It has been a century since Sax Rohmer gave the world the gift of the incredibly intelligent, and yet so evil, Doctor Fu Manchu, one of literatures great evil geniuses rivaling even Doyles Professor Moriarty. And, as I was in the makeup chair, a gentleman came in and handed me about four sheets of paper which was one enormous, long speech. For two decades the festival has worked to present an Asian and Asian American perspective through film. Screenplay: Irene Kuhn, Edgar Allan Woolf and John Willard, based on the novel The Mask of Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer (1932) Though I've seen several Fu Manchu movies, this is only the 2nd Fu Manchu book I've read. These films could play in a certain kind of context that would be incredibly destructive for America even today. A long-lost, priceless relic.. an unspeakable torture. 5, The English writer, whose real name is Arthur Sarsfield Ward, created thriller novels based on characters such as the female criminal mastermind Sumuru and the Parisian Detective Gaston Max. only available as part of the Hollywood Legends of Horror box set), go to The Mask of Fu Manchu. Directors Charles Brabin Charles Vidor Writers Irene Kuhn Edgar Allan Woolf John Willard Stars Boris Karloff Lewis Stone Karen Morley Professor Von Berg (Jean Hersholt, radio veteran of "Poems That Touch the Heart") and Nayland Smith(Lewis Stone) of Scotland Yard try to prevent Fu Manchu from getting these important relics. The picture is literally a course in archaeology, Oriental religion, history and modern engineering rolled into one." When Nayland tries to rescue Terry, he is taken captive as well. Uploaded by The action stretches from Persia to Cairo to London encountering Ogboni killers, mind-control drugs, dervishes, and a ghost mosque. And we see that throughout the 1950s and '60s and even to today you have cases of Scarlett Johansson making her eyes a certain way to play an Asian person 'Ghost in the Shell' or Emma Stone with 'Aloha.' An emissary offers to trade Barton for the priceless artifacts. Let me preface this by saying that I know most of what to expect from this series, yet I am still surprised. I had to suspend belief in some parts to know that the evil doctor has mysteriously was to sneak into and out of places and the drugs that he develops that cause amnesia and complete obedience etc. However, the black and white cinematography does show crispness and atmosphere and the sets and costumes are beautiful. While the sparks put off by Fu Manchu's diabolical invention are impressive special effects, they are nothing in comparison to the sparks emitted by the young, scantily clad Myrna Loy. wasn't the first Fu Manchu film (it was actually the third American film based on the Rohmer villain; a My copy, with a 1932 copyright date, is missing a dust cover and has a black binding with a spiderweb incised, and the spiderweb has the word "Intrigue" on the left and "Love" on the right. Dr. Petrie is absent from this film. The version of the film we get today on DVD hasn't been seen in many years the smugly amused but They kidnap the British leader of the expedition and are prepared to torture him to death, if only they get their hands on the sword and mask. Barton's daughter Sheila is determined to continue her father's work and accompanies the team on the expedition, along with her fiance Terrence Granville. Nayland Smith. After discovering the tomb of El Mokanna - the Veiled Prophet - and retrieving the precious relics buried there, the eminent archaeologist Sir Lionel Barton blows up the tomb. A long-lost, priceless relic.. an unspeakable torture. He tells Sheila and Von Berg that Nayland Smith wants them to bring the sword and mask to him. Smith follows the man and finds the secret entrance to Manchu's headquarters. did until the postwar-WWII years and the awakenings of the civil-rights movement. Despite Terry's misgivings, Sheila persuades him to take the relics to Fu Manchu without Smith's knowledge. Mask of Fu Manchu is one of those films, racist at its inception and racist now, tapping into then commonly-held fears about the Yellow Peril and the influx of Asian immigrants into Western countries and presenting the ne plus ultra of conspiracy wet dreams. Fu Manchu tries bribing his captive, even offering his own daughter, Fah Lo See. [2], Some other critics also objected to the film's depictions of violence and sexuality. It's fun but as an adventure story, it rather lacks in real action. While the sparks put off by Fu Manchu's diabolical invention are impressive special effects, they are nothing in comparison to the sparks emitted by the young, scantily clad Myrna Loy. Hollywood insiders called the project The Mess of Fu Manchu. 