Movies about Old Shanghai have been very rare and difficult to see in the early years of this blog. In the last years, more and more old movies have been found on internet videos website. This has allowed some of the 1930s Shanghai original amateur movies to be viewed again, after all those years.
One of the easiest to find on Youtube is “Old Shanghai 1930s”, on the StephendelRoser account. This is a 8 minutes movies depicting street scenes in Shanghai, probably early 1930s as judged from the cars and vehicle pictured. Scenes are mostly filmed on Nanjing Road and on the Bund, including in front of Astor House hotel. They include a number of road traffic scenes, with cars and rickshaws including the Sikhs policemen of the International Settlement.
The movie also includes a long part that was filmed on a small boat on the Yangpu river, as well as the Suzhou Creek, which was really crowded then. Final scenes include a short part in an airfield and a long stretch filmed from a tramway.
It was probably shot by a foreigner and also includes some family fun scenes. The movie quality is not the best, but it is rare enough to make interesting to watch if one is interested in Old Shanghai. It can be found at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dba67SLBQzM&t=171s
A short part of about 1:40 can also be found on Chinese video sharing website Youku: https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTA5MjQ4NTIwOA==.html?spm=a2h0c.8166622.PhoneSokuUgc_1.dtitle
Thankyou so much Hughes. My father spoke in great detail about my family’s life in Shanghai, his education & work, & later the Occupation, but never described the street life or the people. I can’t tell you how important these little films mean to me & my children.
Shanghai is so much a part of the early fabric of our family history.
Bless you for sending these memories.
I was born in Tainjin (1934) at 5 moved to Shanghai,left China Nov 10 1949.
Would like to hear from others.
I am Dima Panaioti. Born in Shanghai in 1933. Left in 1952.
I remember A Spokoiny from the swimming pool of the Association Sportive Francaise.
Cheers, D.Panaioti.