The Face of Fu Manchu
6.2 /10 1 Votes6.2
Country United Kingdom | 6/10 IMDb Genre Action, Crime, Drama Duration Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date 6 August 1965 Producers Harry Alan Towers, Oliver A. Unger Cast (Dr. Fu Man Chu), (Maria Muller Janssen), (Karl Janssen), (Sir Charles), (Sir Nyland Smith), (Dr. Petrie) Similar movies Sherlock Holmes , Mission: Impossible III , Night at the Museum , The Man Who Knew Too Much , Monty Python and the Holy Grail , Lust, Caution | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The face of fu manchu official trailer 1965
The Face of Fu Manchu is a 1965 British/German co-production thriller shot in Technicolor and Techniscope based on the character of Fu Manchu, the Chinese villain created by Sax Rohmer. Don Sharp directed, with Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu and Nigel Green as Nayland Smith, the Scotland Yard detective in his pursuit.
Contents
- The face of fu manchu official trailer 1965
- Plot
- Cast of characters
- Also featuring
- Production
- Soundtrack
- Release
- References
It was produced by Harry Alan Towers in an international co-production for Hallam Films and Constantin Film and was filmed on location in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The film was the first in a series of five, the next of which was The Brides of Fu Manchu.
Plot
A ghostly execution of world mastermind criminal Fu Manchu is witnessed by nemesis Nayland Smith. Back in England, however, it is increasingly apparent that Fu Manchu is still operating. Smith is quick to detect that the execution he witnessed was that of a double, an actor hypnotised into taking Fu Manchu's place. The villain is back in London, working from a secret base underneath the River Thames. He has kidnapped the esteemed Professor Muller, who holds the key to a potentially deadly solution from the seeds of a rare Tibetan flower.
Cast of characters
Also featuring
Production
Producer Harry Alan Towers denied the films were made to cash in on the James Bond craze:
No relationship. Action, adventure, open-air, escapism - yes - but nothing to do with Bond-ism - Fu Manchu's atmosphere is a kind of timeless Never Never land. Bond is gimmicky and with-it.
The film was shot on location in Ireland. Towers:
It's a good country for location work; the British quota helps; on costs, there is not much difference between making a film here and in Britain - both sets of unions see to that. Ardmore? It seems to be doing alright with the present film - and Ireland will always be attractive as long as filmmakers and their artists are seeking refuge from super tax.
The prison sequences were shot at Kilmainham Gaol.
Soundtrack
The British version of the film was scored by Christopher Whelen whilst the German release version was scored by Gert Wilden. A tie-in song Don't Fool with Fu Manchu performed by The Rockin' Ramrods was not heard in the film.
Release
In order to promote the film in the US, "Fu Manchu for Mayor" posters were done up and distributed in New York City during a mayoral election.
The New York Times did not like the film, saying:
The Face of Fu Manchu, back again after all these years, is about as frightening as Whistler's Mother. If this slow, plodding, simple-minded little color melodrama were not so excruciating, it might have been acceptable farce. Christopher Lee, as the old evil one, complete with waxy mustache, looks and sounds like an overgrown Etonite. Fu Manchu, fooey.
Nonetheless the film was successful enough to result in four sequels. ""The first one should have been the last one," Lee wrote in 1983, "because it was the only really good one."
References
The Face of Fu Manchu WikipediaThe Face of Fu Manchu IMDb The Face of Fu Manchu themoviedb.org