Ich, Dr. Fu Man Chu

Hit and run independent film financier Harry Alan Towers made his bid for the big time in 1965. Spending more money than he ever had (or would) again, scouting attractive international locations, hiring respected craftsmen and actors and launching a multi-million dollar publicity campaign to promote his pet project. "The Face of Fu Manchu", the unlikely recipient of all this attention, represents a plateau to which Towers would never aspire again.

After publicly purchasing the pulp adventure novels of Sax Rohmer, Towers signed horror film icon Christopher Lee to a six-picture deal as the title menace. As director, Towers hired Don Sharp, maker of numerous elegant, effective horror films and probably the most talented director to put his name on a Towers contract. Writing the script himself under his nom de cinema Peter Welbeck, Towers ignored the plots of all the Rohmer novels and concocted his own. The film wisely retains the period setting of early-twentieth century London (which required shooting in Dublin, for the sake of authenticity), but alters the deductive tone of the books in favor of action sequences in the style of the James Bond films, which were then in their first flush of international success.

The finished film is beautiful to see, filmed in technicolor and cinemascope, it truly looks more expensive than it is. Encouraged, Towers launched an expensive international publicity campaign whose most notable stunt was wallpapering election-year New York City with oversized "Fu Manchu For Mayor" posters

In the end, "Face" failed to return enough money to justify the huge outlay spent in making and promoting it. The film seemed to please no one: fans of the series were outraged by the James Bondian gunplay, fights and car chases, while Bond fans were alienated by the period trappings (1920s cars just don't go that fast!). More likely, this type of film just did not have the potential to reach the mainstream audience needed to make it a success.

Although Towers continued the series, the films would steadily decline in quality, from the high point of "Face" to the home-movie calibre of the final entry, "Castle of Fu Manchu".

Actually, This One Plays Better Today than it did in 1965. James Bond was Firmly in the Film-Goer's Mind and Hammer Horror had been Around for a Decade. So Although this was in Color, Starred Christopher Lee, and Featured an Iconic Pulp Character, the Movie Seemed Drab by Comparison.

Despite Numerous Fight Scenes, Location Changes, and an Attempted Period Setting for Flavor, it Just Didn't' Deliver the Thrills and Chills Expected. Competent, and Professionally Done with a Decent Budget and Good Lead Actors, Viewed Today with Less Expectation, and a Throwback Attitude it Can be Enjoyed in Saturday Matinée Template from a Bygone Era.

But Without a Matinée or Drive-In Flashback Attitude it Comes Across as Stiff and Plodding. Considered the Best of the Five Mid-Sixties Fu's Featuring Chris Lee, Although the Follow Up The Brides of Fu Man Chu (1966) is a Contender.

First outing about the terrifying exploits of the mystic Fu Manchu. Sax Rohmer's fiendish 'Yellow Peril' revived and performed straight in a beautifully designed, competently paced and genuinely exciting thriller. At the film there are adventures, action, thrills, sadism and atmospheric outdoors filmed in London and country exteriors. Produced , as usual, in medium budget by Harry Allan Towers and also written under pseudonym of Peter Breck . Christopher Lee excels in this first chapter as the evil powerful Fu Manchu , the ominous genius who doesn't give up easily, and is out to destroy world or bent on conquering it. This time has designed a fantastic scheme , he returns with a plot to contaminate the River Thames with a powerful toxin extracted from Tibetan poppies. Along the way, abducted people and beautiful girls are tortured by Fumanchu and his nasty daughter (T Sai Chin) . Inspector Nayland Smith (an excelently imperturbable Nigel Green) of Scotland Yard is his perennial adversary and arch-nemesis , he takes the center of attention when undergoes the dangerous mission. Nayland Smith is assigned the case along with his assistant Dr. Petrie (Howard Marion Crawford) and helped by Carl Jannsen (Joachim Fuchsberger), all of them go into the action . The most evil man the world has ever known! Fiendish! Fantastic! Frightening! The sinister minister of fear is here! Who dares look into The Face of Fu Manchu?. Obey Fu Manchu... or every living thing will die!

This is a bizarre blending of thriller, suspense, action , intrigue and fantastic adventure . This exciting, diverting picture is full of Chinese killers, British adventurers , abducted scientist and megalomaniac villains . Christopher Lee with his usual stoic acting as Fu displays efficiently his abilities and killing mercilessly people. Fine 1920s atmosphere with good sets and old vehicles. Chinoiserie sets are notable, even better are the locations, so carefully chosen for their twenties' period, like the great chase with rattletrap cars speeding along cobbled alleys while the pilot of a pursuing aeroplane leans, entrancingly, over the side to drop his squat, fin-tailed bombs by hand. Good performance by Nigel Green as Nyland Smith who in subsequent episodes was interpreted by Douglas Wilmer, and, Richard Greene, as always supported by Dr. Petri from ministry of Interior played by Howard Marion Crawford. The villain T Sai Chin stands out as Fu Manchu's daughter. International and cosmopolitan support cast formed by European actors from diverse countries, such as: Joachim Fuchsberger, James Robertson Justice, Tsai Chin , Ric Young, Walter Rilla and gorgeous Karin Dor who was the wife of producer Harry Allan Towers.

Fu Manchu-Christopher Lee series usually set in London and loosely based on Sax Rohmer's characters were the following: The best installments were ¨Face of Fu Manchu (1965, Don Sharp)¨, and ¨Brides of Fu Manchu ( 1966, Don Sharp)¨, the latter not as nice as ¨Face of Fumanchu¨-also by Don Sharp- but is still amusing and entertaining. And followed by the very inferior sequels: ¨Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967 by Jeremy Summers ) and most critics felt the outing ¨Blood of Fumanchu¨ was one of the weakest entries along with ¨The castle of Fu Manchu¨, both of them directed by Jess Frank with similar casting , plenty of stock-shots and a Z-series style. Rating The Face of Fu Manchu (1965) : 6/10, acceptable. A witty, fun, stylish, and a treat to watch first installment.

...Death to Fu-Manchu!

And so begins this great movie! Well, maybe its not so great overall, but the opening sequence of this film rivals any other in intensity. After all, would you lay down face up for your own beheading? The fun thing about this movie is that every character, regardless of age or sex, avidly fist fights several times throughout the picture. Bottom line is... great fun to watch, just don't take it too seriously.

Undoubtedly the best of the series of Fu Manchu films produced in the late 60s, well cast and well directed by Don Sharp, who commendably eschewed camp 'Boys Own' heroics to produce a gripping adventure-thriller. Christopher Lee (as one would expect) is suitably menacing and inscrutable as Fu Manchu, even though the emphasis on his hypnotic eyes is an obvious reference to his role as Dracula. The ever-reliable Nigel Green (Zulu)turns in a solid 'Holmes-ian' performance as Fu Manchu's nemesis Nayland Smith, while James Robertson Justice has a memorable cameo as an irascible museum curator.

The highpoint of the film is undoubtedly the chilling sequence set in a English village, where all the inhabitants have been killed by poisoned gas. It still sends a shiver up the spine. The first sequel, Brides of Fu Manchu, with Douglas Wilmer as Nayland Smith, is watchable, even though it is basically a retread of the first movie, but the films which followed (especially the two directed by the notorious Jess Franco)are absolutely dire.