The Return of Mr. Moto

One of the interesting things (looking back) about the original Mr. Moto series is its timing relative to WWII. It was also quite well written and, like many classics, provides some good commentary on society of that time. I think a post-WWII Moto film would be a good idea, but not this one. Poorly written and poorly acted, this film certainly does not do justice to a fine old classic. With the original Mr. Moto played by a German and Charlie Chan by a Swede, one would think that our enlightened 1960's society would at least come up with a proper Japanese-descent actor to play Moto. They certainly didn't pay a lot for the script and even less for sets. The feeble attempt with two folding screens and a cheap print of a Geisha on the Moto's wall didn't quite make us believe Moto's "orientalness". I hope someone takes another, better, stab at bringing back Mr. Moto.

I'm not one of the reviewers who apparently lined up to bash this movie; I think that 20th Century-Fox guaranteed it a hostile reception by inviting comparison with the fondly-remembered Peter Lorre series of thirty years before. On its own it's a efficiently-produced crime thriller that moves along briskly and offers some genuine surprises and suspense to open-minded viewers. It's been suggested by some (including Henry Silva himself, in the DVD's audio commentary) that Silva is physically unsuited to play an oriental, but the same could be said of the Hungarian Peter Lorre in the earlier series, or the Swedish Warner Oland who became the definitive Charlie Chan. And it's worth mentioning that Henry Silva has convincingly played characters of various nationality over the years.

A beautiful letterboxed transfer of this film can be found as an extra on the final disc of the Peter Lorre/Moto DVD series; I found it well worth seeing for its entertainment value as well as Henry Silva's fascinating audio commentary.

I first saw The Return of Mr. Moto on TV many years ago, and found it fascinating. I was a huge fan of the Mr. Moto movies starring Peter Lorre, and had no idea that Henry Silva had played the role. I enjoyed it then, and was thrilled to see the film included in one of the DVD collections of the Mr. Moto films starring Lorre. The movie looks better than ever, is every bit as fascinating as I remember, and the DVD commentary by Henry Silva is a blast! When all is said and done, I found The Return of Mr Moto to be a very entertaining film that is well worth watching, and collecting.

Right from the start I thought it was a young Jack Palance in the title role. It took me ages to realise it was Henry Silva who'd picked up the mantle investigating just who was up to no good in the oil-rich Middle East. The Foreign Office and the oil company are both worried that this is all part of a plan to destabilise the oil markets and to see the latter forced into bankruptcy when it's leases expire and are not renewed. "Moto" quickly smells a rat and that sees him start to sport a delicate pencil moustache and impersonate a Japanese industrialist in the hope that he can smoke out the perpetrator before political turbulence in the tiny emirate causes chaos. I'm afraid that though it was worth a go, Silva hasn't the charm or the glint in his eye of Peter Lorre and that really makes this struggle. The concept is formulaic and the supporters - Terence Langdon and Suzanne Lloyd - don't do much to help. Nor does the unlikely casting of Marne Maitland as an embattled Sheikh in charge of his desert kingdom (in Ealing, West London). It does pass the time amiably enough, but there is a question about why resurrect the character if the plan was to put this little creative effort (and cash) into it. Disappointing, sorry.

Once the viewer recovers from the shock that star Henry Silva plays Mr. Moto totally straight--no awful accent or taped eyelids here--the truth emerges: The Return of Mr. Moto is a boring quota quickie. Shot on the cheap in black and white by producer Robert Lippert, the only concessions to art are a few nice set ups by cinematographer Basil Emmott, who had been shooting British films since the early 1920s. The story involves oil concessions in the Mid-East (some things never change!) but the film looks and plays like one of the many West German Edgar Wallace krimis of the period, with lots of people skulking around shadowy corners. The only thing missing is Klaus Kinski.