Shanghai Ghetto
Menemsha Entertainment | Release Date: September 27, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Miami HeraldMarta Barber
One thing that strikes you as you watch Shanghai Ghetto is how little mingling there was between the Chinese and the Jews. Read full review
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Fascinating. Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
A touching documentary. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Especially interesting are the complex relations among the residents of the ghetto. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
This is a vital history lesson that many of us have missed but few are likely to forget. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeJanice Page
May not be as dramatic as Roman Polanski's ''The Pianist,'' but its compassionate spirit soars every bit as high. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
Consisting mostly of talking-head interviews, the film isn't especially dynamic, but it brims with insightful, poignant memories from survivors. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Where so many Holocaust documentaries remember the past and preach not to repeat it, Shanghai Ghetto remembers the past and teaches the relativity of experience. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The account is highly informative, although it would come across more vividly if there were fewer talking heads and longer stretches of archival footage. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneJohn Petrakis
A salute to those who were blessed not only with savvy and courage, but something between an uncanny sense of foresight and an unforeseen stroke of good fortune. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
A serious and thoughtful documentary. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
The subject may be familiar to those who happened to catch the 1998 documentary "Port of Last Resort," but this remarkable true story certainly bears repeating. Read full review
70
Washington PostTeresa Wiltz
Despite the film's shortcomings, the stories are quietly moving. Read full review
70
The New York TimesDave Kehr
The film uses standard techniques to tell its tale -- videotaped interviews with survivors interspersed with newsreel images from the period -- but does so with integrity and attention to detail. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
One of the most fascinating and least documented tributaries of the Jewish experience in World War II. Read full review
70
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
The storytelling is eloquent and genuine, but the Manns' unadventurous approach (compared to, for instance, last year's intimate road movie "Fighter") rarely hits emotional pay dirt. Read full review
50
New York PostV.A. Musetto
The documentary is much too conventional -- lots of boring talking heads, etc. -- to do the subject matter justice. Read full review
50
VarietyLael Lowenstein
The material is more interesting than the film's rather dry mode of presentation, which is somewhat hampered by a dearth of archival footage. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Should be applauded for finding a new angle on a tireless story, but you might want to think twice before booking passage. Read full review
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