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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you have a soft spot for those old movies where the air feels heavy with regret and cheap perfume, you should probably watch Shanghai Lady. It is definitely worth a look if you like pre-code dramas that don't try to clean up their characters too much.
People who need a hero to be a perfect person will probably hate this. It’s a movie for the ones who like a bit of dirt under the fingernails of their romance.
The story starts in this opium den in Shanghai that looks like it hasn't been dusted since the turn of the century. You see Cassie Cook, played by Mary Nolan, and you can just tell she's done with everything. She’s been working as a prostitute—though they use code words because of the time—and she just wants out.
Mary Nolan has this face that looks like it’s seen a lot of bad Tuesdays. There is a specific shot early on where she's just staring into the smoke, and you can almost feel the weight of her damp hair. It’s not 'glamorous' in the way later Hollywood would make everything shiny.
Then we get James Murray as "Badlands" McKinney. What a name, right? He’s an escaped convict, but he’s trying to act like a refined gentleman once he gets on the ship.
The whole middle of the movie takes place on this boat, and it’s basically just two people lying to each other's faces. It’s awkward and beautiful at the same time. You know they’re both full of it, but you want them to succeed anyway.
It reminded me a little bit of the atmosphere in The Road to Love, but maybe a bit more cynical. The way the ship looks at night is actually pretty impressive for 1929. The lighting is very high-contrast, lots of deep blacks and sharp whites.
There is one scene where they are sitting on the deck and the fog is rolling in. It feels like the movie is trying to hide them from the rest of the world. James Murray has this nervous energy, like he’s waiting for someone to tap him on the shoulder and put him back in chains.
He was so good in The Crowd, and he brings some of that same 'everyman' desperation here. But in this movie, he's also trying to be a bit of a tough guy, which is funny because he looks so young.
The pacing is a bit weird, honestly. Sometimes a scene will just end abruptly, like they ran out of film or the director got bored. It’s not as smooth as something like Exit Smiling, but maybe the roughness fits the story better.
I noticed a small detail where Cassie is fiddling with her dress, trying to make it look more expensive than it is. It’s a tiny thing, but it says so much about her character. She’s terrified of being found out.
The secondary characters are... well, they’re there. Some of the portrayals of the local Shanghai people are very much of their time, which is to say, they aren't great. You have to kind of squint past that to get to the heart of the main couple.
Wait, I should mention the dialogue. Since it’s 1929, it’s that weird transitional period where some bits feel like a silent movie and others are full of talk. The talking bits are a little stiff, like they were afraid to move too much while the microphones were on.
But when they just look at each other? That’s where the movie actually lives. 🚢
There is a scene near the end where the truth starts to leak out, and the tension is actually pretty high. It’s not a thriller, but you feel like their whole world is about to pop like a bubble.
I found myself wondering what happened to the sets after they finished filming. That opium den looked like it would take weeks to clean up. It had this sticky, messy look that you don't see in the big budget MGM stuff from that era.
Actually, the movie feels a bit like The Dark Swan in how it handles the idea of a woman's reputation. It’s all so fragile. One wrong word and she’s back in the gutter.
James Murray’s character is a bit more of a mystery. We know he’s a convict, but we don't really see his 'bad' side. He just seems like a guy who made a mistake and wants a sandwich and a nap.
I think the ending might feel a bit too easy for some people. It’s a bit of a 'movie ending' where things wrap up because the clock is running out. I didn't mind it, though. I wanted them to have a win.
It’s a short movie, which is nice. It doesn't overstay its welcome. You get in, you see some yearning, you see some fog, and you're done.
If you’re looking for a masterpiece, this isn't it. But if you want a real, human story about two people who are absolutely terrified of being rejected for who they really are, give it a shot.
It’s got a lot more heart than some of the bigger movies from that year. It feels personal. Like a secret you aren't supposed to know.
I’m glad I watched it on a rainy afternoon. It’s a very rainy afternoon kind of movie.
IMDb —
1927
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