The Shanghai Gesture
| The Shanghai Gesture | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Josef von Sternberg |
| Produced by | Arnold Pressburger |
| Screenplay by |
Josef von Sternberg Geza Herczeg Jules Furthman |
| Based on | the play The Shanghai Gesture by John Colton |
| Starring |
Gene Tierney Walter Huston Victor Mature Ona Munson |
| Music by | Richard Hageman |
| Cinematography | Paul Ivano |
| Edited by | Sam Winston |
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Production
company |
Arnold Pressburger Films
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| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.1 million (US rentals) |
The Shanghai Gesture is a 1941 American film noir directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Victor Mature, and Ona Munson. It is based on a Broadway play of the same name by John Colton, which was adapted for the screen by Sternberg and produced by Arnold Pressburger for United Artists. It was the last Hollywood film Sternberg ever completed (in 1951 he started directing Macao, but was fired halfway through production by Howard Hughes, and the same thing happened with the 1957 Jet Pilot).
The Shanghai Gesture received Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction (Boris Leven) and Best Original Music Score (Richard Hageman).
Gigolo "Doctor" Omar (Victor Mature) bribes the Shanghai police not to jail the broke American showgirl Dixie Pomeroy (Phyllis Brooks); he invites her to seek a job at the casino owned by Dragon-lady "Mother" Gin Sling (Ona Munson), his boss.
In the casino, Omar attracts the attention of a beautiful, privileged young woman (Gene Tierney), fresh from a European finishing school. She is out for some excitement. When asked, she gives her name as "Poppy" Smith.
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Wikipedia