The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)

Just perfect...

Don't Believe the Hype

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The Mask of Fu Manchu had some pretty steep production problems, largely due to the script constantly being rewritten on set - Boris Karloff later recalled staying up all night to learn a huge speech he was expected to deliver the next day, and promptly being given a totally different one on arriving on set! The film does feel a bit rushed in places as a result; but what you'll remember is its extremely glossy look - it was made at M.G.M. after all, and Karloff's delightfully impish FU. In the pre-code production days of 1932 it's pretty clear that FU is bi-sexual, and his daughter, played by Myrna Loy, is a sadist. Karloff in a way is sort of doing a Vincent Price and having great fun camping it up.The plot concerns the uncovering of the tomb of Ghengis Khan, and Fu's desire to get his long-nailed hands on ol' Ghengis' mask and sword, so all of Asia will rise up behind him and wipe out the white race.The torture scenes are quite graphic for their time - indeed, I remember reading the production used a real severed hand supplied by a mortuary for a particular scene. There is also a kidnapping scene at the top of the movie which involves Dacoits dressed as Mummies - if this isn't an in-joke at the expense of the then in production The Mummy, also with Karloff of course, I'll eat my hat.All in all this is quite fun, not nearly as good as The Mummy or The Old Dark House, but it displays Boris' versatility to fine effect.

Those who are calling this film racist - remember that Boris Karloff played the brilliant Chinese detective Mr. Wong (who could give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money any day). Back during this time era, it was common for Caucasians to play Asian races. BUT stop to think about how they got the viewing audiences during that time era to (slowly) accept watching Asians on screen with Caucasians. Mr. Wong brought us the good and Fu Manchu the bad. There are many other films show us good and bad Caucasians during the same time era.During a time of mostly racist America, films like Fu Manchu and Mr. Wong did familiarize the 1930s American audiences with Asians on screen... yes it took awhile but a break-though was finally made and Asians soon had lead roles in American films. I love that the world is slowly coming together and that ALL races can share equal screen time in the modern cinema and stage today. Films like this are reflections of the past.Now that I have that out of the way I will say I find this an average film. It's mostly a crime adventure and does have quite a bit of sci-fi but only a few elements of horror. It's not a great film, but it's not awful either - just average.I have the fully restored movie on DVD - this is not the cut and sugar coated version that was around for a long time - this is the original film in it's entirety. Karloff's "Kill the white man" speech fully intact along with the once deleted scenes of Myrna Loy in joy over a torture whipping. It's all extremely tame and mild by today's standards.One final note: Frankenstein's Monster (played by Karloff) was chained an whipped by Fritz (played by Dwight Frye) and Fritz fully enjoyed it -- no one cared about that. A whipping on film is a whipping on film, torture is torture. It doesn't matter their race or who or what they are - those being treated cruelly are being treated cruelly.All races have good people, all races have bad people. Just enjoy the crazy sci-fi crime adventure and realize this is the past, not the present or future.7/10

Hokey, campy, and highly entertaining. This movie is a bit more of a thriller along the lines of Indiana Jones than it is a horror film, but there are many cool touches packed into its 68 minutes. The race is on to get to the tomb of Genghis Khan, and we first see Boris Karloff in the role of Fu Manchu with his exaggerated facial features further distorted in a convex mirror, sporting absurdly long fingernails, and drinking a bubbly, steaming concoction. Later we'll see him torturing a captive with a giant gong, and presiding over an operating room which has lizards and snakes clamoring to get out of jars, a giant python, and a tarantula he extracts poison from. The sinister operation is presided over by the inscrutable Myrna Loy with her cat-like face, calming smoking what appears to be a hookah, as well as a bunch of bare-chested African-American guys on pedestals with arms crossed. Injections are needed for one of the captives to make him Loy's "more than willing slave, until of course she tires of him" – loved that. There are also a couple of death traps that will remind you of 007 films from 30 years later, including an alligator pit, and how can you not love a laser scene from 1932? It's all truly over the top, and the sets are fantastic.Is the film racist? Well, yes, but I found it less disturbing than others from the time period. Despite the whitewashing of Hollywood – Karloff, Loy, and other Caucasians in Asian roles – I liked the strength of their characters, in direct contrast to the more common fawning, servile roles. Then again, Karloff bellows "Kill the white man, and take his women!" towards the end, in what likely directly stoked the "yellow fear" of the day. Still, I took more offense to the gap-tooth, goofy waiter ringing the dinner bell at the end, than I did to Karloff or Loy. You have to be able to forgive the filmmakers a bit, but if you can, I think you'll enjoy this one too.

Shortly after marking the history of cinema with his interpretation of Frankenstein's monster, Boris Karloff went on to star in one of many the cinematic forays of Sax Rohmer's Dr. Fu Manchu. The monster Karloff portrays in this movie lends us tremendous insight into the fear of the foreigner prevalent in the West of the early 20th century. Here, Fu Manchu stands as a symbol for the pushback against colonialism; as the most formidable foe of the great British Empire, he is educated (like many of the leaders of anti-colonial groups), cunning, and with a knack for bringing together a wide range of people scorned by colonialism. We can see heads donning turbans, agals and exaggerated Japanese headdresses nod in unison at hearing his declaration of war against the White Man. Throughout the movie, Fu Manchu draws upon eastern mysticism and western medicine to manipulate, torture and dispose of his enemies, who, despite being outnumbered and outwitted on all accounts, emerge victorious thanks to the (apparently) magical powers bestowed by their having white skin: it's actually hilarious to see two scrawny white guys thoroughly defeat two absolutely huge black men, despite every single possible factor being stacked against them. And what to say of the absurdly elaborate potion (it has "the sacred seven herbs" in it so you know it must be good) which Fu Manchu uses to control the mind of one of the British men, being thoroughly useless in the face of White Love?Because of these two sides to the film, I think that this is actually a remarkably funny anti-anti-colonial power-fantasy - I'd put it in the same vein as movies like Sanders of the River. It's just ridiculous in all the right ways, from the wooden dialogue to the constant overacting from everyone but Karloff, who, despite his portraying a walking stereotype, manages to be phenomenal. Don't watch it to be offended, watch it to inform yourselves of the fears of the West in the early 20th century, and incidentally to laugh at some good old fashioned racism, it's the best medicine in this sick world.