Shanghai Express

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Movie
German title Shanghai Express
Original title Shanghai Express
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1932
length 80 minutes
Rod
Director Josef von Sternberg
script Jules Furthman
production Adolph Zukor for Paramount Pictures
music William Franke Harling , John Leipold
camera Lee Garmes , James Wong Howe (anonymous)
occupation

Shanghai Express is an American adventure and love film by Josef von Sternberg from 1932. Shot in Hollywood's pre-code era , it was one of the greatest successes for the leading actress Marlene Dietrich . The plot is based on a short story by Harry Hervey published in 1931 .

action

The setting is the "Shanghai Express", an express train that connects the cities of Beijing and Shanghai ; the action takes place at the time of the Chinese Civil War . The first frames of the film show the Beijing train station as the passengers board the train and the luggage is loaded. The most striking figure among the passengers is the mysterious Shanghai Lily, an adventurer and courtesan who shares a compartment with the Chinese Hui Fei. Also on board is the elegant British military doctor Doc Harvey, who is supposed to save the life of the British Governor General in Shanghai through an emergency operation. Harvey and Lily, who used to call themselves "Magdalen", had a love affair that bordered on obsession a few years earlier, which Harvey ended out of jealousy. But Lily teaches him: "It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily". The unexpected re-encounter leads to a flare-up of feelings.

Other first class passengers include the mysterious Mr. Henry Chang, the American businessman Sam Salt, the puritan British Reverend Carmichael, the retired and lung sick Eric Baum, the French Major Lenard and the old lady Mrs. Haggerty, who runs a guesthouse and has her beloved dog with her. On the way, the train is stopped by government troops who arrest the spy Li Fung. Soon after its onward journey, the train is stopped again, this time by rebel troops. It turns out that Henry Chang, the fellow traveler who pretended to be a Eurasian merchant, is their commander. As Chang is planning a prisoner swap, he takes hostages - including Harvey, who is a particularly valuable hostage since he has to perform the important operation - and offers Lily a life as a lover in his palace.

Lily initially refuses to accept Chang, but Chang continues to harass her. Then Captain Harvey, overwhelmed by his feelings, knocks down the rebel leader. Then Chang wants to blind Harvey and take away his eyesight forever. To prevent this from happening, Lily offers herself to him as his lover. Harvey feels betrayed by Lily again. Chang is eventually stabbed to death by Hui Fei, whom he previously raped, resulting in the liberation of all passengers on the Shanghai Express. Lily is now discredited by the other passengers because of her alleged affair with Chang. Only Reverend Carmichael, who saw Lily pray for Captain Harvey, knows of her noble motives and tries to mediate between the former couple. However, she asks Carmichael not to reveal Harvey's motives, since love always has to do with trust; and because of that, the previous relationship between the two had failed.

Lily and Harvey finally trust each other again at the Shanghai train station, although Harvey still doesn't know their motives. They still love each other and want to start over.

production

Paramount bought the Shanghai-Lily story in late 1931, and the studio was initially unsure whether Tallulah Bankhead or Marlene Dietrich should play the leading role. The well-known journalist Elizabeth Yeaman stated in her column of September 1, 1931 (with an interesting swipe at von Sternberg's notorious aversion to well-written scripts, which was already known at the time):

“Harry Hervey's stories lead to similar violent arguments as Ursula Parrott's adventure stories a few months earlier. Paramount bought one called Shanghai Express and now those in charge are trying to decide whether to sign Tallulah Bankhead or Marlene Dietrich. Both are exotic and blonde, and while the acts are more tailored to Miss Bankhead, I wouldn't be surprised if Miss Dietrich got the job. She's never had a decent story. It's not because Paramount neglected Marlene, but Josef von Sternberg doesn't care about overflowing stories. If there is too much action he cannot accommodate his artistic effects, and these are more important to him. But the fact remains that the audience prefers a comprehensible and human tone story. The delightful simplicity with which Frank Borzage treated Bad Girl is the best proof. Harvey recently sold another story, Prestige, to Pathe, which will star Ann Harding . And he finished the script version of The Cheat for Miss Bankhead. Now Paramount has hired him for the script and dialogue version of Shanghai Express. "

In the end, Shanghai Express became Josef von Sternberg's fourth film with Marlene Dietrich after The Blue Angel , Morocco and Dishonored (released in Germany as X27 ) . The film bore Sternberg's handwriting so much that he later claimed to have created the script and the decorations himself and also operated the camera himself. The script, based on a short story by Harry Hervey, was the work of Jules Furthman , who had previously worked with Sternberg on the production of the films The Docks of New York and Morocco .

