The Lady From Shanghai Forum

Reflection is considered significant for the reason to help to discover the many sides of the characters. The boundary between good and evil seems blurring in The Lady from Shanghai. In this sense, it is even challenging to identify the characters in a traditional way by the lighting of the film. The unique method of presenting the movie is revealed by the concealed traits of the characteristics. For instance, Elsa Bannister, as a main character as well as a core person for the premeditated murder, she always appears in the light, instead of invaded by lots of shadows as a stereotype of an evil person. Similarly, Michael O’Hara is supposed to be portrayed in a darker way, due to his criminal background of killing a man when he was in Spain. Unexpectedly, extra light is reflected on Michael, except several times when half face is shadowed.