''Incident in Shanghai'' is a 1938 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

John Paddy Carstairs John Paddy Carstairs (born John Keys; 11 May 1910, in London – 12 December 1970, in London) was a British film director (1933–62) and television director (1962–64), usually of light-hearted subject matter. He was also a comic novelist and ...

and starring

Margaret Vyner Margaret Leila Vyner, also known by her married name Margaret Williams (3 December 1914 in Armidale, New South Wales – 30 October 1993 in Reading, England) was an Australian-born model and actress who appeared in British films. She collaborated ...

Patrick Barr Patrick David Barr (13 February 1908 – 29 August 1985) was an English actor. In his career spanning over half a century, he appeared in about 144 films and television series. Biography Born in Akola, British India in 1908, Barr was educate ...

, Ralph Roberts and

Derek Gorst Derek Gorst (1903-1981) was a British actor. Selected filmography * '' Once a Thief'' (1935) * '' Lucky Days'' (1935) * '' Lucky Jade'' (1937) * '' The Fatal Hour'' (1937) * '' The Singing Cop'' (1938) * ''The Gables Mystery'' (1938) * ''Incident ...

. It was made at Pinewood Studios as a

quota quickie The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 ('' 17 & 18 Geo. V'') was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry. It received Royal Assent on 20 December 1927 and came into force on 1 April 1928. D ...

for release by Paramount Pictures. It was shot in eleven days on a budget of £7,000. It was considered to have topical interest for audiences due to the ongoing

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

Plot

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, Madeleine Linden is an unhappy wife who falls in love with wounded pilot Pat Avon, upon whom her husband Brian, the head of the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

, must operate.

Cast

as Madeleine Linden *

as Pat Avon * Ralph Roberts as Robert Barlow *

as Brian Linden *

John Deverell John Deverell (30 May 1880 in London, England – 2 March 1965 in Haywards Heath, Sussex, England) was a British actor. Selected filmography * ''John Forrest Finds Himself'' (1920) – The Hon. Vere Blair * '' Children of Chance'' (1930) – Ha ...

as Weepie *

George Courtney George Courtney MBE (born 4 June 1941) is an English former football referee based in Spennymoor, County Durham. He is said to be a freemason. His vocational career was spent as a primary school headteacher. Ascent through English refereein ...

as Mel Purdue * Lotus Fragrance as Butterfly Ku * Rita Davies as Ada Newell

Critical reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' called it a "...plodding romantic drama."

References

Bibliography

* Chibnall, Steve. ''Quota Quickies: The Birth of the British 'B' Film''. British Film Institute, 2007.

External links

1938 films 1938 drama films Films directed by John Paddy Carstairs Films with screenplays by John Paddy Carstairs Films shot at Pinewood Studios British drama films Films produced by Anthony Havelock-Allan Films set in Shanghai Quota quickies British black-and-white films British and Dominions Studios films Adultery in films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films English-language drama films {{1930s-UK-film-stub