Shanghai Express: Dietrich is the only reason to stay on board

Is it worth the ticket?

If you like movies where everyone is trapped in a train car and staring daggers at each other, yeah, this is for you. It’s got that old-school glamour but also a whole lot of melodrama that might make modern viewers roll their eyes. If you’re allergic to 1930s dialogue or pacing that takes its sweet time, you’ll probably want to jump off at the first station.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Shanghai Express (1932) through its definitive frames.

Marlene Dietrich. That’s the real review right there. She walks into a scene and the whole movie suddenly wakes up. The way she holds a cigarette—it’s like she’s the only person in the room who knows what she’s doing. She’s hypnotic.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Shanghai Express (1932) through its definitive frames.

Then you’ve got Clive Brook as the British captain. He’s so stiff he’s basically a piece of furniture with a mustache. I don’t know why she’s so hung up on him, honestly. Maybe it’s just the mood lighting.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Shanghai Express (1932) through its definitive frames.

The cinematography is actually surprisingly cool. There are these deep shadows and layers of smoke that make the train look like a dream, or maybe a nightmare. It feels claustrophobic, but in a way that works. It’s definitely not like the light, airy stuff you see in Ma and Pa, that’s for sure.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Shanghai Express (1932) through its definitive frames.

Anna May Wong is in this too, and she’s fantastic. She’s got this sharp, cynical edge that cuts right through the romantic fluff. Every time she speaks, I wished the camera would just stay on her for another five minutes.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Shanghai Express (1932) through its definitive frames.

The rebels show up, and suddenly the stakes are supposed to be huge. But honestly? The tension mostly comes from who’s going to say something mean to whom next. It’s less of a war movie and more of a social experiment gone wrong in a parlor car.

• The lighting on Dietrich’s face is basically its own character.
• The train set feels like a real place, which is a rare treat.
• The pacing hits a weird lull right in the middle, around the time the rebels start making demands.
• Dietrich’s costumes are absolutely wild.

It’s not a flawless ride. Sometimes the dialogue feels like it’s being read off a cue card from across the room. But when it works, it’s got this weird, gritty magnetism. It’s way better than the generic stuff like The Phantom of the Turf, even if it feels a bit dated.

It’s a movie that knows exactly what it is. It doesn’t try to be anything else. Just a train, some secrets, and Marlene Dietrich being the coolest person on the planet. I’ll take it. 🚂✨