The Lady from Shanghai

Rita Hayworth is gorgeous in The Lady from Shanghai. I read in the Times, "As was often the case with his later works, “Shanghai” suffered from extensive studio interference and reshoots. But even in its expurgated form, this is an expert potboiler, and its oft-imitated house-of-mirrors climax is as gripping as ever."

There's an air of lack of skill, I fall out of the illusion. The fight scene where Michael O'Hara (Orson Welles) saves Rita Hayworth who plays the character Elsa "Rosalie" Bannister. Welles' Irish accent isn't bad, but it comes in and out. He's from Wisconsin like me. He went away to Ireland and made it as an actor for a few years.

The quickness and sloppiness of the story takes me out of the illusion. I'm trying hard to like this movie, but I can see why it was a flop. The reason it's famous is the ending scene with mirrors and a shootout.

Of course it was visually stunning, the sailboat on the ocean. The Aquarium. The ending. There are many amazing beautiful shots of Rita Hayworth.

I can hear Madonna singing, "Rita Hayworth gave good face."

She speaks Chinese! She's from Shanghai.

Last words of the movie: "Maybe I'll live so long I can forget her. Maybe I'll die trying."

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