Film History
...r rebel spies. At one point, a spy captures them and holds the doctor hostage. Lily must then decide whether to take action or save herself. This first film is a classic example of the Hollywood Cinematography style because beautiful is not a big enough word enough to describe the cinematography in Shanghai Express. This train ride and the adventure that ensues were filmed with distinct elements of photography. The use of light is the most evident as it follows the star of the movie, Marlene Dietrich, and highlights not only her beauty but the mystery lurking behind her coquettish innocence that forms her star power. At one point, while ‘Shanghai Lily’ is speaking to the Doctor outdoors on the train caboose, Marlene Dietrich's face blooms like a white flower out of the shadows, then closes again. The use of light between these two characters becomes interesting as the audience is allowed an up close shot of Dietrich’s face under a spotlight. Here, the light casts a soft glow on her facial expressions as the fur cascading around her fair hair takes up the entire shot. Mise en Scene is used constantly through out Shanghai Express. The plot is dreamlike and unrealistic while the costumes are excessive and much of the train’s atmosphere is portrayed with decadence in sharp contrast to the exoticism and deterioration of broken walls, cramped buildings and confusion representing the Chinese world. Von Sternberg’s use of chickens wandering in front of the train is an example of this bizarre contrast of the civilized structured world of the train passengers compared to that of the Chinese. The interior of the train dining car is an excellent example of the way in which density of texture operates to s...