Review of The Lady from Shanghai (1947) by X X — 18 Dec 2011

It's a flawed but always interesting madcap noir classic, with a few strong performances and two mediocre ones from key actors. Welles wasn't right for the lead role, and Glenn Anders' sweaty lunatic was obnoxiously banal.

Welles' original cut was about an hour longer than the one Columbia eventually released, which leads me to believe there might have been a great movie in there somewhere. Much of the emotional melodrama was unearned, but I liked the weirdness, and the cinematography was ahead of its time.