Let's be realistic.

i must have seen a different film!!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

"Charlie Chan in Shanghai" was a 1935 entry into the very popular Charlie Chan series. It stars Warner Oland, Keye Luke, Jon Hall, and Irene Hervey.Charlie (Oland) goes to Shanghai in order to meet with a Stanley Woodland, but he doesn't know why Woodland has sent for him. Once he's in Shanghai, he meets up with Lee (Luke), who has been sent by his company to look into some trade agreements.At a welcoming dinner that evening, Woodland is killed, leaving Charlie further in the dark. He soon learns that he was asked there to help break up a large opium ring. There are attempts on his life as he tries to figure out who's bad and who's okay.The Warner Oland Chan was much different from the Chan of Sidney Toler. The Oland Charlie was happy and enjoyed the company of his son; Toler seemed a much older Charlie (even though he wasn't), he was sarcastic somewhat slow, and his kids were always getting into trouble with Birmingham. I actually like both. It's been a while since I've seen Roland Winters.At any rate, this is a good, if somewhat unremarkable story - Chan dealt with better mysteries, but both Oland and Keye Luke are very good and keep things lively.I agree with one of the reviewers here - these aren't PC movies, but it's important to see the practices and views of other eras, as well as interesting to see the Hollywood casting traditions. If you want a real casting eye-opener, take a look at Dragon Seed. A Swede as Charlie Chan will not seem unusual at all! Entertaining.

1st watched 7/18/2009 - 6 out of 10 (Dir- James Tinling): Good mystery crime drama from the Charlie Chan vault. In this one he's in his homeland and a murder occurs at his reception of a British Intelligence man. Chan and his number one son are put on the case which eventually leads to an opium gang in the mother land. This is a good complex mystery that you have to pay really close attention to if you want to understand how it is solved. The main characters are also fun to watch as the son is always getting caught on the phone with a girl while he's supposed to be waiting for a phone call for his father. Warner Oland plays the Charlie Chan character well as we see the quiet smarts win over --as happens in all his cases. Otherwise, this is a pretty basic story but is done well and is effective.

Charlie Chan arrives in Shanghai to help an old friend with opium smugglers. But when his friend (One thing you learn if you've seen enough of the Chan films – it sucks to be one of Chan's old friends. You've got the lifespan of a fruit fly!) is murdered, Charlie realizes just how dangerous his quarry is. With the help of #1 son Lee, can Charlie catch a killer and put a stop to a ring of drug smugglers in the process? As far as Charlie Chan movies go, Charlie Chan in Shanghai is what I would call slightly below average and one of the weakest of the Warner Oland Chan films. It's watchable enough if you like these movies, but it's nowhere near as good as the best of the series. While it's got most the usual trappings you would expect from a Charlie Chan movie, it lacks an effective central murder case with all the red herrings, suspects, and intrigue that entails. The ring of drug smugglers doesn't provide an adequate substitute. One interesting aspect of Charlie Chan in Shanghai is the development of a more human, caring version of Charlie Chan. First, we get to see Charlie sing a neat little song to the children on board the ship he's traveling. Second, Charlie seems to show a great deal of affection for his son Lee. While both are oddities, neither event is unwelcome.

Filmed in 1935, CHARLIE CHAN IN SHANGHAI is the 9th film in the Fox series. It is also, rather curiously the only Chan film that would be set in Asian--the only time Hollywood allowed Chan to make it back to China.In this episode, Chan travels to China--presumably on holiday. But Chan's holidays have a way of being investigations in disguise, and no sooner does his ship dock than he receives a warning note; later that evening a close personal friend is unexpectedly killed by an ingenious booby trap which may have been directed at Chan himself. Needless to say, Chan assumes a major role in the investigation, and quickly finds himself the target of several murderous assaults. Could it all be tied to an infamous opium smuggling ring? Could be! Although this particular Chan film does not offer a notable supporting cast, Keye Luke is once more along for the ride as Chan's "Number One Son" Lee, and every one plays a smart pace. The plot, while typically gimmicky, is superior and offers a final twist that Chan fans may see coming in advance--but only if they know Chan's character and very high standards.Chan films are often accused of being racist, and critics often complain that the actors playing Chan wore "yellowface" make up. The films, however, must be seen within the context of their era. In the 1930s, Hollywood presented most Asian characters as either servile or as Fu Manchu-like entities; Chan was actually just about the only positive Asian character going, and as such the films were tremendously popular with Asian-American audiences of the era.True enough, Chan is inevitably played by an occidental actor, but this was typical of the era, in which star status was considered more important than racial accuracy. (Other Asian characters were always portrayed by Asian actors, Keye Luke being a case in point.) Whatever the case, neither Warner Oland or the later Sidney Toler wore significant make-up for the role, and Oland--although a Swede by birth--actually had a strong strain of Asian ancestry in his family tree.While I cannot say that CHARLIE CHAN IN SHANGHAI is among my favorite Chan films, it is well-made, a solid entry in the series. Chan fans should enjoy it quite a bit.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer