The partnership between Hollywood director Josef von Sternberg and German actress Marlene Dietrich is one of the most legendary in cinema history. Between 1930-1935 they made seven extraordinary films together, and Shanghai Express (1932) is one of their best, an exciting train-bound adventure where Dietrich's langurous fantasy of femininity is captured by Sternberg's evocative, expressionistic camera. It's part of the BFI's Anna May Wong season; Wong was a boundary-pushing Chinese American actress in a supporting role, who even threatens to overshadow the great star whenever they share the screen.
SYNOPSIS
Dietrich is Shanghai Lily, a courtesan whose reputation brings a hint of scandal to a three-day train ride through war-torn China. On board, she is surrounded by a motley crew of foreigners and lowlifes, including a fellow fallen woman (Wong), an old flame (Clive Brook), and a rebel leader wanted by the authorities (Warner Oland). As tensions come to a boil, Sternberg delivers one breathtaking image after another, enveloping his star in a decadent profusion of feathers, furs, and cigarette smoke. The result is a triumph of studio filmmaking and a testament to the mythic power of Hollywood glamour. (Criterion)
Buy tickets here.
This may prove to be a popular screening, so while there is plenty of room in NFT1 I would advise booking ahead. I'll be situated in K9. We will meet at the BFI bar (the one by the ticket office) 15 minutes before showtime, and head there afterwards for further discussion. See you there!
(NOTE: There is a content warning attached to this film on the BFI website, which I would advise you read. Bear in mind the film was made almost 90 years ago; by those standards, I read it as fairly progressive r.e. sexuality and race, but it's a worthwhile topic of discussion.)