The film sets came from Hans Dreier . Cameraman Lee Garmes , who had already photographed Marlene Dietrich in Morocco and Dishonored for Sternberg, played a key role . For his performance in Shanghai Express he was awarded the Oscar for Best Cinematography at the 1932 Academy Awards . What is remarkable about the film are the costumes that Travis Banton often created in close collaboration with Dietrich. Dietrich's image as a mysterious stranger who experiences romantic adventures in distant lands is reinforced by a series of spectacular outfits and exotic headgear, of which the famous cap made of black rooster feathers is just one of the better known.

The 44-year-old Brit Clive Brook played the lover . The role of Hu Fei was played by Anna May Wong , the most prominent Sino-American actress of the time, who fought all her life against the restrictions and stereotyping that Hollywood of the time imposed on her roles. As with many so-called pre-code films, i.e. films that were distributed before stricter censorship regulations came into effect in 1934, the heroine's profession was portrayed with openness and a certain understanding.

The recordings for Shanghai Express took place at Paramount Studios in Hollywood and the Los Angeles area. The stations of the Santa Fe Railroad in San Bernardino and in Chatsworth near Los Angeles were transformed into Chinese train stations for the filming and populated with a thousand Sino-American extras.

The premiere took place on February 12, 1932 in the Rialto Theater, New York, the German premiere on April 11, 1932 in the Mozart Hall , Berlin.

Theatrical release

The film premiered in New York on February 2, 1932. Production costs were $ 851,000; The film grossed a total of $ 1,525,000, with US revenues of $ 827,000 and overseas revenues of $ 698,000. It thus became the financially most successful collaboration between Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich.

Awards

The film went to the 1932 Academy Awards with three nominations and won in one category:

genre

China and South Asia have been popular regions for romantic adventures and eerie love stories since the late silent film days. Greta Garbo experienced amorous adventures in Wilde Orchideen , which played in Bali in 1928, and Olga Baclanova a year later in A Dangerous Woman in Burma. Jean Harlow and Clark Gable are lovers on a plantation somewhere in Southeast Asia in the jungle in a storm . Carole Lombard in White Savage and Joan Crawford in Rain also stranded in the wider region. Barbara Stanwyck was a missionary who ended up in China in The Bitter Tea of ​​General Yen , Ruth Chatterton , then a bigger star at Paramount than Dietrich, also played a missionary in Asia in The Right to Love in 1931 . Loretta Young and Charles Boyer were unhappily in love in Shanghai , Lon Chaney often did weird things in the Orient and in 1934 even Greta Garbo was on the road again in China, this time as an Austrian in The Colorful Veil . In Lady of the Tropics, Hedy Lamarr , a real Austrian, was an unhappily in love Sino-French lady in colonial Vietnam.

Reviews

To this day, positive reception of the film predominates.

Mordaunt Hall was in the New York Times

“It is most definitely the best film that Josef von Sternberg has made so far (...) Miss Dietrich gives an impressive performance. As Lily, she is dreamy but fearless. She glides through her scenes with heavy eyebrows and puffing cigarettes. She weighs every word and yet isn't too slow in her foreign accent. Also worth mentioning is Clive Brook's portrayal, even if he speaks monotonously and sometimes a little too hastily in his conversations with Miss Dietrich. Warner Oland as Mr. Chang is outstanding and Anna May Wong makes the most of her role as a brave Chinese girl. Eugene Pallette is great as Sam Salt. "

Reclam's film guide said:

“Sternberg covered the romantic adventure story with unusual camera positions and skilful montage. Nevertheless, it remains largely only the framework for Marlene Dietrich's self-portrayal. "

The film service also went in the same direction :

"Romantic adventure (melo-) drama with lively characters and atmospheric density, which is reinforced by the artistic use of camera and montage."

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stories by Harry Hervey are becoming as much the rage as the yarns of Ursula Parrott were a few months ago. Paramount has just bought one called Shanghai Express, and now the executives are trying to decide whether to star Tallulah Bankhead or Marlene Dietrich in it. They both are exotic actresses and both blonde, and since more stories are lined up for Miss Bankhead, I wouldn't be surprised if Miss Dietrich gets Shanghai Express. You see she has never yet had a real break on a story. That is not because Paramount has neglected Marlene, but Josef von Sternberg doesn't care much about strong stories. If he has too much story he can't find room for his artistic effects, and these effects are much more important to him than story. But the fact remains that the public likes a good sound story, one that is plausible and human. The beautiful simplicity with which Frank Borzage treated Bad Girl proves that much. Hervey recently sold another story, Prestige, to Pathe, where Ann Harding will be starred in it. And he has just finished writing the screen adaptation of The Cheat for Miss Bankhead. Now Paramount has engaged him to write the screen treatment and dialogue of Shanghai Express.
  2. ↑ Marlene Dietrich - actress . In: CineGraph - Lexicon for German-Language Film , Lg. 21, F 3 f.
  3. ↑ Entry from May 5, 2012 on Shanghai Express
  4. ^ Review in the New York Times
  5. ^ Reclams Filmführer, 2.A. 1973, ISBN 3-15-010205-7
  6. ↑ Shanghai Express. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used