Movie: Signal Fires of Shanghai

Top 10 Billed Cast

Tsumasaburō Bandō
阪東妻三郎

Shinsaku Takasugi

Ryūnosuke Tsukigata
月形龍之介

Saisuke Godai

Li Li-Hua
Li Li-Hua

Wang Ying

Ryōsuke Kagawa
香川良介

Heirokurô Numata

Ryōnosuke Azuma
Ryōnosuke Azuma

Shakusaburô Ôtsuka

Tatsuya Ishiguro
石黒達也

Kuranosuke Nakamuta

Yoshimatsu Nakamura
Yoshimatsu Nakamura

Boartman

Xiucen Duan
Xiucen Duan

Ah Yang - the waiter

Han Lan-Gen
Han Lan-Gen

Ah Lin - the waiter

Jiang Ming
Jiang Ming

Shen Changling

  • HomePage

  • Overview

    During the Taiping Rebellion of the mid-19th century, anti-Qing (Manchu) Chinese forces led by Taiping commander Li Xiucheng march on Shanghai. Although the Western powers are officially neutral, the British consul in Shanghai sides with the Qing imperial government, and counter to his own government's policy he retains American adventurer Frederick Townsend Ward to raise a mercenary force of foreigners in Shanghai and oppose the Taipings. Ward's force is routed, with heavy casualties, but since many of the casualties are British, the British army soon is drawn in on the side of the Qings. The only support for the Chinese comes from Japanese in Shanghai and anti-imperialist demonstrations in Japan. A family drama plays out against this historical background. After a Chinese home is destroyed by careless British shelling, killing the father and crippling a daughter, the surviving son vows revenge but begins to see that his true friends may be the Japanese.

  • Release Date

    1944-12-28

  • Average

    8.8

  • Rating:

    4.4 starts
  • Tagline

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    日本語普通话
  • Keywords

Recommendations Movies

Oranges and Sunshine
69%

Oranges and Sunshine(en)

2010-10-08

The story of Margaret Humphreys, a social worker from Nottingham, who uncovers one of the most significant social scandals in recent times – the forced migration of children from the United Kingdom to Australia and other Commonwealth countries. Almost singlehandedly, Margaret reunited thousands of families, brought authorities to account and worldwide attention to an extraordinary miscarriage of justice.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
61%

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan(en)

2011-07-15

A story set in 19th century China and centered on the lifelong friendship between two girls who develop their own secret code as a way to contend with the rigid cultural norms imposed on women.

Chûshingura
71%

Chûshingura(ja)

1962-11-03

After their lord is tricked into committing ritual suicide, forty-seven samurai warriors await the chance to avenge their master and reclaim their honor.

Radium Girls
67%

Radium Girls(en)

2020-10-23

Young women toiling in a factory are exposed to hazardous material which takes a disastrous toll on their health.

Suffragette
72%

Suffragette(en)

2015-10-16

Based on true events about the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State.

Munich – The Edge of War
69%

Munich – The Edge of War(en)

2021-12-31

At the tense 1938 Munich Conference, former friends who now work for opposing governments become reluctant spies racing to expose a Nazi secret.

Sekigahara
70%

Sekigahara(ja)

2017-08-26

The background to and depiction of a watershed battle in Japanese history, at Sekigahara in 1600, when Tokugawa Ieyasu's Army of the East defeated the Army of the West of Ishida Mitsunari. The story includes the intrigues and shifting loyalties of the various retainers, family members, and samurai.

Samurai Rebellion
82%

Samurai Rebellion(ja)

1967-05-27

The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.

11 Rebels
72%

11 Rebels(ja)

2024-11-01

When the brutal Boshin War breaks out in Japan, a group of inmates on death row unite to defend a fortress against the Imperial army.

Nanking
71%

Nanking(en)

2007-02-10

The story of the rape of Nanking, one of the most tragic events in history. In 1937, the invading Japanese army murdered over 200,000 and raped tens of thousands of Chinese. In the midst of this horror, a small group of Western expatriates banded together to save 250,000. Nanking shows the tremendous impact individuals can make on the course of history.

