I don't see too much reason to go on at length about this strikingly photographed von Sternberg number -- except maybe two.One is that there are some pretty clever lines in it, lifted, presumably, from John Colton's play. Examples: Gene Tierney: "This place is so deliciously evil. You can smell it." Tierney to Victor Mature: "You call yourself Doctor Roma. Doctor of what?" Mature: "Of nothing. It sounds important. I hurt no one, unlike some others." The second reason for seeing this is Gene Tierney when she was twenty years old, as "Poppy", prodigal daughter of ultra-rich Walter Huston. Especially with the way that von Sternberg lights her, it's hard to imagine anything approaching more closely feminine perfection. She also puts more energy into her role -- drunk, seductive, throwing away money -- than in any other part I've seen her play. That she overacts, that she may not be able to act AT ALL, is really a negligible consideration. She is what she is, like a blade of grass, like the Grand Canyon, like the freaking Pleiades.The story is some nonsense about gambling and real estate and family dynamics and morality in Mother Gin Sling's Casino, with Ona Munson as the least likely Chinese matron imaginable. A man loses at the roulette wheel and tries to shoot himself before being calmed down. (How do you "try" to shoot yourself?) The croupier is Marcel Dalio, who has, I think, been a croupier in other films and has appeared in three movies ripped fresh from the quivering flanks of Ernest Hemingway's works.You know, when you come right down to it, Shanghai must have been a fascinating city in the 1930s. It was cosmopolitan, raffish, colorful, and its name translates as "on the water." The U. S. Marines lost the bones of the original "Peking Man" in Shanghai as World War II was breaking out. Things were happening in Shanghai. I understand they're beginning to happen again.Anyway, I found the whole thing a bit boring but others may like it more.

"The Shanghai Gesture" is one of those weird Hollywood films that is set in China--yet practically no one in the film appears to be Asian--at least when it comes to the major characters! And, in the few cases where there are Asian main characters, they are clearly played by American actors--such as Ona Munson (in completely ridiculous garb) and Mike Mazurki! This WAS the norm for the 1930s and 40s--and even continued into the 50s and 60s (with Tony Randall and 6'^7" Christopher Lee, of all people, playing Chinese men)...how this sort of casting was never a major issue is beyond me--it certainly would not be acceptable to have white actors playing black characters. Plus, there were some fine Asian actors that would have loved the work! In addition to this bizarro casting wasn't enough, Victor Mature plays a guy who sports a fez and cape--and is called 'Omar'! Wow--only in Hollywood!It's pretty obvious that this film was originally a play, as just about everything occurs in a gambling den in Shanghai. The way scenes are presented has this stagy feel. But, the original play was MUCH more racy and tons of the plot needed to be changed to meet the demands of the Production Code. For instance, in the play, the setting was a brothel! So, they had to sanitize the script in order to get approval to show this movie in American theaters.If you think about it, this setting is very much like 1942's "Casablanca"--it,too, is set in a gambling den and bar. Its patrons are very multinational and there is a strong undercurrent of vice. But, there is a style, dialog and a great ensemble cast in "Casablanca" that puts it in a completely different league than "The Shanghai Gesture". The film finds Tierney in the gambling den and the seemingly nice Mature prods her to try her hand at gambling. At first, she wins big and wants to cash in her chips and leave, but he convinces her to continue. Not only does she lose all her money and jewelry, but has been extended lots of credit--and there appears to be no way she can ever repay the loans. Obviously Mature has pushed her into this situation so that she will owe her soul (and body) to the proprietress, 'Mother Gin Sling' (Munson). And yet, oddly, Tierney throws herself at Mature! What a dummy!Later, after throwing a ridiculous temper-tantrum, Tierney goes to see her father--the man who thinks he's going to shut down the 'gambling house' and deport its owner. Now, however, Tierney's debt makes this seem doubtful. How all this is worked out at a kooky dinner party is something you can find out for yourself...if you really care! Frankly, I stopped caring only about halfway through this silly film.Now let's talk about Mother Gin Sling. I probably am not allowed to use the name the play originally used for her--IMDb doesn't allow swearing in the reviews. You really have to see her to believe it--she looks like something out of a sci-fi film--like the original "Flash Gordon" or "The Fifth Element"! Her hair and silly makeup just have to be seen to believed. And, she looks laughable...and about as Asian as a taco! As for Tierney, this film is early in her career so I guess we can't blame her too much for her bad acting (particulary at around the 60 minute mark)--really, really bad acting. She goes from a cool and sexy lady to a totally annoying child who makes you want to backhand her--she was THAT annoying and her performance that shallow! Frankly, it was embarrassing to watch her and I am amazed that I was able to keep watching...though I am a glutton for punishment!To put it bluntly, a pretty stupid film without a lot to recommend it. Perhaps the big confrontation scene between Munson and Walter Huston might provide some decent entertainment...but I doubt it.

