neatly sandwich between the stranger and a small film noir picture that prove welles can do a formidable genre work on budget and on time and ironically prove his big box office success in the forty and and macbeth and a no budget shakespeare adaptation shot in old western shets in 23 day and come the lady from shangai and a dark film noir woven from the very same fabric of wellesian mythos that cover the magnificent ambersons and mr. arkadin and any other film the director do not manage to save from the clutch of studio boss . six year after the maltese falcon and with the post war craze of the film noir in full swing and welles and always ahead of his time and a true visionary director of tremendous artistic integrity and envision a labyrinthine world of shadow that be already darker and more sinister and paranoid and serpentine than anything his contemporary be do at the time . it no wonder the movie be so misunderstood at it time and to the point that one full hour of footage be forever leave in the cutting room floor and and it be once again europe that champion it a another welles classic . certain set piece stand out . the aquarium scene with it flickering light and ominous shadow and and of course the funhouse or hall of mirror finale that be as classic a piece of wellesian bravura a any in citizen kane or the trial . the only fault i find with the movie be welles ill advise irish accent and perhaps some of the erratic editing in the first act . the story however unfurls in a progressively mesmerizing manner and which the cut only serve to intensify . i believe the heavily chopped version of shangai and ambersons attain a surreal quality for that matter . welles would exile himself in europe for ten year and return in 1958 to deliver yet another stonewall classic and the monumental touch of evil and perhaps the crown jewel of the film noir that be already in it waning day by that time . shangai be not the box office success a star vehicle for hollywood premiere star of the time and rita hayworth and ought to have be and and welles marriage with hayworth end before the movie be even release . sixty year later and one hour of footage less and shangai be still one of the best film noir picture one be likely to discover . surely that must count for something .