the lady from shanghai (orson welles, 1947)

It can't be said that Orson Welles is the greatest movie director of all time, although the evidence in his favor is there. Citizen Kane is his towering achievement, and that's not his only great film ... I'm partial to Touch of Evil, and The Magnificent Ambersons deserves our attention. But too many of his films suffer from studio interference and the impatience of Welles (the two are not unconnected), leaving a career that is equal parts brilliance and what-if.

Some people think The Lady from Shanghai is one of Welles' classics. Scene by scene, it is fascinating, and I can imagine a course on film spending weeks on this movie, examining each shot in detail to ascertain the touch of the master. And the ending in the house of mirrors fun house is iconic.

But taken as a whole, I think The Lady from Shanghai is a what-if. Blame it on the studio if you want, but this movie is a mess, with a plot that might have been clear in Orson's mind at some point, but which falls apart the minute you think about it. It is an exemplar of The Sum Is Less Than the Whole. It's great fun to watch, to be sure. But it's no Touch of Evil.

[spoilers]