--- title: "Shanghai Express: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/shanghai-express/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/shanghai-express" critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Shanghai Express (1932): what the critics said Critics' score 71 from 9 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like it, and the praise settles in two places: von Sternberg’s direction and Dietrich. The reviews return again and again to the look of the film, the smoke and feathers and calligraphy of the train, the deliberate stylisation, the rhythm that mimics the journey itself. Dietrich’s Shanghai Lily is called languorous, charismatic and unapologetic, and several critics note that she photographs better here than in the earlier collaborations. A few also credit the screenplay’s gallery of passengers and the twists along the route. The reservations cluster on the story. Variety, writing at the time, finds the plot and dialogue too close to old serial melodrama and the performances unremarkable, with Dietrich’s part barely letting her move. The Guardian finds the suspense built on delay and little emotional weight beneath it. Clive Brook is described as stiff more than once. The spread is wide, from warm contemporary notices to outright dismissal, and the harshest verdict is the earliest. ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 February 1932. The critic praises it as gaudy melodrama at its best, with care and precision in direction and a rare realism in the train journey scenes. It is the perfect dish for lovers of screen melodrama. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1932/02/27/lorelei-in-china) ## The New York Times — Mordaunt Hall Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 February 1932. The critic calls it by far the best picture von Sternberg has directed, an exciting melodrama with strong atmospheric effects aboard the train. Dietrich gives an impressive, languorous performance as Shanghai Lily. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1932/02/18/archives/marlene-dietrich-in-a-brilliantly-directed-melodrama-set-aboard-a.html) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2006. The critic praises the film's atmospheric décor and visual style, noting that Dietrich holds her own against von Sternberg's direction in this equitable collaboration. The review highlights the sultry performance and the intricate design elements like feathers, smoke, and calligraphy that enhance the exotic melodrama. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shanghai-express-review/) ## Little White Lies — BP Flanagan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2019. The critic praises the Dietrich-von Sternberg collaborations as a high point of classical Hollywood style and pre-Code innuendo, highlighting how Shanghai Express uses visual mastery and a close-up of a trembling hand to reveal emotional depth beneath the star persona. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/marlene-dietrich-josef-von-sternberg-paramount-films) ## Time Out — TR Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic commends von Sternberg’s non-naturalistic stylisation and train-like rhythm in the film, noting that the emotional sincerity invested in the central relationship transcends its stylistic flourishes and period caricature. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/shanghai-express) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2011. The critic praises the screenplay's gallery of well-drawn characters and twists on the train journey amid revolutionary upheaval, noting how it gives von Sternberg ample opportunity for expressive visuals and set pieces. It is presented as a clear improvement over the more languid Morocco, with strong direction and performances elevating the material. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/understanding-screenwriting-68-the-fighter-somewhere-shanghai-express-and-more/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 15 July 2022. The review praises Marlene Dietrich as indecently charismatic and unapologetic in the role of Shanghai Lily, highlighting her relish for raw dialogue in this pre-Hays Code drama. It notes the stiff performance of Clive Brook as her lover and positions the film as a hot-button classic sandwiched between her iconic hits. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/shanghai-express-review-marlene-dietrich-is-indecently-charismatic-ddxbln8x7) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 18 March 2016. The review finds the film weakened by its approach to suspense through delayed events and a lack of emotional depth or purpose, despite more action than prior Dietrich-von Sternberg collaborations. It singles out Marlene Dietrich for praise, noting she photographs more beautifully than before and stands out as majestically beautiful, supported by strong lighting, dialogue, and photography. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/18/marlene-dietrich-shanghai-express-review-archive-1932) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1931. The review notes von Sternberg makes the film interesting through command of the lens but finds the plot and dialog too close to old melodrama and serial themes. Performances are not especially strong, with Dietrich's role limiting her movement. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1931/film/reviews/shanghai-express-1200410561/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/shanghai-express.md