Synopsis
'The Lady from Shanghai' is a 1947 film noir directed by Orson Welles and starring Rita Hayworth. It follows an Irish seaman who gets drawn into a dangerous murder plot after he meets a beautiful woman and her wheelchair-bound husband on a yacht trip.
Why Watch It
Orson Welles spins a dizzying noir masterpiece where nothing—and no one—is trustworthy, anchored by Rita Hayworth's mesmerizing turn as a femme fatale wrapped in impossible glamour. Visually audacious, with a climax staged inside a hall of mirrors that transforms murder into hallucinatory spectacle. Essential cinema for anyone who wants to see how completely a director can bend genre conventions.
Did You Know?
- Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth divorced before the film's release.
- The film went $400,000 over budget.
- Rita Hayworth's hair color change shocked her fans.
- Film-noir was unusual for director Orson Welles.
- Welles called it his 'biggest disaster.'
Iconic Quotes
- Maybe I'll live so long that I'll forget her. Maybe I'll die trying.
- Everybody is somebody's fool.
- I can afford a blemish on my character, but not on my clothes.
- I told you. You know nothing about wickedness.
- Killing you is killing myself. But, you know, I’m pretty tired of both of us.
