SHANGHAI EXPRESS

Director: 
Josef von Sternberg
Featuring: 
Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong
Language: 
English, French, Cantonese, German
Production Country: 
USA
Runtime
82 minutes
Rating
Not Rated
Genre
Thiller, Drama
Year
1932
Watch Trailer

Presented as part of All Aboard!—train movies of the 30s and 40s


"This movie has style—a triumphant fusion of sin, glamour, shamelessness, art, and, perhaps, a furtive sense of humor."—Pauline Kael, The New Yorker


It's 1931, and a civil war is raging in China. On a train from Peking to Shanghai a warlord has taken the passengers hostage, including the infamous Shanghai Lily (Marlene Dietrich), British captain Doc Harvey (Clive Brook), and the alluring courtesan Hui Fe (Anna May Wong). This opulent romantic adventure is rich with style and intrigue. It was the fourth collaboration between screen idol Marlene Dietrich and director Josef von Sternberg. Their seven film run in the 1930s is one of the most artistically and commercially successful of an actor-director pairing, particularly for how concentrated it was. This Oscar-winning film sees them at the height of their powers and produced some of the most iconic images in film history—including one of Dietrich in stark chiaroscuro lighting that was so indelible that it was used as inspiration for Queen's second album cover over four decades later.

Accessibility

Showtimes

No showtimes.

© 2024 FilmScene