Shanghai and Stranger links and info

[Tim Cumming]

OW Shanghai sound memo-

There's an excerpt of a nine-page memo in the This Is Orson Welles book of interviews with Peter Bogdanovich, regarding the music and 'Disney' sound effects put onto the soundtrack by the studio, much to Welles' disgust. Unlike the Touch of Evil memo, NONE of his suggested changes were incorporated.
I wonder if there anyone has a copy of the full memo, and whether there are any plans to 'do' a TofE to Lady from Shanghai - at least by removing as much of the music that Welles objected to so vehemently. Is there any record of the music Welles chose for his 'rough cut' soundtrack? - it is a restoration that would be easier to pull off than TofE's more complex re-assembly.
What do others think about this? Welles said that he couldn't have been more unhappy if the lab had scrawled their initials and dates all over the negative...

[Jeff Wilson]

I have the memo, and I don't think it would be as easy as it seems, unless further documentation exists in any Columbia archives. Welles goes through what he wanted in the film, based on the temp track, but he doesn't give specific performances of pieces mentioned. So anyone trying to make the film more closely adhere to the original intent would have to select pieces based on Welles' inexact requests. I would presume he intended to give more specific requests if his wishes were followed, or he simply was willing to have Columbia choose based on his suggestions. His complaints extended beyond music to the soundtrack itself as well, as a good deal of sound work was ignored.

More later when I have access to my files...

[jaime marzol]

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also, the studio changed more than the soundtrack. welles when talking to bogdanovich had no recollection of the mutilation. the james naremore book has good info on this, as does the bret wood book, and the frank brady book. the bret wood book is quite good. actually, all three of these books are excellent.

LADY FROM SHANGHAI was intended to be a vastly different film than it turned out. it's a shame. as always, welles was attempting to go where no film had gone before, and as always, no one understood what the hell it was all about.

wouldn't it be incredible if the cut turned up that was screened for cohn when cohn stood up and offered any one in the room $1000 to explain to him what it was all about?

welles claimed the assigned editor after the film ran into troubled waters, viola lawrence, always hated him, and she was mostly responsible for the final shape of the film. this one must have been particularly painful because they didn't throw welles off the project and hired some one else to mutilate it, they used welles himself to destroy the film.

about a week ago i rewatched my pirated vhs copy of the dvd, and had forgotten how incredible the transfer looks. well worth buying. my 5 or 6 previous copies all had some missing frames in the same places. gave you those funny jump cuts with missing dialogue.
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[Tony]

Shanghai filming locations-

Here's an interesting site: the real locations of movies shot on location; here's the url for Shanghai:

http://www.norcalmovies.com/TheLadyFromShanghai/

check it out: it's totally obsessive and fun!

[Roger Ryan]

That's cool, Tony! The last time I was in San Francisco, I stumbled into that museum in the basement of the old Cliff House and discovered aerial photos of the now-defunct amusement park. I recognized the exteriors as the same ones seen at the end of "Shanghai". Since the park's former location was only a half-mile south of the Cliff House, I insisted my travel companions drive me to the exact spot where Welles walks out of the funhouse during the final shot so I could "walk in his footsteps"!

[Glenn Anders]

Indeed, Tony.

I might add that if you take the ferry for Sausalito from the Ferry Building, at the foot of Market Street in San Francisco, as you pull in at the end of your passage, you will see on your right some twisted, rotting pilings and cross pieces. These are the remains of the elaborate docking which plays a part several times in the action of THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI.

This website is beautiful, is it not?

A caption on the photos of the aquarium in Golden Gate Park suggests to me that one of the contributors may be the author of Tales of the City, Armisted Maupin (or someone connected to him).

Thank you, Tony

Glenn

[Clive Dale]

Nicole Kidman will star in Wong Kar Wai's update of "The Lady From Shanghai."

[Tony]

We talked about this before: apparently it's not going to be a remake at all, they're just using the title.

[Glenn Anders]

True, but the director, Kar Wai Wong, does also credit, for what it's worth, Sherwood King's novel "If I Die Before I Wake" as his THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI's source. You may be quite correct though, Tony, for neither film may bear much connection with King's work.

Glenn

[ToddBaesen]

Glenn:

Actually, when I read IF I DIE BEFORE A WAKE, I was struck by how much it was like Welles movie. Of course, there are quite a few changes as well, but nothing like reading Welles comments would indicate. I'll let you borrow the book if you'd like to read it. And incidentally, Arthur Bannister's crutches seem to have been borrowed by Ian McKellen for his role in THE DA VINCI CODE... and like Everett Sloane McKellen gives a great performance with them!

And on another note, this new Aussie western THE PROPOSITION was really quite wonderful... Danny Huston plays the bad guy, who like Harry Lime doesn't make his appearance until the 2nd half of the movie, and when he does appear he becomes a sort of a Kurtz in the 1880's Outback...

It's also beautifully shot, acted and directed.

[Tony]

Here's all I can find about the plot; I haven't read the novel so I don't know if this connects with it:

"The story will be set in the chaotic 1930s and shooting will take place in northern China, Russia and Europe. Kidman will play a woman involved in a dangerous romance with a Chinese spy."

This doesn't sound like Welles's version, but who knows when it's such a secretive director? ???

PS: Has anyone here actually read the King novel? I've googled him, but the only references are to Welles's film. If Wong bases his film on the novel, will it have anything to do with Welles's film? And if he bases it on the movie, won't he have to contend with Bea? And didn't Welles think up the title "The Lady From Shanghai?"

questions, questions... ???

[RayKelly]

“Sleeping With the Enemy” director Joseph Ruben will direct a remake of Orson Welles’ most commercially successful film, “The Stranger.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jack and Joseph Nasser of NGN Releasing (“For a Good Time, Call …”) will produce the film with the script penned by newcomer Alanna Belak.

Read more at http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=1971

[Le Chiffre]

Here's hoping the project comes to fruition, unlike Wong Kar Wei's remake of the THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, which was announced a few years ago, and which apparently collapsed when Nicole Kidman backed out of it. And whatever happened to that DREAMERS film with Susan Sarandon as Pellegrina?

[Wellesnet]

Casting has begun on the Stranger remake:

http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=6369

[mido505]

A radiant Christopher Welles Feder can be seen on TCM discussing Orson, Rita, and THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, in a lovely vignette, in advance of its showing on Wednesday, Jan 14, at 8:00 PM. Look for it.