Hounddog
64%

Hounddog(en)

2008-09-19

A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.

When the Last Sword Is Drawn
74%

When the Last Sword Is Drawn(ja)

2003-01-18

Kanichiro Yoshimura is a Samurai and Family man who can no longer support his wife and children on the the low pay he receives from his small town clan, he is forced by the love for his family to leave for the city in search of higher pay to support them.

Bushido
74%

Bushido(ja)

2024-05-17

Kakunoshin, renowned for his skills with a sword and in the game of go, embodies the samurai code. Falsely accused of a theft, he is forced to become a lowly ronin. Years later, when a case of missing gold pulls him into a new web of intrigue, Kakunoshin uncovers the truth behind his downfall. With the real culprit exposed, the go board flips, and a hellstorm of righteous vengeance follows.

Samurai Assassin
73%

Samurai Assassin(ja)

1965-01-03

Japan, 1860. The men of the Mito clan, victims of the Ansei purge, anxiously prowl around the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle with the intention of assassinating Naosuke Ii of Hikone, tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate and responsible for their misfortune.

Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins
75%

Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins(ja)

2012-08-25

In 1868, after the Bakumatsu war ends, the ex-assassin Kenshin Himura traverses Japan with an inverted sword, to defend the needy without killing.

55 Days at Peking
69%

55 Days at Peking(en)

1963-05-06

Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the International Compound in Peking during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. The disparate interests unite for survival despite competing factions, overwhelming odds, delayed relief and tacit support of the Boxers by the Empress of China and her generals.

The Hidden Blade
74%

The Hidden Blade(ja)

2004-10-30

Set in 19th Century Japan a young samurai who finds himself in love with a farm girl leaves his home to begin a new life. He has to take stock of his new life when he is put to the test and ordered to kill a traitor who just happens to be his dearest friend.

Hana
66%

Hana(ja)

2006-06-03

In a poor district of Edo lives a young samurai named Soza. He has been sent by his clan to avenge the death of his father. He isn't an accomplished swordsman however, and he prefers sharing the life of the residents, teaching the kids how to write etc. When he finally finds the man he is looking for, he will have to decide whether he follows the way of the samurai or chooses peace and reconciliation.

Viceroy's House
66%

Viceroy's House(en)

2017-03-03

In 1947, Lord Mountbatten assumes the post of last Viceroy, charged with handing India back to its people, living upstairs at the house which was the home of British rulers, whilst 500 Hindu, Muslim and Sikh servants lived downstairs.

Shattered Glass
70%

Shattered Glass(en)

2003-11-14

The true story of fraudulent Washington, D.C. journalist Stephen Glass, who rose to meteoric heights as a young writer in his 20s, becoming a staff writer at The New Republic for three years. Looking for a short cut to fame, Glass concocted sources, quotes and even entire stories, but his deception did not go unnoticed forever, and eventually, his world came crumbling down.

Similar Movies

Zatoichi
72%

Zatoichi(ja)

2003-09-06

Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.

The Lone Journey
0%

The Lone Journey(ja)

1955-08-31

Forced on the road by yakuza obligations, a man sets out on a reckless journey to Tsumagoi. Movie posters for local cinemas were often displayed at sento (public baths) too. The handwritten text on the bottom here announces the film will play at Hassen for 3 days.

Throne of Blood
79%

Throne of Blood(ja)

1957-01-15

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

Seven Samurai
85%

Seven Samurai(ja)

1954-04-26

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.

Whipmaster: Ballad of Murder
65%

Whipmaster: Ballad of Murder(ja)

1970-11-11

Ryotatsu, the wayward Priest blinded by Shinkai, the Wicked Priest, has his own story in this ultra-violent tale from the era of the Meiji Reconstruction. When a woman leaves her blind son at the Monastery, Ryotatsu is forced to teach the boy how to cope as a blind person in old Japan. When he takes the child with him on the road to find the boy's mother, they run afoul of not only yakuza gangsters, but some corrupt army officers have been trying to sway public opinion against the Satsuma rebels by posing as members of Saigo Takamori's group. It's a bloody mistake for them to underestimate the strength of the Blind Priest, and he'll make them pay with their lives!

