Shanghai Surprise
| Shanghai Surprise | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jim Goddard |
| Written by | John Kohn Robert Bentley |
| Based on | Faraday's Flowers novel by Tony Kenrick |
| Produced by | John Kohn |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ernie Vincze |
| Edited by | Ralph Sheldon |
| Music by | George Harrison Michael Kamen |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Columbia-Cannon-Warner Distributors (United Kingdom)[1] MGM Entertainment Co. (United States) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States |
| Budget | $15 million[2] |
| Box office | $2.31 million (US)[3] |
Shanghai Surprise is a 1986 adventure comedy film directed by Jim Goddard and starring then-newlyweds Sean Penn and Madonna. The screenplay was adapted by John Kohn and Robert Bentley from Tony Kenrick's 1978 novel Faraday's Flowers. Produced by George Harrison's HandMade Films and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Harrison himself appears in the film as a night club singer, and he wrote and recorded five original songs for the soundtrack: "Shanghai Surprise", "Someplace Else", "Breath Away from Heaven", "Zig Zag", and "Hottest Gong in Town". The film was a critical and commercial failure, and an official soundtrack album was never released.
Plot summary
Glendon Wasey is a sleazy, down-on-his-luck con man struggling to sell glow-in-the-dark neckties in Shanghai. When he encounters the lovely Gloria Tatlock, a missionary nurse who wants to obtain a supply of opium to ease the suffering of her patients, he decides to help her get hold of a stolen supply of the valuable drug. The only problem is that a lot of other people want to secure the stolen opium as well—gangsters, smugglers, thugs and a host of upstanding air force recruits.
Cast
- Sean Penn as Glendon Wasey
- Madonna as Gloria Tatlock
- Paul Freeman as Walter Faraday
- Richard Griffiths as Willie Tuttle
- Philip Sayer as Justin Kronk
- Clyde Kusatsu as Joe Go
- George Harrison as Night Club Singer
- Victor Wong as Ho Chong
- Lim Kay Tong as Mei Gan
Production
In November 1985 it was announced Madonna and then newlywed husband Sean Penn had signed to do Shanghai Surprise with principal photography set to begin in Macau and Hong Kong by January 1986.[2] Due to the high profile status of the stars real life relationship, by the second day of filming the production of the film was often inundated with photographers to the point Penn demanded the film's publicist be fired and replaced.[2] According to co-star Richard Griffiths, "Sean Penn always had an ace of trumps up his sleeve. He'd play his ace of trumps, win the trick and then put it back up his sleeve and then when the next drama was played, he'd pull out his ace of trumps again. And the ace of trumps was this: in Madonna's contract, and Penn was very sore about this because he saw himself as the star of the movie, there was a clause and it said Madonna shall have the casting approval of her leading man. In other words, if you don't do what I say, says Sean Penn, I quit and, if I quit, she won't agree with any other guy playing my part because, hey, she's my wife, and you don't have a movie, so go and f*ck yourselves. Do as I say or I'm out of here. Boy, did he know how to manipulate that situation with Madonna."[4]
George Harrison even reluctantly flew to Hong Kong to try and smooth things over between the cast and press.[5] Jim Goddard's initial cut of the film was rejected by executives at MGM, and Gooddard's attempts to find alternative distribution were fruitless resulting in his return to MGM.[2] Prior to release both Madonna and Penn attempted to distance themselves from the film with the two insisting their likenesses be removed from the tie-in novel from Viking Press a few days before it was set to hit printers.[2]
Marketing
Shanghai Surprise debuted following a "great deal of hype and promotion" in the United Kingdom,[6] including being hyped on the music television programme The Tube.[7] In the United States, however, as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in October 1986, "The movie opened so poorly in its first wave of playdates (late August in the Northeast and Midwest) that MGM has made severe cuts in its marketing budget. One MGM exec was quoted in the trades as saying this was necessary because 'the interest in the film has been non-existent.'"[8]
Soundtrack
While an official soundtrack album for the film was never released, the title track was issued as a promotional single in 1986, new versions of both "Breath Away from Heaven" and "Someplace Else" were recorded for inclusion on Harrison's 1987 album Cloud Nine,[9] an alternate mix of "Zig Zag" (with the notable addition of backing vocals) was released as the B-side of Harrison's "When We Was Fab" single in early 1988, and "Hottest Gong in Town" was included on the EP that came with the 1992 book Songs by George Harrison 2. The title song and the single mix of "Zig Zag" were also added to the 2004 re-release of Cloud Nine as "additional tracks".
Critical reception
The film received mixed critical response during its pre-release.[10] Shanghai Surprise currently holds a 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 reviews, indicating generally negative responses.[11]
Bill Cosford of
The
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Picture | Shanghai Surprise | Nominated |
| Worst Screenplay | John Kohn and Robert Bentley | Nominated | |
| Worst Actress | Madonna | Won | |
| Worst Actor | Sean Penn | Nominated | |
| Worst Director | Jim Goddard | Nominated | |
| Worst Original Song | "Shanghai Surprise" | Nominated | |
| Stinkers Bad Movie Awards[19] | Worst Picture | Shanghai Surprise | Nominated |
Home media
The
See also
References
- BBFC. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Shanghai Surprise (1986)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. AFI. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "Shanghai Surprise (1986)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ISBN 9781781167083.
- ^ An Accidental Studio (2019).
- ^ Carter, Lee (17 October 1986). "The Hard Report: Music News: Chart Survey" (PDF). The Hard Report. p. 25. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "The Hard Report: Music News" (PDF). The Hard Report. 24 October 1986. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ Ringel, Eleanor (21 October 1986). "Sean Penn, Madonna flop in Shanghai Surprise". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. B/3.
- ^ Booklet included with Cloud Nine CD, released 2004.
- ^ Gett, Steve (6 September 1986). "Screen Idols" (PDF). Billboard. p. 19. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "Shanghai Surprise". Rotten Tomatoes.
- The Miami Herald. p. 4C.
- ^ Rickey, Carrie (19 September 1986). "Madonna Plays a Missionary, Sean Penn Sells Ties as They Pursue Opium and Each Other in Shanghai Surprise". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 8.
- ^ Roberts, Michael (4 September 1986). "Shanghai's Surprise is that it's so bad". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. D5.
- San Diego Union. p. D-1.
- ^ Baltake, Joe (19 September 1986). "Laughing with the Penns in China". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 59.
- ^ Voedisch, Lynn (1 September 1986). "Even Madonna can't save Shanghai". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 22.
- San Jose Mercury News. p. 1C.
- ^ "1986 9th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards". Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 17 October 2006. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ^ a b Fabrikant, Geraldine (23 May 1987). "As Videos Soars, Vestron Slips". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "Top Videocassette Sales" (PDF). Billboard. 4 April 1987. p. 61. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ Givens, Ron (11 May 1990). "Madonna's Discography". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "Material Mogul Madonna a Maverick at Time Warner: Video". The Hollywood Reporter. 1992. Retrieved 11 July 2023 – via Google Books.
Further reading
- Parish, James Robert (2006). Fiasco — A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 359 pages. ISBN 978-0-471-69159-4.
