The Lady From Shanghai (1948)

Name: The Lady From Shanghai (1948)
Duration: 1 h 27 min

1hr 27m

1hr 27m
3.9/5 (15.2K)
96%

Fascinated by gorgeous Mrs. Bannister, seaman Michael O'Hara joins a bizarre yachting cruise, and ends up mired in a complex murder plot. More Details »

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Trailer for The Lady From Shanghai (03:08)

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Orson Welles

Writer:

Sherwood King, William Castle, Charles Lederer

Release Date:

Jun 9, 1948

Runtime:

1hr 27m

Synopsis

Fascinated by gorgeous Mrs. Bannister, seaman Michael O'Hara joins a bizarre yachting cruise, and ends up mired in a complex murder plot.

Cast

Rita Hayworth
Orson Welles
Everett Sloane
Glenn Anders
Ted de Corsia
Erskine Sanford
Gus Schilling
Carl Frank
Louis Merrill
Evelyn Ellis

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.9

RATINGS 204 FANS

3.9

Nov 27, 2020

Arguably the best final 5 minutes of a film.

1.5K Likes

Sean Fennessey

May 13, 2020

Kinda loved this? Funnier than I could have ever expected, Orson Welles’ Irish accent definitely wasn’t supposed to funny on purpose but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I think the discombobulating tone of it is very effective in creating the dreamy state it wants to put you…

832 Likes

Karsten

Nov 5, 2017

the last 10 minutes redeemed this mess, but nothing can help me forget orson welles' weird irish accent that constantly disappears mid-sentence 3.25/5

809 Likes

sarah
Sep 13, 2020

I checked Wikipedia and it turns out that Orson Welles actually isn't Irish.

716 Likes

Will Sloan

Jun 8, 2016

as gorgeous, scandalous, and twisty as i'd hoped, much funnier than i ever could have expected. wild as hell. highlights: mirrors (duh), aquarium, hayworth hats, juror sneezing repeatedly for some reason, sweaty face close-ups, the second most harrowing shark monologue of…

599 Likes

sydney

Dec 4, 2019

Three observations: 1. Rita Hayworth is outrageously beautiful, so much so that it is almost distracting. 2. The first hour of this movie is nothing special, and if the final act were as slow-moving and languid as the first two, I’d say this was one of Welles’ less…

530 Likes

Jamelle Bouie
Feb 4, 2023

"This is going to be murder and this is going to be legal" The romantic meets the world and don't like what he sees of it or himself. A very bitter farce about surviving the 1940s (and Hollywood). One of the funniest movies, although every joke is told in pain. Welles in…

366 Likes

Filipe Furtado

Nov 11, 2020

The film’s plot is quite intense but this through the lens of Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles’ marital troubles makes it all the more interesting. Hayworth is painted as the villain of the story, screwing over all the men in her life who love her. It’s been said he made her…

329 Likes

Ethan Colburn

Nov 13, 2025

The film operates with a striking sense of energy and formal ingenuity. From its opening moments, one perceives an urgency both visual and rhythmic, the kind of creative restlessness that defines cinema in transition. Dialogue is not only functional, it's propelled with…

314 Likes

noen

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Queue Community Reviews

96%

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Top Reviews

Avery Malachite loved

The Lady from Shanghai

A tale so gripping that not even Orson Welles' ADR'd Irish accent could pull me out of it, though it did its best

8M

Goncalo Teixeira loved

The Lady from Shanghai

Fantastic, hooked beginning to end, and great performances. 9.3

5M

Tito liked

The Lady from Shanghai

“Everybody is somebody’s fool” 7/10

2Y
naethanael loved

The Lady from Shanghai

Like+/Love-

1Y

Cinephile is "meh" on

The Lady from Shanghai

3/5 ⭐️

1M

Sarah Dennis liked

The Lady from Shanghai

.

2Y