The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

Director: Orson Welles
Starring: Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles, Everett Sloane

Synopsis:
An Irish sailor saves a rich woman and finds himself invited by her husband to work on his yacht. Though he thinks better of it, he is roped in anyway and has to contend with his growing attraction to the woman he saved and the strange encouragement from his new boss.

Impressions:
Okay. Let's get the jokes about Orson Welles' somewhat dodgy Irish accent out of the way. Now that that's done, there's an interesting character study to be had here. The whole setup is uncomfortable and it's beautifully uncomfortable. The character dynamics are really interesting to see play out. You can really feel for Welles' O'Hara, who almost has the sense to stay away from the Bannisters but lets himself get drawn further and further down the rabbit hole. You have the triad of Mr. and Mrs. Bannister (Sloane and Hayworth) and Bannister's partner George Grisby (Glenn Anders) and it's like they have this gravitational pull O'Hara can't escape. There's a lot of intrigue and mind games going on and a hapless Irish sailor who can't seem to listen to his better judgment doesn't really stand much of a chance. There were some twists and turns I wasn't expecting and though I hear this film was hobbled by the studios, it still turned out pretty good in my book. Check it out.

Rating:
Watch It