Shanghai Express (1932)
Directed by Josef von
Sternberg this film stars Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook and Anna May
Wong. During the Chinese civil war western passengers take a sleeper
train and a British captain runs into an old flame who has a
reputation for getting by on her charms now.
Despite being a fairly
short romance this film has a fair amount to say about
imperialism/racism and the way women were/are treated for using their
sexuality. You could see the plot of this film as a distant ancestor
to Casablanca (1942) and while it's not as good as that film it
certainly is in the same vein. As this is an early sound film some of
the acting is a little wooden but there is some nice expressive
lighting used.
4/5
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