The Brides of Fu Manchu

The main attractions of 'The Brides of Fu Manchu' are to see all the Fu Manchu films with Christopher Lee and Lee himself, to see how he fares as this fiendish character. Have always loved Lee and he was/is rightly considered a legend. So charismatic and imposing with one of the most immediately distinctive voices for anybody anywhere, he is reason enough to see anything that he starred or appeared in regardless of their overall quality (and not every film he did was good).

Do feel that 'The Brides of Fu Manchu' fits under that not particularly good but watchable category. The first of four sequels, all inferior to the entertaining first film 'The Face of Fu Manchu', it is for me, and quite a number of others it seems, the best of the sequels or at least the least bad. One can see a decline in quality compared to the first film, a decline that got worse with each succeeding film, there are a good deal of problems and it is one of those films that are tricky to rate and review. But at the same time it is oddly entertaining and watchable.

While 'The Face of Fu Manchu' is a much better-looking film, 'The Brides of Fu Manchu' does have style and eerie atmosphere in especially the lighting. The sets are reasonably well designed. It doesn't look too awful considering its low production costs while, due to incomplete-feeling editing and some erratic photography, hardly being visual refinement (it is though compared to what came later in the series). Didn't find it a dull film at first and while the film is silly some of it is entertaining silliness in alternative to exhausting. Don Sharp returns as director and does ably if not as skillfully as before.

It's some of the cast that help elevate 'The Brides of Fu Manchu' from what could have been a mess with a few merits to just about watchable. Lee as one would expect is a powerful presence throughout, though is underused which is something that great actors like Lee should never be. Douglas Wilmer is no Nigel Green, but is a more than serviceable substitute and actually comes over quite well. Meanwhile Tsai Chin is deliciously nasty in her role.

Conversely, 'The Brides of Fu Manchu' did lack suspense and the silliness increasingly went overboard from personal opinion. Some of the film did get tedious in pace and with the torture/sadism getting increasingly gratuitous at the expense of any genuine tension and suspense and some of it felt repetitive. The music had haunting moments but generally intruded too much and didn't really fit.

Ending was not a surprise, could see it coming from miles away, and felt rushed. The script was truly mundane and a tonal muddle from trying to include too much and not doing enough with any of it, also didn't flow very well. The rest of the cast have little to do and struggle to do anything with what they're given. The tension would have been more if the abducted girls' roles and acting weren't so limited and one-dimensional in a way that any genuine fear and desperation is lost.

Overall, has a lot of problems but the best, or least bad, of the sequels in a series where the only good film is the first 'The Face of Fu Manchu'. 5/10

"The Brides of Fu Manchu" is the second of five Fu Manchu movies produced by Harry Alan Towers and starring Christopher Lee.The film is definitely the most entertaining of all the Fu Manchu films.The production values are top notch and the film is well-directed and acted.This time Fu Manchu wants to conquer the world("In a few moments,the entire world will capitulate to me.This is the destiny of Fu Manchu."-Fu Manchu).Fu Manchu's new evil plan is to send explosive energy via sound waves to small receivers placed in various cities throughout the world.It's up to Nayland Smith(Douglas Wilmer)to stop him...Anyway I enjoyed this film and you should too,if you like British horror/crime cinema.All the actresses starring in it are beautiful,especially Tsai Chin,the evil daughter of Fu Manchu.Fu Manchu returns a year later in "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu"(1967).

Evil Oriental mastermind Fu Manchu (CHRISTOPHER LEE) abducts ten beautiful girls from around the world whose fathers are distinguished scientists and engineers. He then forces them to construct a "death ray", which generates phenomenal energy through radio waves. First he uses his new weapon to destroy "The Windsor Castle", an ocean liner, which was carrying several VIP's in order to show the world the extent of the damage he could do unless his demands are met. His next intended target is London's "St Paul's Cathedral" where an international arms conference is to take place. Nayland Smith (DOUGLAS WILMER) must locate his arch enemy's new installation and destroy the weapon, but in such a way that the lives of the girls will not be threatened.

THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU was the first sequel to the popular FACE OF... (1965), which went into production at the legendary Bray studios (once the home of the Hammer horror factory) on 12 January 1966 while its predecessor had barely completed its run of the UK's cinemas. The film also came with a huge publicity stunt, in which Lee would travel around different countries in Europe and select ten suitable girls (not necessarily an actress) to be Fu Manchu's brides in the film.

THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU is in no way as stylish as its predecessor, but its not bad as sequels go with the James Bond style plot carrying a little more weight than any of its subsequent successors. Director Don Sharp was wisely retained in the director's chair along with Cinematographer Ernest Steward whose lighting did so much for the first film. Between them they still brilliantly recreate the period atmosphere of 1920's London giving it a Conan Doyleish edge. The main problem with the film is that the script places more emphasis on torture and sadism here (one of the faults in subsequent entries) like when Fu Manchu forces one of the girls (in a state of trance) to throw another into his snake pit so the light-heartedness of the original is gone. A more explicit version filmed for overseas audiences apparently exists and Douglas Wilmer who was very popular on British television at the time as Sherlock Holmes is a disappointing substitute for Nigel Green as Nayland Smith.

In summary, though by no means a perfect film, The Brides Of Fu Manchu is still the last of the good Fu Manchu's. From this point on the series was to sadly degenerate into shambling nonsense with lacklustre scripts, lower budgets and poor overall execution.

If you recall, Lee's vicious Oriental supervillain was blown to smithereens at the end of the first entry in this series, THE FACE OF FU MANCHU. However, he's back in the best of health in this, the first sequel, with no explanation of how he escaped! THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU has almost exactly the same structure as the first film: the characters are introduced; minor characters are killed off; there are lots of fights; Fu Manchu develops a new weapon. People are even strangled with Tibetan Prayer Scarves again! This is definitely one of those popcorn films. While satisfying on a purely visual level, after watching it you realise that there isn't any real substance underneath. THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU does such a good job of being entertaining though, that you can't really criticise it. All of the ingredients are there, including numerous fights, car chases, enemy bases, kidnappings and radio messages, so there's something for everyone, whether you're an adventure fan or a simple thrill seeker. The spy, crime and adventure genres intermingle so seamlessly that you don't even realise it most of the time.

There are lots of things worth watching the film for, almost too many for me to point out (but of course I'll have a go). You've got some classic '60s machinery with flashing lights which doesn't do anything; you've got women in low cut revealing dresses; you've got a cast of extras including soldiers from the foreign legion; there's the tea-drinking British hero who dresses up as a prototype Indiana Jones; some satisfying explosions and lots and lots of fight scenes.

These fights are just as good as the ones in the first film, with men fighting for hours but not getting a single scratch or ruffled hair! I love these cheesy kind of fights and there's a lot to enjoy in these bits. Also, how can you not love a film where the heroes cooperate with the BBC to fight the yellow peril? At the end of the film there are even some genuinely exciting moments. There's a varied cast all going through their paces in this film. Christopher Lee is the rather wooden Fu Manchu, given little to do except be a face behind the evil this time around, but he's still fun and looks great in the role. Tsai Chin is wonderfully sinister and evil as his daughter. Douglas Wilmer plays Nayland Smith this time around, he's no Nigel Green but he's adequate enough in a square-jawed hero type of way. Burt Kwouk has a small role as an unlucky assistant, while familiar face Rupert Davies (DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE), also appears playing a Frenchman, complete with comedy French accent! A pleasing alternative to the James Bond series, the Fu Manchu films are always entertaining, even if they are bad. This one is strictly average, but it's enjoyable and I had a lot of fun with it, as you can probably guess from reading the above. Lee's final words are "the world shall hear from me again", and guess what, he was right, appearing in the follow year's THE VENGEANCE OF FU MANCHU.

Sequel to "The Face of Fu Manchu", "Brides..." is even better if you look movies just to be entertained. It's the kind of silly, funny, absurd, kinky time capsule movie that never loses his charm. Of curse, plot holes and mistakes are a plenty (it's in the 20's but girls looks very 60's) but Lee's terrific performance and a good cast full of familiar faces (even Pink Panther's Cato is here!) helps to sustain interest. Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie are a later version of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, but Fu Manchu is the main character here, cruel, sadistic and totally evil, probably the best villain ever, sadly forgotten today due to his racial connotations. The franchise will continue on three more films, but "Face..." and "Brides..." (both directed by Don Sharp) are the real thing. By the way, the 5 films are available now in a box set released in Spain by Manga Films (region 2), but beware: the last 2 movies (by Jesus Franco) are in Spanish without subtitles.