Shanghai Ghetto (2002)

NEUTRAL

Various

82%

2002, Unknown Genre, 1h 21m

RT Critics’ Score: 81% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: 2 nominations

Click to Stream

Critics Consensus

Shanghai Ghetto, while commendable for its unique perspective on a well-known historical event, falls short in its execution. The film’s conventional approach, with an overreliance on talking heads and lack of emotional depth, fails to do justice to the compelling story it seeks to tell. Despite this, the mix of fascinating events and personal memories of those who lived through them make for a compelling viewing experience. However, the needlessly poor quality of archival footage and lack of a clear narrative thread detract from the overall impact of the film. While it may serve as a useful educational tool, Shanghai Ghetto ultimately fails to leave a lasting impression.

Audience Consensus

Shanghai Ghetto may not be the most exciting documentary out there, but it’s still worth a watch if you’re interested in pre-World War II history. Sure, there are a lot of talking heads and the storytelling can be a bit dry, but the story itself is fascinating. Plus, it’s a good reminder of the strange and unexpected stories that came out of the Holocaust. Just don’t expect to be on the edge of your seat the whole time.

Storyline

Ghetto explores the little-known piece of Holocaust history, weaving together stories of overlapping cultures and their coexistence under the pretext of a war to create a touching and unusual narrative.

Production Company(ies)
Twentieth Century Fox,

Distributor
NA

Release Type

Filming Location(s)

MPAA / Certificate

Year of Release
2002

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Dolby
Aspect ratio:

NA
Runtime:

NA
Language(s):
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

NA

Genre(s)

Keyword(s)
Holocaust, Shanghai Ghetto, documentary, overlapping cultures, war, history, unconventional narrative, storytelling, emotional, memories, archival footage, talking heads, Holocaust cinema, education, strange stories, Holocaust experience, director unknown, critic reviews, reviewed by Marjorie Baumgarten, John Anderson, V.A Musetto, Michael Atkinson, Richard Nilsen, Tom Long, Emanuel Levy, Walter Chaw, Steve Rhodes, E! Staff, Jim Lane, produced by unknown, starring unknown actor, written by unknown, box office performance unknown, budget unknown, MPAA rating unknown

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA

US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA

Cast & Crew

Unknown Actor

Unknown Director

self

Director

Unknown Actor – self
Unknown Director – Director

Unknown

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Unknown

Writer(s)
NA

Producer(s)
NA

Film Festivals

Awards & Nominations
2 nominations

Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Marjorie Baumgarten

John Anderson

V.A. Musetto

Michael Atkinson

Richard Nilsen

Austin Chronicle

Newsday

New York Post

Village Voice

Arizona Republic

GHETTO
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (8)
Shanghai Ghetto should be applauded for finding a new angle on a tireless story, but you might want to think twice before booking passage.

January 29, 2019 | Rating: 2/5

Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Shanghai Ghetto would make a good primer for high school students ignorant of pre- World War II history, but in the entirety of Holocaust cinema it is a blip on the radar.

January 29, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4

John Anderson
Newsday
TOP CRITIC
The documentary is much too conventional — lots of boring talking heads, etc. — to do the subject matter justice.

January 29, 2019 | Rating: 2/4

V.A. Musetto
New York Post
TOP CRITIC
Throughout the film, the storytelling is eloquent and genuine, but the Manns’ unadventurous approach … rarely hits emotional pay dirt.

January 29, 2019

Michael Atkinson
Village Voice
TOP CRITIC
Even if it offers nothing cinematic, the story alone is important, and interesting, enough to warrant seeing.

January 29, 2019 | Rating: 3/5

Richard Nilsen
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
The mix of such fascinating events with the memories of those who endured them is undeniably compelling, even if much of what’s described here has been described for decades.

January 29, 2019 | Rating: C+

Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
January 29, 2019 | Rating: 2/5

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
It’s too bad that the picture lacks a clear narrative thread and, ultimately, much of a point besides telling a weird little story in an overly familiar sort of way.

January 29, 2019 | Rating: 2/4

Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central
The problem is the needlessly poor quality of its archival prints and film footage. The images lack contrast, are murky and are frequently too dark to be decipherable.

January 29, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4

Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews
This would be thoroughly engrossing if the film itself weren’t an example of the most tedious brand of documentary.

January 29, 2019 | Rating: C

E! Staff
E! Online
January 29, 2019 | Rating: 3/5

Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
A worthy educational reminder of how many strange stories grew out of the Holocaust experience.

January 29, 2019 | Rating: B

Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews…

Plot
Ghetto explores the little-known piece of Holocaust history, weaving together stories of overlapping cultures and their coexistence under the pretext of a war to create a touching and unusual narrative.

Trivia