Chronicle of the Town Magistrate
0%

Chronicle of the Town Magistrate(ja)

1992-12-23

In a maelstrom of evil, can a new magistrate, samurai Mochizuki Koheita, with a reputation like an alley cat, bring order to the town of Horisoto, or is he, too a corrupt villain looking to gain wealth from the oppressed people? From the pen of famed samurai author Yamamoto Shugoro, this exciting tale turns the tables on the standard samurai story with a unique lead character previously portrayed in Ichikawa Kon’s “Dora Heita.”

Osomatsu-kun: Iyami Alone in the Wind
100%

Osomatsu-kun: Iyami Alone in the Wind(ja)

1990-08-25

In an Edo-period retelling of "City Lights", Iyami, a poor beggar, befriends a flower-selling blind young girl. Through the ups and downs of their friendship, Iyami strives to find a way to make her see again.

Bored Hatamoto: Mysterious Letter of Challenge
0%

Bored Hatamoto: Mysterious Letter of Challenge(ja)

1955-12-28

Bored Hatamoto film #19

Rashomon
80%

Rashomon(ja)

1950-08-26

Four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.

The Last Samurai
76%

The Last Samurai(en)

2003-12-05

Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.

Bored Hatamoto Detective, Part 1: The Seven Brides
0%

Bored Hatamoto Detective, Part 1: The Seven Brides(ja)

1950-09-23

Bored Hatamoto film #10

Bored Hatamoto Detective, Part 2: Poisoning of the Demon Lord
0%

Bored Hatamoto Detective, Part 2: Poisoning of the Demon Lord(ja)

1950-10-07

Bored Hatamoto movie #11

Rurouni Kenshin: The Final
77%

Rurouni Kenshin: The Final(ja)

2021-04-23

In 1879, Kenshin and his allies face their strongest enemy yet: his former brother-in-law Enishi Yukishiro and his minions, who've vowed their revenge.

Bloody Battle at Dawn
50%

Bloody Battle at Dawn(ja)

1959-10-10

A story of revenge between two samurai families on the Igagoe Road. Araki Mataemon born in the province of Iga. He studied the art of the sword under the Yagyu family. He helped the younger brother of his wife Watanabe Kazuma take revenge on his enemy Kawai Matagoro. Ichikawa Utaemon plays Araki Matemon and his son Kinya Kataoji plays Kazuma.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx
73%

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx(ja)

1972-04-22

Ogami Itto battles a group of female ninja in the employ of the Yagyu clan and must eliminate a traitor who plans to sell his clan's secrets to the Shogunate.

Kubi
69%

Kubi(ja)

2023-11-23

Lord Oda Nobunaga plans to control Japan where rival warlords battle by waging war against several clans. His vassal Araki Murashige stages a rebellion and promptly disappears.

Fall of the Shogun's Militia
70%

Fall of the Shogun's Militia(ja)

1954-11-22

Kondo Isami, the “Devil” commander of the Shinsengumi was one of Japan’s greatest national heroes and a peerless swordsman who devoted his life to protecting the shogun and fighting on the side of the Tokugawa. This tells the story of the Shinsengumi starting at the moment of their greatest triumph through the final battles as the Tokugawa shogunate was brought down.

The Twilight Samurai
78%

The Twilight Samurai(ja)

2002-11-02

Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects seem to open up when the beautiful Tomoe, a childhood friend, comes back into he and his daughters' life, but as the Japanese feudal system unravels, Seibei is still bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedence. How can he find a way to do what is best for those he loves?

Bored Hatamoto on Mt. Fuji
0%

Bored Hatamoto on Mt. Fuji(ja)

1937-01-05

Bored Hatamoto film #8

Bored Hatamoto Enters the Mountain of Treasure
0%

Bored Hatamoto Enters the Mountain of Treasure(ja)

1938-04-14

Bored Hatamoto film #9