While she is in Shanghai visiting her sick aunt, young New York socialite Barbara Howard falls in love with Russian banker Dmitri Koslov. Everything would be for the best, if only Dmitri were not keeping a secret that could jeopardize their union: he is only half-Russian, and the other half is Chinese.
If you're looking for a breezy period romance, Shanghai is... well, it's something. You'll probably enjoy it if you like staring at 1930s sets and don't mind when a movie treats a fairly simple secret like it's a state crime. If you're sensitive to how old movies handle race, you might want to skip this one entirely. I...
Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.
James Flood
Charles Horan
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"If you're looking for a breezy period romance, Shanghai is... well, it's something. You'll probably enjoy it if you like staring at 1930s sets and don't mind when a movie treats a fairly simple secret like it's a state crime. If you're sensitive to how old movies handle race, you might want to skip this one entirely. It's a bit of a relic, and not always in a charming way.Loretta Young is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She plays the wide-eyed visitor with that specific kind of frantic energy..."
Charley Grapewin
Lynn Starling, Gene Towne, C. Graham Baker
United States
