Movie spotlight
A gambling queen uses blackmail to stop a British financier from closing her Chinese clip joint.
In the notorious "Mother Gin" gambling den in Shanghai, a British businessman, Dixie Flyer, is revealed to be deeply in debt. His estranged daughter, Poppy, arrives seeking to reconnect with her father, unaware of his gambling addiction and the sinister Madame Gin, who controls the establishment and everyone within it. Madame Gin uses Dixie's debts and Poppy's desire for a reunion to manipulate them both, leading to a tense and dramatic confrontation.
The Shanghai Gesture is a visually striking and atmospheric film, characteristic of Josef von Sternberg's distinctive style. While its narrative can be melodramatic and its themes controversial for the era, it is often praised for its opulent set design, Gene Tierney's performance, and its noirish mood. However, it was also a box office disappointment and received mixed reviews upon its release, with some critics finding its sensational subject matter distasteful.
Praised for its lavish and expressionistic visual style.
Gene Tierney delivers a memorable performance amidst the melodrama.
Criticized for its sensational and often lurid subject matter.
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The film was banned in several countries due to its controversial themes and depiction of gambling and prostitution.
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"Sir Guy Charteris" (Walter Huston) is an entrepreneurial British developer who has his eyes on the gin-palace of "Mother Gin Sling" (Ona Munson). The latter woman is running her successful den of iniquity and has no intention of acquiescin...