The Shanghai Gesture (1941 von Sternberg)

Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Victor Mature, Ona Munson (Mother Gin Sling, the madame 'Belle' from GWTW), Phyllis Brooks (who's good), Albert Basserman, Mike Mazurki, Maria Ouspenskaya (silent), Eric Blore, Michael Dalmatoff.

Ph. Paul Ivano (B movies)
Music Richard Hageman

Terrible picture and sound (UK DVD, Cornerstone Media) masks ornate detail, Munson's hair sculptures amazing. Has some wry dialogue and a Casablancery air, with JVS exoticism (girls in baskets, dragons) but not much in the way of sympathetic characters. Quite weird, of course