The Lady From Shanghai Gets 4K UHD Release

“The Lady From Shanghai” has undergone a meticulous restoration, sourced from the original camera negative, and is now presented in stunning 4K resolution with Dolby Vision. This release includes audio commentary by the late Peter Bogdanovich, offering valuable insights into the film’s production and legacy. Additionally, the single disc contains a featurette titled “A Conversation with Peter Bogdanovich,” providing further reflections and anecdotes. The package is rounded out with the original 1948 trailer, allowing viewers to experience the film’s historical promotion. The Columbia Pictures release features Orson Welles and his then-wife, Rita Hayworth, in starring roles.

I am an ardent fan of film noir, and “The Lady from Shanghai” epitomizes the genre at its finest. This classic features a femme fatale in full bloom, intertwined with murders, plot twists, and extraordinary camerawork, creating a captivating and timeless piece of cinema. A notably slender Orson Welles stars opposite the glamorous Rita Hayworth, and one can’t help but wonder if their onscreen kisses were genuine. The film presents a twisted love triangle, and in the end, the person the femme fatale loves most is… well, we all know who femme fatales love best.

Listening to Welles deliver his lines is like experiencing breathtaking poetry. The plot is busy and active, with twists that keep you guessing until the last minute when a shocking revelation occurs. Written, directed by, and starring Welles, the film follows the story of Michael O’Hara (Welles), an unsuspecting man drawn into a perilous web of deceit after being hired to work on a yacht owned by the husband of the enigmatic femme fatale Elsa Bannister (Rita Hayworth). “The Lady from Shanghai” is now revered as vintage Welles, with its famous hall-of-mirrors climax acclaimed as one of the most remarkable scenes in cinematic history. While it may not be “Citizen Kane,” it comes very close to being another great Welles masterpiece.

This is arguably Welles’s finest acting performance, characterized by his theatrically romantic presence, infused with warmth, wit, and an undeniable gust of pure charisma. Welles crafts a dreamlike fluidity and strangeness that never quite veers into surrealism, maintaining a palpable sense of reality. This is interwoven with a salty tang of black comedy, providing a darkly humorous undertone. Additionally, there is an electric current of doom and desire that crackles between the characters of Michael O’Hara and Elsa, heightening the tension and emotional depth of the narrative.

Rita Hayworth made a bold transformation, cutting her signature red mane and going platinum blonde. Columbia Pictures was in despair when Orson Welles sent back reels of travelogue footage from Mexico. This incident recalled his previous escapades in Brazil for “It’s All True,” where he similarly focused on scenic shots rather than the key elements of the film. Despite Rita being the star and Welles’ wife, who was on the brink of divorcing him, there wasn’t a single close-up of her in the footage. The studio’s frustration was palpable as they awaited a film centered on its leading lady, only to receive a visual travel diary instead.

The movie was deemed a disaster upon its initial release, but over time, it has garnered significant appreciation, particularly among film noir critics. They laud it for its pervasive atmosphere of malaise and its extraordinary technical mastery. “The Lady from Shanghai” has seen its reputation ascend over the decades. In the British Film Institute’s 2012 Sight & Sound poll, six critics ranked it among the ten greatest films of all time.

“The Lady from Shanghai” serves as a precursor to Orson Welles’ later work, “A Touch of Evil,” which he made a decade later. According to legend, Welles originally submitted a 155-minute version of the film to Columbia Studios, but the final release was trimmed to just under 90 minutes—a decision some film enthusiasts criticize as overly reductive.

Similar to “The Big Sleep,” it is the film’s atmosphere that captivates viewers. While it lacks the sly repartee of “The Big Sleep,” “The Lady from Shanghai” is imbued with bizarrely memorable lines. Some of these lines are so archly campy that they leave audiences questioning whether the film is intended as a black comedy version of a film noir.