Dorathen Better Late Then Never

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

dick_tater I was impressed with the way the Bannister character walked, with the two canes, especially in the courtroom scenes. Was Sloane paralyzed, or did he take on this walking style just for this movie? I saw nothing in the bio on Sloane to indicate he was paralyzed. I just watched this on TCM...I found it to be a rather typical Wells's movie...even saw some similarities with The Third Man-the lack of clarity as to who was who, and who was guilty. But, overall I found it to be quite good. I even kinda liked Wells's accent, although I agree with others that it did not seem totally accurate. I would recommend this movie, along with the third man.

ags123 Despite watching this movie several dozen times, I still don't quite understand the plot. Nevertheless, it doesn't take away from the many pleasures of this unusual film. It may be disjointed, but it's never dull. For me, it's a visual feast. The camera-work alone, much like "Citizen Kane," is vastly innovative. How fascinating to watch the aquarium scene with its magnified fish overpowering the conversation. Rita Hayworth looks beautiful - lovingly photographed, often in closeup, with her then-controversial short blonde haircut. I chuckle when she's chasing after Orson Welles in Chinatown and suddenly starts speaking Chinese with the locals! Or entering a room in silhouette, like a spider woman, after Broome is shot. The justly-famous ending in the Hall of Mirrors remains one of the most vivid sequences in film history. Credit goes to Welles for once again pushing the envelope and coming up with something unique and daring.

utgard14 Engrossing film noir scripted & directed by Orson Welles about an Irish drifter (Welles) beguiled by the beautiful wife (Rita Hayworth) of a successful attorney (Everett Sloane). Before long he finds himself mixed up in a plot to fake a man's death and winds up on trial when the man is actually murdered.A stylish piece of work that's gained more appreciation in the years since its release but still appears to be divisive among film fans today. A lot has been written about the troubles between Welles and studio head Harry Cohn over this picture. Among other things, Cohn was furious over Welles' cutting and dyeing Hayworth's hair. Something like that seems silly today but this was the studio era and stars had a specific image the studios crafted and wanted to maintain. Welles knew what he was doing, of course, and Rita's new look is stunning and a large part of why this film is so memorable. She was rarely more beautiful than she is in this movie. Every shot of her is perfection and her sex appeal is timeless. When she breathlessly delivers lines like "I'll make it worth your while" she reaches across the decades and smacks down all the would-be screen sirens of today. Everett Sloane does a great job, as he always seemed to. Such a solid actor. Glenn Anders isn't as well-known today as Hayworth and Welles (or even Sloane for that matter) but he gives a delightfully eccentric performance here.For his part, Welles' script and direction are superb but it's his acting that is often singled out as one of the main criticisms of the film. Many don't like his Irish accent. I've heard better but I've also heard far worse, even with many current actors who are critical darlings. Other than that his acting is good, great at times, and his chemistry with then-wife Hayworth is excellent. Charles Lawton, Jr.'s handsome cinematography is probably the real unsung hero of this. It's really a wonderful movie, particularly if you're a fan of Welles or Hayworth. It has quotable lines, interesting characters, and some impressive visuals. The hall of mirrors climax is justifiably a classic. As with every great film, this has its detractors and its admirers. I'm one of the latter, obviously.

classicsoncall If you like your noir with a little Latin beat, this could be right up your alley. The title is a bit of a misnomer though, since 'The Lady', Elsa Bannister (Rita Hayworth) wasn't from Shanghai, she just happened to be there once. If I hadn't heard all the caveats from the reviewer who introduced the picture on Turner Classics, I wouldn't have considered it to be a 'flawed' picture. Apparently producer Harry Cohn who financed the thing had a lot of problems with the finished film, and had Orson Welles re-shoot a lot of the scenes with Hayworth to feature her glamorous side, hence all the steamy close-ups. Welles was married to Hayworth at the time even though the marriage was kaput, so watching both of them get passionate on screen must have been a real exercise in acting effort.You might need to catch the story a couple of times to figure out the murder plot, but it's all spelled out by the principals - Grisby (Glenn Anders) killed Broome (Ted de Corsia) when Broome discovered the plan to kill Arthur Bannister (Everett Sloane) and frame Michael (Welles) for the murder. Elsa (Hayworth) killed Grisby once she knew Michael had written the confession, but that left her husband still alive to represent Michael as the world's greatest criminal attorney. The fun house mirror maze would have worked out fine for Elsa if she and Arthur hadn't shot each other, but I guess you can't have everything.The schlub in the story was Michael, but he knew that all along. He inadvertently managed to follow the premise he offered at the start of the picture - "One who follows his nature keeps his original nature in the end". Apparently so did all the rest, managing to fulfill their nature as sharks, mad with their own blood.