''The Lady from the Shanghai Cinema'' ( pt, A Dama do Cine Shanghai) is a 1988 Brazilian

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Guilherme de Almeida Prado Guilherme de Almeida Prado (Ribeirão Preto, November 6, 1954) is a Brazilian film director. Graduated in civil engineering while at the same time doing movies. He also served as assistant director of erotic films. He founded the production com ...

. The film borrows some references from Hollywood

films noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

s of the 1940s, mainly

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

' ''

The Lady from Shanghai ''The Lady from Shanghai'' is a 1947 American film noir directed by Orson Welles (uncredited) and starring Welles, his estranged wife Rita Hayworth, and Everett Sloane. It is based on the novel ''If I Die Before I Wake'' by Sherwood King. Altho ...

''; its name is a play with Welles' film.

Plot

It follows Lucas (

Antônio Fagundes Antônio José da Silva Fagundes Filho (born 18 April 1949) is a Brazilian actor, playwright, voice actor, and producer. Renowned for his several performances in stage, film and television, where he frequently works in telenovelas. Biography Fa ...

), an estate agent who becomes fascinate by Suzana (

Maitê Proença Maitê Proença Gallo (born 28 January 1958) is a Brazilian actress, television presenter and writer. Biography Maitê Proença was born in São Paulo, Brazil. Her mother was Margot Proença, a philosophy and music teacher who died when Maitê ...

), a woman who looks almost exactly like an actress in the film he is watching. They start an affair, but she is married to Desdino, a gangster (

Paulo Villaça Paulo is a Portuguese, Spanish, Swiss, and Italian masculine given name equivalent to English Paul. Notable people with the name include: * Paulo Jr. * Paulo Jr. (footballer) *Paulo Almeida, Brazilian footballer *Paulo André Cren Benini (born 19 ...

), exposing Lucas to a criminal world of violence and corruption.

Cast

as Suzana *

as Lucas *

as Desdino *

José Mayer José Mayer Drumond (born 3 October 1949) is a Brazilian former actor. Biography and career Mayer was born in Jaguaraçu, Minas Gerais, and made his debut on television in 1977 in an children's television series '' Sítio do Picapau Amarelo''. ...

as Bolívar *

José Lewgoy José Lewgoy (16 November 1920 – 10 February 2003) was a Brazilian actor. He is recognizable to many art-house cinema fans for his role as Don Aquilino in Werner Herzog's 1982 film ''Fitzcarraldo''. Biography He was born in Veranópolis, ...

as Linus *

Miguel Falabella Miguel Falabella (born October 10, 1955, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian actor, presenter, screen writer, voice actor, film maker, theater actor, producer, writer and director. He is known, among many other works, for playing Caco Antibes in the ...

as Lana *

Jorge Dória Jorge Pires Ferreira (12 December 1920 – 6 November 2013), known professionally as Jorge Dória, was a Brazilian actor and humorist.Sérgio Mamberti Sérgio Duarte Mamberti (22 April 1939 – 3 September 2021) was a Brazilian actor, filmmaker, painter, writer, and politician. Biography Sérgio Mamberti was born in Santos, São Paulo. He was a graduate of the School of Dramatic Arts of S ...

as Stan *

Matilde Mastrangi Matilde Raspa Mastrangi (born 18 March 1953 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian actress. Career Mastrangi was originally a photomodel who also posed for the magazine ''Sétimo Céu''. In 1971, singer Wanderley Cardoso arranged her to work as ...

as secretary *

Imara Reis Imara dos Reis Ferreira (born February 14, 1948) better known as Imara Reis, is a Brazilian stage, television and film actress. Biography Imara Reis began acting on stage at Colégio Santa Marcelina. She's Graduated by the Universidade Federal F ...

as Carmem / Sabrina / Lila Van / Inês Helena *

John Doo John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are ofte ...

as Chuang *

Júlio Calasso Júlio is a Portuguese masculine given name. The equivalent in Spanish is Julio. The diminutive form is Julinho, as in Júlio César Teixeira known as Julinho, a Brazilian footballer. See also *Julio (disambiguation) *Julio (given name) *Julio (s ...

as Bira

Reception

At the 16th

Festival de Gramado The Gramado Film Festival ( pt, Festival de Gramado) is an international film festival held annually in the Brazilian city of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, since 1973. In 1992, the festival began to award Latin American films produced outside of B ...

, it was elected the Best Film by jury and critic, receiving also Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Scenography, and Best Editing awards. ''The Lady From the Shanghai Cinema'' won the Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Score, and Best Art Director at the 6th Bogota Film Festival.

References

External links

* 1988 thriller films 1988 films Brazilian thriller films Films directed by Guilherme de Almeida Prado 1980s Portuguese-language films {{1980s-thriller-film-stub