The Criterion Collection

Shanghai Express

Edition no. 933

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This release can only be found in the following box set: Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

Release Date: Tuesday, 03 July 2018
Country of Release: USA
MSRP: $124.95 (Box set exclusive)

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Licensor Information

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Directed by: Josef von Sternberg

Featuring: Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong, Warner Oland, Eugene Pallette, Lawrence Grant, Louise Closser Hale, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Emilie Chautard

An intoxicating mix of adventure, romance, and pre-Code salaciousness, Shanghai Express marks the commercial peak of an iconic collaboration. Marlene Dietrich is at her wicked best as Shanghai Lily, a courtesan whose reputation brings a hint of scandal to a three-day train ride through war-torn China. On board, she is surrounded by a motley crew of foreigners and lowlifes, including a fellow fallen woman (Anna May Wong), an old flame (Clive Brook), and a rebel leader wanted by the authorities (Warner Oland). As tensions come to a boil, director Josef von Sternberg delivers one breathtaking image after another, enveloping his star in a decadent profusion of feathers, furs, and cigarette smoke. The result is a triumph of studio filmmaking and a testament to the mythic power of Hollywood glamour.

Year: 1932
Time: 82 min.