Orson Welles made a movie called The Lady From Shanghai. It is not considered one of his greatest. It certainly isn't as good as Kane or Ambersons. Made as a favor to the studio, and then butchered.
Truffuat said Welles made some films with his left hand, some with his right hand. The right hand films always had snow. The left hand films gunfire. This is a left hand film.
But there is a scene in this film, about a minute and a half long, which is as good as anything ever committed to celluloid. When people write about or discuss this film, the climatic scene in the house of mirrors is always mentioned. And it is a technical tour de force.
But the scene on the boat, when Rita Hayworth sings Please Don't Kiss Me is hardly ever mentioned. And it should be.
We see Hayworth, in a halter top bikini, at night smoking a cigarette, lying down on the deck. We then see below decks, with the crew including Welles himself. Shot from below in a typically meticulous Wellsian composition. Hayworth starts to sing, quietly, sadly, and her face is framed at an angle, and you can't help but tilt your head slightly to the right. The camera slowly moves in and just watches her sing for a few seconds. Then the camera cuts away to Welles coming up the ladder, then back to Hayworth for just a few more precious seconds. Then all too quickly the scene is over. The magic is gone. But the sadness of the scene, Hayworths melancholy voice and the perfect framing of the scene is something that will stay with you forever.
You can check out the scene on the right, I have no idea who the other guy is on the second video, but they seemed to come as a deal so there you go.
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