an impression. Hayworth is stunning in this intoxicating, obliquely photographed tale. It’s the story of a roving merchant seaman who falls in with some over-rich worldlings and who almost becomes the innocent victim of their murderous hates and jealousies. But if The Lady from Shanghai falls a little short of being a classic, it’s because it often coasts where Touch of Evil soars. Harry ShannonLi . . Louis MerrillBessie . And when he adorns his characterization with a poetic air and an Irish brogue, which is painfully artificial, he makes himself—and the film—ridiculous.Indeed, his performance in the picture—and his exhibitionistic cover-ups of the story's general untidiness—give ironic point to his first line: "When I start out to make a fool of myself, there's very little can stop me. . . Good Boys (HBO) Courtesy of Universal Pictures. . For the idea, at least, is a corker and the Wellesian ability to direct a good cast against fascinating backgrounds has never been better displayed. . Click on a time below to purchase tickets. Orson WellesArthur Bannister . It is based on the novel If I Die Before I Wake by Sherwood King. The Lady from Shanghai… . . Where to watch. THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, screen play, based on a novel by Sherwood King, direction and production by Orson Welles, for Columbia Pictures. As producer of the picture, Mr. Welles might better have fired himself—as author, that is—and hired somebody to give Mr. Welles, director, a better script. Courtesy of Criterion Channel. . Lady from Shanghai is a classic Welles' film, where directing style gives an additional sense and value to the plot and the melodramatic scenes, that would not look so great and interesting if … It’s possible that their strained relationship is the reason she barely registers in it. The Lady from Shanghai With the self-consciousness of Hayworth’s persona in mind, The Lady from Shanghai, the 1947 film she made with Welles amid the dying embers of their marriage, becomes a yet more important title in her filmography. Even Rita Hayworth, who is the Circe in the swinish company, is entirely adequate to the requirement of looking ravishing and acting vague.But no sooner has Mr. Welles, director, deposited this supercharged group in literal San Francisco after a particularlý vivid voyage up the Mexican Coast than Mr. Welles, the author, goes sloppy and leaves him in the lurch. The Lady From Shanghai, a complex, involving puzzle-within-a-puzzle mystery story, is a showcase for Orson Welles, showing his singular talents and sensibilities as few other films have. For the idea, at least, is a corker and the Wellesian ability to direct a good cast against fascinating backgrounds has never been better displayed. _____ A very early draft of Orson Welles screenplay for The Lady From Shanghai is now available online.. 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