Summary
A tempestuous interplay of desire, deception, and desertion unfolds in this atmospheric drama set against the opulent yet treacherous backdrop of 1920s Shanghai. Cherry O'Day, a woman sculpted by her father's cynical maxims into a paradox of allure and detachment, navigates a labyrinth of suitors, each drawn to her as moths to a flame. Her engagement to the earnest sailor Donald MacGregor is shattered by her father's demise and a pragmatic union with the affluent William Blaine. The narrative pivots when she encounters Gordon Deane, a novelist whose aloofness contrasts with her calculated charm. As Cherry's quest for emotional liberation leads her to a desolate island lighthouse, the fragile alliances among her former admirers unravel into a tragic crescendo of violence and betrayal. The film's interplay of chiaroscuro lighting and symbolic architecture—most notably the lighthouse’s vertical descent—mirrors the characters' psychological freefalls, culminating in a finale where survival and sacrifice become indistinguishable.
Synopsis
Cherry O'Day is the daughter of Terence O'Day, who runs the Paper Lantern Café in Shanghai. She practices her father's philosophy to "play with men to her heart's content but always keep them at arm's length." Cherry has many suitors. She promises to marry a sailor named Donald MacGregor. But when he returns from the sea, he discovers Cherry's father has died. Cherry has married a rich man named William Blaine. A bank clerk named Harvel Allen tries to win Cherry's favor, but he is caught stealing bonds. Then Gordon Deane, a traveling novelist, meets Cherry but is the least interested of her suitors. Deane decides to take charge of a lighthouse on a lonely island, and brings MacGregor and Allen with him. Cherry gets a divorce and seeks Deane on the island. MacGregor and Allen engage in a fight at the top of the lighthouse, and both men plummet to their deaths. Cherry finds happiness with Deane.
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