Lady From Shanghai (Full Frame)

VHS, 87 minutes, COLUMBIA / TRI STAR

Baffling murders, fascinating plot twits and remarkable camera work all contribute to this spellbinding, time-honored classic. Hired to work on a yacht belonging to the crippled husband of Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles plays a man drawn into a dangerous web of intrigue and murder. Well wrote, produced and directed "The Lady From Shanghai," as well as co-starring with the gorgeous Hayworth, in one of her more unforgettable roles. Some forty-five years after it original release, "The Lady From Shanghai" is still the subject of great controversy and scandal. From the very beginning, the story of mystery and murder at sea promised to be a memorable film. When Welles convinced Columbia to make a picture, he and hayworth were still married, but well on their way to divorce. Welles shocked both Columbia chief Harry Cohn and the movie-going public by having Hayworth dye her gorgeous flaming red hair champagne blonde and cutting it short. Gossip columnist Louella parsons was furious and accused of Welles of trying to ruin his soon-to-be-ex-wife's career in some kind of revenge plot. Filming on location in Acapulco was long and difficult and when Hayworth came down with a 103 degree fever, the production was delayed further. The film includes a brief glimpse of Errol Flynn in a background scene outside the cantina. Flynn owned the luxury yacht used in the filming and served as the off-screen skipper during the production. "The Lady From Shanghai" is an incredible masterpiece, with its famous hall of mirrors sequence to be on of the greatest scenes in cinematic history.