I just recently saw the best version of "Shanghai Gesture" lent out to the San Francisco Film Noir festival from the collection of Martin Scorcese. What a picture! It reminds me of something David Lynch would do in the present day (but more crazier and weirder). Actually, it's not weird. It's really a picture about a horribly dysfunctional family situation. Gene Tierney is the most beautiful I have ever seen her in a movie. Victor Mature is totally wacked out and gonzo as the decadent Dr. Omar. And actress Ona Munson is hilarious and incredibly bizarre as Mama Gin Sling (she looks like a character out of a Flash Gordon movie). Why do I give it a ten? Because it is a totally original and bizarre movie that defies convention and enters the world of the surrealistic and the campy. I never would have thought of the ending, you know where Gene Tierney gets killed by her own Mother, who we find out is Mama Gin Sling. Never would have guessed it. Totally original movie.

The opening scenes in this movie are some of the best in cinema history. Start with the lovely blond in distress. Rescued by the man who seems to offer a very questionable way out of her predicament. Cut to the teeming nightclub. The frenetic activity just to set the stage for the appearance of the heroine. And what an entrance. Gene Tierney at the height of her beauty lit and shot by one of the masters of film. The director's understanding of the beauty of his star is all important and hear is one of the great examples. The designer Oleg Cassini provides the fabulous gowns. Their are some great lines in this movie but the real entertainment is watching a great director showcase a great beauty

"The Shanghai Gesture" is one of those weird Hollywood films that is set in China--yet practically no one in the film appears to be Asian--at least when it comes to the major characters! And, in the few cases where there are Asian main characters, they are clearly played by American actors--such as Ona Munson (in completely ridiculous garb) and Mike Mazurki! This WAS the norm for the 1930s and 40s--and even continued into the 50s and 60s (with Tony Randall and 6'^7" Christopher Lee, of all people, playing Chinese men)...how this sort of casting was never a major issue is beyond me--it certainly would not be acceptable to have white actors playing black characters. Plus, there were some fine Asian actors that would have loved the work! In addition to this bizarro casting wasn't enough, Victor Mature plays a guy who sports a fez and cape--and is called 'Omar'! Wow--only in Hollywood!It's pretty obvious that this film was originally a play, as just about everything occurs in a gambling den in Shanghai. The way scenes are presented has this stagy feel. But, the original play was MUCH more racy and tons of the plot needed to be changed to meet the demands of the Production Code. For instance, in the play, the setting was a brothel! So, they had to sanitize the script in order to get approval to show this movie in American theaters.If you think about it, this setting is very much like 1942's "Casablanca"--it,too, is set in a gambling den and bar. Its patrons are very multinational and there is a strong undercurrent of vice. But, there is a style, dialog and a great ensemble cast in "Casablanca" that puts it in a completely different league than "The Shanghai Gesture". The film finds Tierney in the gambling den and the seemingly nice Mature prods her to try her hand at gambling. At first, she wins big and wants to cash in her chips and leave, but he convinces her to continue. Not only does she lose all her money and jewelry, but has been extended lots of credit--and there appears to be no way she can ever repay the loans. Obviously Mature has pushed her into this situation so that she will owe her soul (and body) to the proprietress, 'Mother Gin Sling' (Munson). And yet, oddly, Tierney throws herself at Mature! What a dummy!Later, after throwing a ridiculous temper-tantrum, Tierney goes to see her father--the man who thinks he's going to shut down the 'gambling house' and deport its owner. Now, however, Tierney's debt makes this seem doubtful. How all this is worked out at a kooky dinner party is something you can find out for yourself...if you really care! Frankly, I stopped caring only about halfway through this silly film.Now let's talk about Mother Gin Sling. I probably am not allowed to use the name the play originally used for her--IMDb doesn't allow swearing in the reviews. You really have to see her to believe it--she looks like something out of a sci-fi film--like the original "Flash Gordon" or "The Fifth Element"! Her hair and silly makeup just have to be seen to believed. And, she looks laughable...and about as Asian as a taco! As for Tierney, this film is early in her career so I guess we can't blame her too much for her bad acting (particulary at around the 60 minute mark)--really, really bad acting. She goes from a cool and sexy lady to a totally annoying child who makes you want to backhand her--she was THAT annoying and her performance that shallow! Frankly, it was embarrassing to watch her and I am amazed that I was able to keep watching...though I am a glutton for punishment!To put it bluntly, a pretty stupid film without a lot to recommend it. Perhaps the big confrontation scene between Munson and Walter Huston might provide some decent entertainment...but I doubt it.

If what is meant by the Shanghai Gesture is giving the middle finger to the audience, then this Von Sternberg film hits the target. This is a pathetic piece of celluloid that at times threatens to disintegrate into a complete laugh riot. Get this – Poppy (Gene Tierney) is out for a night's fun in Shanghai when she stumbles into the sin emporium of Mother Gin Sling (Originally Mother Godamm in the play). Mother, played so over the top by Ona Munson (yet another Asian with blue eyes) is taking a role Von Sternberg would have given to Anna May Wong in the 30s (she would ave done far better), with a variation of Poppy being played by Marlene Dietrich. The casino, with its Art Deco decor, is more suited to Los Angeles than Shanghai. Best of all is the awaited entrance of Mother Gin Sling. Though Von Sternberg clearly wants it to be show stopping, all it does is remind us of when the curtain went up on King Kong in New York. And with a hairdo and dress that looks like her stylist was Cher. Meanwhile,Poppy has fallen under the spell of Doctor Omar (Victor Mature). If you want a real belly laugh, check out Mature in this role. Peter Lorre as Doctor Omar, okay, but Victor Mature? At any rate, Omar leads Poppy into an ever-spiraling addiction to gambling and drugs. And he works fast, considering that the movie is only 98 minutes long. Now enter Sir Guy Charteris (Walter Huston), in a role clearly evoking Sydney Greenstreet. Seems Sir Guy has bought a large slice of Shanghai, including the ground on which Mother has her den of inequity, so Mother has to vamoose from the premises by the coming Chinese New Year. (Von Sternberg's great for this sort of plotting.) Not so fast, however, for Mother Gin Sling suddenly remembers that she was once married to Sir Guy and that he abandoned her while taking her family's fortune. Amazingly, Sir Guy does not recognize her; guess all Chinese look the same to him. Mother plans her revenge by inviting Sir Guy to a Chinese New Year's party he'll never forget. At the party, Sir Guy turns the tables by revealing to Mother that, indeed, she is a mother: Poppy is their daughter! How Gin Sling couldn't accurately remember giving birth is just one of those things the audience has to overlook. Well, Mother's just not the mothering type, if you know what I mean, so we can all guess what happens to dear Poppy. By the way, also check out the hat Mother wears throughout the film. She looks like something out of a broken down carnival.