Shanghai

Starring John Cusack, Gong Li, Chow Yun-fat, Rinko Kikuchi, and Ken Watanabe, Shanghai is the story of an American expat returning to Japanese-occupied Shanghai, weeks before Peal Harbor, in search of details about a murdered friend. His investigation leads to romance and discovery of sensitive government secrets. From the publicity stills I’m feeling an Indochine, The Painted Veil atmosphere. My best buddy in Bangkok sent me photos of sets under construction in Thailand a few months ago, and I’ll post those if I can find them. That was the first I’d heard of this film. Now that the release date for Shanghai has been shifted from Sept 25th to Dec 25th, and noting that it’s being distributed by The Weinstein Company, maybe we should keep an eye on this blip on our long-range radar?

Impressive pedigree behind the camera, as well: Mikael H√•fstr√∂m, director of Best Foreign Language Film nominee Ondskan (Evil), written by Oscar nominee Hossein Amini (The Wings of the Dove), set design by Oscar Nominee Celia Bobak (The Phantom of the Opera), costumes by Oscar nominee Julie Weiss (Frida, Twelve Monkeys) and music composed by Anthony Minghella’s collaborator, Oscar winner Gabriel Yared (The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain). More stills after the cut. [Update: more photos added from our Thai source, Toy]

And here are some shots of 1940’s Shanghai recreated in Bangkok, and a Thai press conference (thanks to Toy for these)