As was par for the course with Orson Welles and Hollywood, he’d polish up a gem of a movie and they would just chisel away at it until, while it still had its luster, Welles sparkle of cinematic genius was dulled and edited away into lost pieces of what should have been. Another director who also wasn’t taken all that seriously by Hollywood was William Castle (but taken seriously by horror movie fans), who was originally hoping to direct The Lady from Shanghai, but had to settle for an assistant director position. Welles’s whimsical and dark comedic wit permeate the movie that Harry Cohn hated, and the shootout in the hall of mirrors is classic noir. So much editing was done outside of Welles’ control that elaborate scenes and extended drama in the fun house were lost. I wonder what Welles, given today’s streaming environment, could have accomplished? Rita Hayworth and Everett Sloane were perfect in their roles. Definitely, this is one movie to see on the big screen.
