The Wonderful World of Cinema Posted by Virginie Pronovost on June 28, 2017

From March 2015 to April 2017, I was writing the monthly Teen Scene column for the website ClassicFlix. My objective was to promote classic films among teenagers and young adults. Due to the establishing of a new version of the website, it’s now more difficult to access to the old...   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on August 26, 2016

The same year as Grand Hotel there came another film, that while still boasting an ensemble cast felt far more intimate. In its day it was christened “Grand Hotel on wheels” and its narrative does unravel aboard a train. However, Josef von Sternberg’s film opens with a faceless atm   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on August 26, 2016

The same year as Grand Hotel there came another film, that while still boasting an ensemble cast felt far more intimate. In it’s day it was christened “Grand Hotel on wheels” and its narrative does unravel aboard a train. However, Josef von Sternberg’s film opens with a facel   read more

Smum County Posted by smumcountry on October 17, 2015

October 17, 2015 by smumcounty “Grand Hotel on a train.” That’s how they referred to “Shanghai Express” when it was released in 1932 the same year as “Grand Hotel”. I can see why someone would make that facile comparison. Both films take place in a limited space and involve an...   read more

Smum County Posted by smumcountry on October 17, 2015

October 17, 2015 by smumcounty “Grand Hotel on a train.” That’s how they referred to “Shanghai Express” when it was released in 1932 the same year as “Grand Hotel”. I can see why someone would make that facile comparison. Both films take place in a limited space and involve an...   read more

GlamAmor Posted by on April 30, 2015

The 1930s are fascinating for all that happened in film during that decade. In the early part of the era, film was continuing to evolve into being an art form. And until 1934, when the Production Code was in full force, filmmakers had the freedom to be provocative and pretty...   read more

CineMaven's Essays from the Couch Posted by Theresa Brown on April 2, 2015

Seeing as I just came back this Monday from Turner Classic Movies’ Film Festival in Holly-wood, I’m staying steeped in the luxurious world of black ‘n white. What better way to be in that world, than to talk about pre-code films. And with thanks to Karen of Shadows and  Satin and   read more

Lady Eve's Reel Life Posted by The Lady Eve on March 29, 2013

Clive Brook and Marlene Dietrich Between 1930 and 1935, Josef von Sternberg filmed six wondrous and surreal flights of imagination for Paramount starring Marlene Dietrich with costumes by Travis Banton. The director and Dietrich had already made their first film together, The Blue Angel (1930), fo   read more

Lady Eve's Reel Life Posted by The Lady Eve on March 29, 2013

Clive Brook and Marlene Dietrich Between 1930 and 1935, Josef von Sternberg filmed six wondrous and surreal flights of imagination for Paramount starring Marlene Dietrich with costumes by Travis Banton. The director and Dietrich had already made their first film together, The Blue Angel (1930), fo   read more

Lady Eve's Reel Life Posted by The Lady Eve on March 29, 2013

Clive Brook and Marlene Dietrich Between 1930 and 1935, Josef von Sternberg filmed six wondrous and surreal flights of imagination for Paramount starring Marlene Dietrich with costumes by Travis Banton. The director and Dietrich had already made their first film together, The Blue Angel (1930), fo   read more

GlamAmor Posted by on November 11, 2011

Taken straight from the pages of November's Vogue, Revlon's Fall 2011 advertising campaign is clearly borrowing more than a just a bit of inspiration from Marlene Dietrich and Josef von Sternberg's styling in Shanghai Express. Yet another example of classic cinema continuing to influence the fashio   read more

GlamAmor Posted by on November 9, 2011

Another of the iconic women that Turner Classic Movies chose for its November "Battle of the Blondes" is the mysterious Marlene Dietrich. Though 1930's The Blue Angel and Morocco both launched the actress, it's really the cinematography of 1932's Shanghai Express that made her a superstar. The effe   read more

Hollywood Revue Posted by Angela on November 4, 2011

Nobody causes a bigger commotion by getting on a train than Shanghai Lily (Marlene Dietrich). Shanghai Lily is one of the most notoriously loose women in China, so when she gets on a train from Beiping to Shanghai, all the men are excited to be on the same train as...   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on September 8, 2011

Shanghai Express (1932) When Joseph Von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich came together to make a movie, it in nearly all cases would place the heroine in an exotic setting. Von Sternberg, who was responsible for bringing Dietrich to Hollywood through the German production The Blue Angel, nearly recre   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on May 4, 2011

Lady wears feathers Choo-choo stopped by a warlord She buys a new watch Image Source   read more

The Best Picture Project Posted by Alyson on October 31, 2010

Though this film was a little low quality on YouTube, I still felt transported back to the time of China’s civil war right away.  As the camera maneuvers around the platform in Peking, hundreds of people are walking around, but with all the congestion we still get a good introduction...   read more