If what is meant by the Shanghai Gesture is giving the middle finger to the audience, then this Von Sternberg film hits the target. This is a pathetic piece of celluloid that at times threatens to disintegrate into a complete laugh riot. Get this – Poppy (Gene Tierney) is out for a night's fun in Shanghai when she stumbles into the sin emporium of Mother Gin Sling (Originally Mother Godamm in the play). Mother, played so over the top by Ona Munson (yet another Asian with blue eyes) is taking a role Von Sternberg would have given to Anna May Wong in the 30s (she would ave done far better), with a variation of Poppy being played by Marlene Dietrich. The casino, with its Art Deco decor, is more suited to Los Angeles than Shanghai. Best of all is the awaited entrance of Mother Gin Sling. Though Von Sternberg clearly wants it to be show stopping, all it does is remind us of when the curtain went up on King Kong in New York. And with a hairdo and dress that looks like her stylist was Cher. Meanwhile,Poppy has fallen under the spell of Doctor Omar (Victor Mature). If you want a real belly laugh, check out Mature in this role. Peter Lorre as Doctor Omar, okay, but Victor Mature? At any rate, Omar leads Poppy into an ever-spiraling addiction to gambling and drugs. And he works fast, considering that the movie is only 98 minutes long. Now enter Sir Guy Charteris (Walter Huston), in a role clearly evoking Sydney Greenstreet. Seems Sir Guy has bought a large slice of Shanghai, including the ground on which Mother has her den of inequity, so Mother has to vamoose from the premises by the coming Chinese New Year. (Von Sternberg's great for this sort of plotting.) Not so fast, however, for Mother Gin Sling suddenly remembers that she was once married to Sir Guy and that he abandoned her while taking her family's fortune. Amazingly, Sir Guy does not recognize her; guess all Chinese look the same to him. Mother plans her revenge by inviting Sir Guy to a Chinese New Year's party he'll never forget. At the party, Sir Guy turns the tables by revealing to Mother that, indeed, she is a mother: Poppy is their daughter! How Gin Sling couldn't accurately remember giving birth is just one of those things the audience has to overlook. Well, Mother's just not the mothering type, if you know what I mean, so we can all guess what happens to dear Poppy. By the way, also check out the hat Mother wears throughout the film. She looks like something out of a broken down carnival.

Josef von Sternberg's crazy film stars Gene Tierney as a good girl who goes woefully bad while visiting Shanghai. At the local casino she runs into the likes of "doctor" Victor Mature, showgirl Phyllis Brooks (as Dixie Pomeroy) as well as the dragon lady proprietor Ona Munson (as Mother Gin Sling!). The film is fun but way too outrageous for its own good. Munson is unforgettable though dangerously close to being upstaged by her outlandish hairdos. Mature is awful wearing a fez and claiming to be born in Damascus. Tierney, just 21 at the time, gives a wildly uneven performance...at first a fairly convincing femme fatale and then later a very whiny ingénue. By the time Tierney's seemingly respectable father Walter Huston shows up, von Sternberg throws the film into melodramatic overdrive. You have to see the last 1/2 hour to believe it. The production values are stunning, including brilliant art direction by Boris Leven and great cinematography by Paul Ivano.