The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu

Film buffs might want to check out what Warner Oland was doing before his Charlie Chan days, and what Jean Arthur was doing before her Frank Capra days, but others might want to steer clear of "The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu": it's stilted, static, uninvolving and overlong. Fu Manchu's deadliest power appears to be his ability to bore his captives to death; he never stops talking and talking and talking and talking. *1/2 out of 4.

That famous quote, which appears at the end of Christopher Lee's Fu Manchu movies, is particularly appropriate for this new double feature from Kino Lorber for the first two Fu Manchu films which were made in 1929 and 1930. Both movies were big budget affairs from Paramount and showcased future Charlie Chan star Warner Oland. In fact it was these two pictures that got Oland the job of portraying Chan which he would do over the course of 16 movies made over a span of 7 years from 1931 until his death in 1938. Also appearing in these two films were Jean Arthur before she became a big star in the 1930s and Neil Hamilton long before he played Commissioner Gordon in the 1960s BATMAN TV series.

THE MYSTERIOUS DR. FU MANCHU sets the stage by showing how Fu Manchu developed his hatred for the British. The film opens during the Boxer Rebellion in China (1899-1901) where a stray artillery shell hits Fu's home killing his wife and young son. Unhinged by the experience, Fu vows vengeance on the British officer responsible for firing the shell and on his son and his grandson. MYSTERIOUS then moves forward to what was then a contemporary setting (1929) where Lia Eltham (Jean Arthur), a British orphan raised by Fu Manchu, becomes the instrument of his revenge. She is loved by the grandson of the Petrie family (Neil Hamilton). Fortunately Fu's plan ultimately fails leading to his "demise".

The success of MYSTERIOUS quickly led to a sequel, which unlike most sequels, was better than the original. Just as lavish in its settings as the first movie, THE RETURN OF DR. FU MANCHU benefited from the advance in sound technology which allowed for more camera movement and a less theatrical style of acting from the performers. Having escaped death in the first movie, Fu returns to try and get the last Petrie and fufill his revenge. He is opposed (as in MYSTERIOUS) by Sotland Yard Inspector Denis Nayland Smith (O. P. Heggie) who here, for some reason, is referred to only as Smith. After various escapes worthy of a Republic serial, Fu Manchu is vanquished once again. But is he?

For years these movies were very hard to find and the copies were of very poor quality. In fact, I didn't believe that decent prints existed until I saw this Blu-Ray. Hats off to Kino Lorber for bringing these films back in such good condition. The picture image is sharp and clear for movies of this vintage and the early sound has been cleaned up and is a revelation. Both movies come with astute and informative commentary by Tim Lucas which gives us background not only on the films, but on the Fu Manchu character and author Sax Rohmer. Oland would play Fu one last time in DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON (1931) with Anna May Wong (not availabe for this set). Fu's next feature appearance would be in MGM's THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932) with Boris Karloff...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

Restored Version Available? Or better yet a colorized version? The original book is free on Gutenburg. The film that is shown now is practically unwatchable but the story and the actors are engaging in the film and would make it worthwhile watching in an HD or colorized version. Oland, Hamilton, and Arthur were all engaged in the silent film era and this is their plunge into the talkies. So you have skilled actors with a good story, but the display is wanting. This is the first Fu Manchu film of the talkies era and it was good. However 83 years later the film itself is in tatters. Message me if you have a lead on an A+ quality version of the film and I (and many others) will snap it up quickly.

THE STORY & GENRE -- Brief and slight hypnotic powers is about all the genre which can be mustered in this basic crime story. ASHSFF calls it "Tangential." Rowland V. Lee directs, Warner Oland stars.

THE VERDICT -- As I said, the real problem here is the acting, which drags the entirety down to mediocre. And believe me, I was looking forward to seeing Oland do Fu. There is no "racism", only characterization. If you want to get political about it, China is not a friend of the world or human rights, and Fu Manchu is a personification of that fear and reality.

FREE ONLINE -- Yes. Google also "The Red Dragon" 1929.

Without checking, I'll hazard a guess that very few of the Chinese characters in The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu are actually from the East. Certainly none of the main oriental characters are, with Warner Oland leading the way in 'yellowface' to play Sax Rohmer's sadistic villain Fu Manchu. I guess no Chinese actor would be happy to play the role given how anti-Asian the story is, the film playing upon the West's fear of the 'yellow peril'.

The film opens in 1900, during the anti-foreign uprising in China known as the Boxer Rebellion. Reverend Mr. Eltham sends his young daughter Lia to the safety of the house of Fu Manchu (Oland); however, when Western gunfire kills Fu Manchu's wife and child, the once affable Chinaman vows to take revenge, and, years later, uses Lia (Jean Arthur) to get even with those responsible.

An early talkie, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu is technically crude, with the performers clearly struggling to make the transition from silent to sound. Thus we get quite stagey, over-the-top melodramatics from many of the cast, with Oland being seriously hammy as the antagonist. In a way, I feel that this adds to the charm of the piece, although I can see why some might find the performances a problem. My main issue with the film is that it is OVERLY talky, as though director Rowland V. Lee wanted to make the absolute most of this new advancement in movie-making: as is often the case with cartoonish villains, Fu Manchu doesn't just kill his enemies and be done with it -- he tries to bore them to death first with a long speech about his incredible intellect.

Unsurprisingly, Fu Manchu's superior mind proves no match for Inspector Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard, who outsmarts the villain, rescuing Lia and handsome Dr. Jack Petrie (descendant of a General at the Boxer Rebellion) from a gruesome death in the nick of time.