The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966)

Why so much hype?

So much average

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Blistering performances.

Producer: Harry Alan Towers. Executive producer: Oliver A. Unger. A Hallam Production, released in the U.K. by Anglo-Amalgamated (16 December 1966), in the U.S.A. by Seven Arts (14 December 1966). No New York opening. Registered: August, 1966. 94 minutes (U.S.A.); 91 minutes (U.K.). Sydney opening at the Capitol (a weekly change, first- release cinema): 2 June 1967.COMMENT: Made by almost exactly the same team as The Face of Fu Manchu, it is pleasing to report that this second venture is equally as good — although in a different way.What strikes you about this film is the subtle use of color. From the first entrance of Fu Manchu wearing a green tunic against a background of reddish statuary to the climax of exploding machinery with a red light blinking in the gloom and a red handle shaking in its slot, the film is always visually striking. The director keeps the story moving at a fast clip and the action scenes are convincingly handled. The only jarring element is some unfortunate back projection in the outdoor scenes at the climax.The cast, however, is little more than adequate. One misses Nigel Green who played Nayland Smith in the first film and who then achieved such acclaim for his portrayal in The Ipcress File, that he has now priced himself out of this film's budget. See my review of "The Face of Fu Manchu" on IMDb for an account of this series. ("Brides" is available on a very good quality Momentum DVD).

Christopher Lee is Fu Manchu and kidnaps the daughters of leading scientists in the Edwardian era in order to build a wireless transmitter that transmit power waves. He then hypnotises the women into submission (why not the scientists).In one scene, what is clearly a pre-heterodyne wireless set he sends a message to his adversary, but then in the next scene behind it is a record player when he shows the message to his colleagues, like they changed the script halfway through. There's also a scene where an actor turns off a noisy tap halfway through a telephone call, a car is shown whole after it has been crashed, a police constable that slips and slides on the road but recovers, a painful looking stage dive during a melee, and a flighty horse that looks like its about to run away.

The Fu Manchu series starring Christopher Lee was a very frustrating set of five films. That's because although the story idea overall was pretty cool--but the films were highly uneven and sometimes pretty dreadful. I think that the films suffered from two main problems. First, a 6'5" English actor is not the best person to play a fiendish Chinese man--this is obvious to everyone but the producers. Second, the film makers decided, after a few promising outings, to let lemurs write the rest of the series. I kid you not....LEMURS! The final two films were, to put it bluntly, complete rubbish.The second film, "The Brides of Fu Manchu", begins with a brief summary of events from the first film--showing clips of the highlights and letting the viewer see that the evil Fu Manchu did NOT die in the last film--even though it sure looked like he had! It seems that the plot is very familiar--one that was used in some of the other Manchu films. The evil dude needs the help of a scientist so he does what you'd expect--kidnap, torment and threaten scientists' families to get their cooperation. And, once again, the hero, Sir Nayland Smith (Douglas Wilmer) is out to thwart the evil plan.While this film is a lot like later films in the series, it is pretty good. However, like I noticed in many of the other Fu films, there really isn't that much of the bad guy in the film. Often you see his underlings or daughter. If I had Christopher Lee on hand, I sure would have put him in the movie a lot more! Overall, watchable and reasonably well made--even with its silly emphasis on hypnosis--the sort that NEVER could happen in real life. However, while it's pretty mediocre, just wait...the series will start to fizzle in just two more films!

Producer / writer Harry Alan Towers and director Don Sharp follow up their 1965 "The Face of Fu Manchu" a year later with the modest "The Brides of Fu Manchu". Actor Christopher Lee returns as Sax Rhomer's oriental mastermind villain Fu Manchu in another attempt to take over the world, after surviving the explosive finale in "Face…". Nigel Green doesn't return, which leaves Douglas Wilmer filling in as the commissioner Neyland Smith from Scotland Yard in his quest to foil Fu Manchu's quest for world domination. Fu Manchu is kidnapping young women who happened to be daughters of prominent scientists in the order of blackmailing them in helping him create a death weapon, but Neyland Smith is hot on the trail.Keeping to the same formula as "Face…" it has outlandish plotting made up of set-pieces, elaborate set details (the secret hideout), pulp dialogues, rough and tumble action (combat, fists flying, car chases, explosions) that's wrapped up like an enjoyable live comic strip. Sharp's handling might look plain and tight, but it's efficiently exciting and zippy in its pacing. The thick plot is deviously knotty, but surely convenient in the uncanny developments. Good old fashion scheming in trying to keep one step ahead. There are sound performances from the cast. Lee is doing it easy, but gets away with such a magnetic presence. Wilmer is no Green, but is acceptable and Tsai Chin is good fun as Fu Manchu's evil daughter.