3 stars. No self-respecting fan of the great Boris Karloff should miss his juicy performance in this raunchy and very unconventional film. Back at M-G-M, after a loan-out to RKO, Myrna Loy was cast as the daughter of Fu Manchu when, to everyone's surprise, Louis B. Mayer outbid Paramount for the rights to Sax Rohmer's 1932 novel, "The Mask of Fu Manchu". It is actually this cut version which MGM/UA released in the early 1990's on videotape, although the deleted segments were restored for the print of "Mask of Fu Manchu" used for the later laserdisc release "MGM Horror Classics," and the more recent DVD release. It is a must see film and a great film classic for all generations. The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) started production in early August, with Charles Vidor as director and Courtenay Terrett writing the screenplay adaptation. They are archeologists and steal antiquities that they find..and Dr Fu Manchu wants what they have. intrepid British explorers, including stiff-upper-lip hero Nyland Smith (Lewis Stone). And when Fah Lo See ( Fu Manshu's daughter) shows deep interest of Terry ( the daughter's boyfriend ) chances to survive are becoming even smaller for the British scientists. Other films based on Sax Rohmer's character include the 1923 British picture Cry of the Night Hawk, the 1929 Paramount film The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu, directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Warner Oland and Jean Arthur (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.3760), a 1956 television series called The Adventures of Fu Manchu, starring Glen Gordon, and a 1980 British comedy directed by Piers Haggard, starring Peter Sellers, called The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu. The Nazis are mere obstacles in his path to run over. On 13 Aug, a news item reported that M-G-M had decided to bring in Charles Brabin to work on the picture along with Vidor; however, on 17 August Hollywood Reporter reported that Vidor had been fired and that Brabin would be sole director commencing the next day. "The Mask of Fu Manchu" screens as part of the Breaking the Commandments: Pre-Code Hollywood film series at Digital Gym Cinema. The Mask of Fu Manchu easily could have served as inspiration for Raiders of the Lost Ark. This was a difficult book to get through for me. They even went so far as to secure the services of the biggest horror star, Boris Karloff from Universal. THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (Main Title) (1932 - MGM) - YouTube Movie - THE MASK OF FU MANCHUComposer - WILLIAM AXTYear - 1932Studio - MGMFAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material. The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932, USA) is an Adventure-Horror film directed by Charles Brabin and Charles Vidor (uncredited), https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php?title=The_Mask_of_Fu_Manchu&oldid=196232, Production Co.: Cosmopolitan Pictures for, Directed by Charles Brabin and Charles Vidor, Written by Irene Kuhn, Edgar Allan Wolf and John Willard (screenplay), from the story by Sax Rohmer. On the morning that we started shooting, I went into the makeup shop and worked there for about a couple of hours getting this extremely bad makeup on, as a matter of fact, for Fu Manchu. Loy is lustful and incredibly magnetic, while Karloff seems to be having the time of his life. This was a bit different with Boris Karloff playing an Asian "bad guy." It was ridiculous. web pages This is a subtle point often lost in the film adaptations; The Mask of Fu Manchu in particular was attacked by the Chinese-American community when it was released. once again part of the film's crazy fabric. "These films reveal so much about how we think about America, how we were taught to maintain a certain kind of racial purity in America, which is so relevant today. According to additional news items, Boris Karloff was borrowed from Universal for the film and needed two-and-one-half hours in make-up each day for his role. Wow! The ever-popular character of Dr. Fu Manchu is the brainchild of Sax Rohmer (1883-1959). All these things point to the difficulty of dealing with film and literature from a past that was troubled by problematic and sometimes horrific stereotypes. zombiefying snake venom, Fah Lo See practically snarls with feral lust watching the hunky hero get And, to cap it all off, Fu Manchu and his daughter are played by white actors. To make matters worse, Dr. Fu Manchu has invented a terrifying "death ray." The Mask of Fu Manchu easily could have served as inspiration for Raiders of the Lost Ark. There is a murder and an ominous force that is somehow involved for some reason that i never did grasp. This page was last edited on 16 April 2023, at 15:08. Written by Edgar Allan Woolf, based on the novel by Sax Rohmer. Sir Lionel is to both find Ganghis Khan's tomb and at the same time keep it from Fu Manchu's grasp. Shan Greville returns as the narrator, serving under world famous Orientalist Sir Lionel Barton. Boris stars, in heavy makeup, as Dr. Fu Manchu, who's on the lookout for Genghis Khan's lost treasure. Boris Karloff dismissed such criticisms as "utterly ridiculous," since he felt the film was simply an escapist adventure not to be taken seriously. The hardcover version was published by Doubleday in October of that year. This isn't exactly the deepest or most politically correct film, but it sure is silly old-fashioned fun. Romers Fu Manchu novels are worth the time to discover the great, intellectual (and stereotypical) evil genius who is Fu Manchu. a monstrous plot to conquer the world! Great escapades from Iran to Egypt to London ensue. But in this movie, Boris Karloff's performance as the insidious Dr. Fu Manchu makes the Nazis seem like mere shadows of a threat compared to his evil genius. On the boat back to England, Smith decides to throw the evil sword overboard. 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