Shanghai Express - 1932 ***

For all the amazing and praising reviews that this film has received over the years I was really looking forward to seeing it and seeing how wonderful Marlene really was as Shanghai Lily. Average in my opinion, and the film didn't really pick up until the second part by which time everything was happening at once and then it was the end. If the film had been padded out a bit more throughout then it may have held my interest more but I did feel like the characters didn't really have time to progress before it was all over. I'm not going to deny that the photography was superb and that the director could not have shot Dietrich in a more luminous and perfect way but I do think that as regards to her acting it didn't stand out particularly as a tremendous actress. I'll get critised hugely for this but I found her performance to be quite wooden. I also thought Anna May Wong ( who I first caught in the early silent film 'Piccadilly') was totally overlooked and her part was miniscule. For the times I did see her she was excellent though. Maybe if the two actresses had changed roles I might have enjoyed it more. I feel dreadful for slagging off Dietrich as I fear it puts me across as very fickle but I could not fall in love with her acting.