The Lady from Shanghai

Rating:
Summary: Good film, great DVD
Review: This is a good movie ( not Welles' best ) The DVD picuture quality is excellent. Inspite of trimming of 60 minutes, the movie is easy to follow. The interview and audio commentary by Peter Bogdanovich are great! Don't miss this one if you are Welles' fan.

Rating:
Summary: As good as Noir gets
Review: This is a superb piece of work. It has everything a noir film should have, and more. Perhaps only Orson Welles could pull it off as a philosophizing noir hero/victim. Sophisticated, mesmerizing. Welles tells a story from a distance and yet gets the audience involved. The plot does not matter so much as Welles' reflections on Life and tribulations. Incredible atmospheric settings. This film is among the top noir films of all time. One wonders what Orson Welles could have achieved as a filmmaker, if the Hollywood studios did not conspire to suppress his talents.

Rating:
Summary: Orson's at it again!
Review: This is probably not that well known compared to Orson Wells' masterpiece- Citizen Kane. This is worth checking out, however, if the viewer is interested observing the spectrum of this director's life or to see how modern cinematography came to be. If you truly enjoy the richness of movies from the 40's and 50's, you'll be very entertained by this one!

Rating:
Summary: If only they had listened to Welles...
Review: This movie isn't bad, it has some scenes that do make it worth watching. The end is especially fabulous. Unfortunately, this film was subjected to the cutting table without Welles' aproval of the cuts. The film was originally an hour longer, and I think that perhaps it would have been better if many of the cut scenes had been kept. Welles was in South America at the time the editing was done, and not given any say in it. Also the music is sometimes absurd. Welles was not happy with it, and asked for changes, but they were not made. Unfortunately Welles' Irish accent is not the greatest, and it is heard far more than he had originally wanted, because the producers thought that more narration was needed. And with all the things that were cut out, it probably was.
However, the final sequence in the crazy house makes up for a lot. Though much of that was cut out too, I can only imagine how fabulous it would have been if it had not been cut. It is very sureal, and reminds me of the Dali dream sequence in Hitchcock's Spellbound.
Overall, the film is worth seeing for the great cinematography and final scene. It is unfortunate that it has so many flaws over which Welles had no control.

Rating:
Summary: Minor Orson Welles film, meaning still worth a look
Review: This starts off veryyy slowly. Welles' narration in a strong irish accent kicks in as soon as the credits drop and is at first pretty painful. Luckily, it doesn't take long to accept it. The last half hour of the movie is great, as are bits of the first hour. Stick with it, I almost gave up on it, as it does pay off at the end. A weak 4 out of 5 stars, but definitely worth a look. I bought mine cheap and used so I'm not complaining. The camera-work, especially at the end, makes the movie. Even though the story is pretty typical Hollywood fare, Welles' direction is anything but.

Rating:
Summary: Very Memorable Film
Review: Welles has so much imagination whether he's shooting a scene in an aquarium, a hall of mirrors, or on a beach he always has the ability to effect you like no other director.
People will always say this film is flawed, that too much was taken out, that the first part is boring - but I don't care - to me this is a classic Welles film and one of his best.
If you haven't seen this one - for the love of god watch it.

Rating:
Summary: Just perfect!
Review: Welles wrote, directed and starred (along with his then wife Rita Hayworth) in this mind-blowing 1948 film noir. It looks beautiful, it sounds beautiful- heck, it's just beautiful... period! Welles' shark story is the coolest thing I've heard in my life and I repeat his Buddha-like words of wisdom every chance I get. For the love of God, watch this film!

Rating:
Summary: Very strange, but thoroughly engrossing
Review: You might get a little impatient with this film, but it is worth seeing, and worth seeing again. Like the somewhat more coherent "Touch of Evil," Welles directs this film as if it were a nightmare. Everything about it is hyper-real and somewhat sinister. Why does Welles' sailor character have an Irish accent? Why is Rita Hayworth so strangely dissatisfied? Why did they meet in the park--was it a setup? Why is Everett Sloan's character handicapped, and for a handicapped guy, why does he get around so much? What weird game is his partner playing, and why does Orson Welles fall for it? Why does he say "taaarget practice" so many times? Why is there gunplay at the Crazy House? The answer to each question is: "Dunno." This is film noir, I guess, but the intrigue is not that of a who-dunnit, but why-did-that-happen. But, hey, it's very entertaining!