I saw this movie last night. It was made in the 1930's and took place in contemporary Shanghai, presumably in the International Settlement. Surprisingly, no mention of the Japanese was made at all. I wondered why. (They had been accused of being involved in the opium trade, but in real history it was the Chinese themselves who were the biggest part of it.)

love Charlie Chan movies. all of the Charlies - and the supporting actors.

Charlie Chan in Shanghai was made in 1935 and the Japanese captured Shanghai in 1937.

Many, contemporary movies don't mention current events. Some don't even mention the war later.

Because in many formula movies the studio intentionally makes no mention of current events so the setting remains timeless. The "when" doesn't matter and the audience fills in the "when". So the movie can be re issued and still be timely because there is no precise setting.

If the movie isn't about a certain time, no mention is usually made of the events of the time unless it matters to the plot. If it doesn't matter to the plot, it's not mentioned. That's how movies are streamlined for mass production in 1930s Hollywood. Anything extraneous just isn't there.

Been reading a lot about movie making of the first half of the 20th century lately. Great relief from the intense period study of history so many do in this hobby.

interesting. I took a film 101 course about 20 years ago. I remember the instructor emphasizing that all (his word!) movies reflect the social & political climate in which they are made. not specifics or intentionally, it's just how it goes (my addendum).

anyway, some great actors - and CC never fails to make me stop and ponder the settings, take a deep breath, and pause in wonder about how good movies can be, and what they have to offer.

The movie does reflect the culture in which it was made, but that doesn't mean it ever specifically mentions it. Even a madd produced formula movie was carefully made and put together by professionals. That was the wonder of the studio system. Everything they needed was already there and they just had to put it together.

Great stuff.