Director: Josef von Sternberg
Year: 1932
Run-time: 1 hr 20 min
Source: DVD
Notable for: This is the second, and not the last collaboration between von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich to appear on the last. It's also perhaps the most iconic, since it concisely captures the strengths of both actress and director. Like in Morocco, the "exotic" actress is paired with a rich, international setting. But here Gary Cooper's "what you see is what you get" machismo is traded in for the more complex reservedness of the British actor Clive Brook. There's also a diverse (i.e. Americans in make-up) and cosmopolitan supporting cast.
Verdict: Dietrich is in top form here as the seductress with many layers, a master of expressionism. Von Sternberg knows how to capture all of her little revealing moments, and there's a lot of brilliant shots, most famously the moment where she hides from the leading man with a cigarette, her face lit in pure black and white. It's a beautiful film, albeit a bit simple, but probably one of my favorite romantic pairs so far. The rest of the cast is under-cooked - the film is only 80 minutes - but it's not really offensive to modern tastes, despite the obvious miscasting. The overall plot isn't much to write home about, although the first half at least is one of the great train movies.
Best paired with:
Speaking of which, how much fun would a train movie marathon be! I could easily see this paired with From Russia with Love and Darjeeling Limited. Many interesting comparisons to be made here, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if you told me Shanghai Express was an influence on Wes Anderson in particular.
Year: 1932
Run-time: 1 hr 20 min
Source: DVD
Notable for: This is the second, and not the last collaboration between von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich to appear on the last. It's also perhaps the most iconic, since it concisely captures the strengths of both actress and director. Like in Morocco, the "exotic" actress is paired with a rich, international setting. But here Gary Cooper's "what you see is what you get" machismo is traded in for the more complex reservedness of the British actor Clive Brook. There's also a diverse (i.e. Americans in make-up) and cosmopolitan supporting cast.
Verdict: Dietrich is in top form here as the seductress with many layers, a master of expressionism. Von Sternberg knows how to capture all of her little revealing moments, and there's a lot of brilliant shots, most famously the moment where she hides from the leading man with a cigarette, her face lit in pure black and white. It's a beautiful film, albeit a bit simple, but probably one of my favorite romantic pairs so far. The rest of the cast is under-cooked - the film is only 80 minutes - but it's not really offensive to modern tastes, despite the obvious miscasting. The overall plot isn't much to write home about, although the first half at least is one of the great train movies.
Best paired with:
Speaking of which, how much fun would a train movie marathon be! I could easily see this paired with From Russia with Love and Darjeeling Limited. Many interesting comparisons to be made here, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if you told me Shanghai Express was an influence on Wes Anderson in particular.
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