Shanghai Express originated from a story based on a hostage situation that happened in China in 1923. That story, Sky Over China, loosely describes an incident where a Shandong warlord captured the Shanghai-to-Beijing express train and took 25 Westerners along with about 300 Chinese people hostage. Among the Westerners was Lucy Aldrich, a philanthropist and art collector who was the eldest daughter of Senator Nelson W. Aldrich of Rhode Island. She was also the sister-in-law of John D. Rockefeller Jr. The warlord and his men successfully ransomed all their captives, and the details of that harrowing event were chronicled by Lucy Aldrich, one of the main sources for the story Sky Over China.
In 1927, China was ravaged by civil war. This war would continue until the Chinese Communist Party claimed total victory of mainland China in 1949. In 1932, when Shanghai Express was released to theaters, this civil war was very much a topical subject. Josef von Sternberg was hired to direct the picture, and he brought with him his oft-cast leading lady, Marlene Dietrich. This would be their fourth collaboration but not their last. It notoriously led to a divorce between Josef and his wife, who ascertained that her husband and Marlene had begun an affair. Riza von Sternberg filed several lawsuits against the actress, including one for the alienation of her husband’s affections. None of this halted their collaborations, and they continued to work together until 1935.
This loving affection can be clearly seen on screen as every shot of Marlene is carefully crafted to enunciate her natural beauty. This film won the Academy Award for its cinematography, which captures the feel of mainland China but also photographs the women, especially Marlene, in stunning detail. This film is lacking in a proper remaster, but even as is, the camera work is beautiful, and cinematographer Lee Garmes has composed his shots to maximum effect. Lee was highly revered in Hollywood, and his career spanned the silent era all the way into the late 1970s; you don’t have that long of a career without being proficient at your job. He would go on to receive three more Academy Award nominations for his camera work.
The film takes place in 1931. British captain Donald “Duc” Harvey (Clive Brook) is taking the express train from Peking to Shanghai, much to the envy of his friends, who inform him that notorious “coaster” (i.e. prostitute) Shanghai Lily (Marlene Dietrich) is also on board. Lily turns out to be Madeline, his former lover, who, five years prior, played a trick on him to gauge his love for her. This undisclosed trick backfired on her, and he left her, keeping just a wristwatch she had given him with her picture inside. Lily still loves him, but he is dismissive of her now that she has become a prostitute.
As the train is underway, it is at first stopped by soldiers for the Chinese government, then by a rebel army commanded by its leader, Henry Chang (Warner Oland), who was undercover as a fellow traveler to Shanghai. The various main passengers are held hostage while all the rest of the Chinese soldiers on board are executed. Harvey, being the most valuable prisoner, is used as the main hostage for the ransom negotiation. But when Chang makes advances on Lily, Harvey attacks him. Since Chang cannot kill Harvey because of the ransom, he plans, instead, to blind the man once the ransom is paid. Lily makes a bargain to give herself up to Chang in exchange for sparing Harvey, but, unknowing of the deal, Harvey assumes she is taking advantage of the opportunity to latch on to a wealthy man, further cementing his opinion of her.
While the story of Shanghai Express is compelling, it is very convoluted. It’s also cluttered with far too many characters that matter little to the story. This is especially problematic in the first third of the film while trying to get our bearings on each of them. We have or three leads, of course; then there is Hui Fei (Anna May Wong), the only Asian actor in the main cast. She is also a “coaster” and rooms with Lily on the train. Her character serves only to be another object of Chang’s lust and to put an end to his existence, something that could have been easily done by Lily, instead. Mr. Carmichael (Lawrence Grant) is a Christian missionary who talks down to the two girls, viewing them as “fallen women”; Sam Salt (Eugene Pallette) is a gambler who sees everything in terms of a wager; Eric Baum (Gustav von Seyffertitz) is an opium dealer; French officer Major Lenard (Émile Chautard) and, perhaps the most unnecessary character of all, Mrs. Haggerty (Louise Closser Hale) round out the cast. For the most part, none of these characters are strictly necessary to the plot, adding nothing more than padding out the cast and adding a bit of humor to the proceedings. The lone exception is Carmichael, whose keen observations help turn the tide a little in Harvey’s views of Lily. When Lily is praying for Harvey’s safety, Carmichael oversees it and softens his heart towards her.
This is a perfectly adequate film, but it is not great enough to earn its position as a Best Picture (Outstanding Production) nominated film. It’s an action/adventure film with far too many ancillary characters and a setting that was topical but not forefront on the minds of most people at the time. Duc Harvey is an ineffectual leading man who does nothing to save himself and the others while they are being held hostage and, upon his release, fails to put two and two together to realize Lily has given up her freedom to save him. On top of it all, Clive Brook is playing the character as dry and uninterestingly as Paul Henreid is in Casablanca. He fails to make this character compelling and, consequently, we don’t care what happens to him. Marlene Dietrich more than makes up for his deficiencies as an actor, bringing her charisma to the screen in a way that is unique to her presence. Still, when the two make up in the end it feels flat.
As a pre-code film, there are moments that wouldn’t have made it to the screen a few years later. Lily and Hui Fei being “coasters” would have been heavily scrubbed out, as would the scenes where it is heavily implied that Chang has raped them. It’s soft-pedaled, but it is there, nevertheless. These moments add a little spice to a mostly bland adventure story that just doesn’t hold up to modern viewing. Ultimately, this is a disappointing picture because too much emphasis was placed on Marlene and not enough on the actual plot and the dangers. Josef was infatuated with his star, and that can be seen in almost every scene of this film. It makes for an interesting viewing experience, knowing the behind-the-scenes drama, but beyond that, it is just a somewhat generic action drama that has mostly gone forgotten.
Academy Award Nominations:
Outstanding Production: Paramount Pictures
Best Director: Josef von Sternberg
Best Cinematography: Lee Garmes (won)
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Release Date: February 12, 1932
Running Time: 80 Minutes
Not Rated
Starring: Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong, and Warner Oland
Directed By: Josef von Sternberg
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