The Shanghai Gesture
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| The Shanghai Gesture | |
|---|---|
 film poster for The Shanghai Gesture |
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| Directed by | Josef von Sternberg |
| Produced by | Arnold Pressburger |
| Written by | John Colton (play) |
| Starring | Gene Tierney Walter Huston Victor Mature Ona Munson |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | December 25, 1941 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 99 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Shanghai Gesture (1941) is a 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 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.
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[edit] Plot
A young woman, Victoria Charteris, also known as Poppy Smith (Tierney), is out for some excitement in Shanghai, 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.
[edit] Quotes
- Poppy Smith: "You said Doctor Omar. Doctor of what?"
- Doctor Omar: "Doctor of nothing, Miss Smith. It sounds important and hurts no one. Unlike most doctors."
[edit] Featured cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Gene Tierney | Victoria Charteris, aka Poppy Smith |
| Walter Huston | Sir Guy Charteris, once called Victor Dawson |
| Victor Mature | Doctor Omar |
| Ona Munson | 'Mother' Gin Sling |
| Phyllis Brooks | Dixie Pomeroy, the Chorus Girl |
