Chu Chin Chow (1934)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

A Masterpiece!

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Michael Balcon certainly pulled out all the stops for his production. Originally conceived by Oscar Ashe as a combination of Christmas pantomime and operetta, based on the success of KISMET, it had become the West End's biggest wartime hit, as soldiers on leave flocked to see it -- with the censors reading the mail to and from their girlfriends, I imagine some of them felt the closest they could come to discussing what their plans would be "Get some tickets for the show and a hotel room since it will be too late to return home after. Bert said he and his girl had a great time."In any case, the show not only played for over 2,000 performances, it toured for decades. The movie had to compete with that, so director Walter Forde had enormous sets built. Cinematographer Mutz Greenbaum keeps his camera moving constantly, and a great cast, including George Robey as Ali Baba, Fritz Kortner, Anna May Wong, Francis L. Sullivan, and Frank Cochrane reprising his role of "the Cobbler" from the original stage show, keep things hopping.There are lots of complaints about British musicals, but considering MGM was about to enter on a series of stolid and very successful operettas starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy the following year, this lively example of the genre is a lot of fun.

Here we go again: she's smarter, more tenacious, and of course more beautiful than anyone else. And boy, is she rugged too! This film is apparently a historically famous effort, but comes up short because there's not enough of the real star. We'll just have to take what we can get and be happy. (By the way, they've got the "Open O Sesame" bit all wrong--as Popeye showed us it's really "Open Sez Me!" And there's even a song about olive oil--but the wrong kind--they sing about the stuff you use for food, not the real Olive Oyl.)

This one works in all departments – a 1930's British film of a British stage musical that ran from 1916 to 1920 – the sheer artistry involved in this production disguised the staidly primitive techniques. And the production is breathtaking at times – it shows just what can be achieved with a little money but plenty of intelligence. George Robey, three decades past his Prime Minister Of Mirth heyday was perfect in the main role of Ali Baba. Just in case you ever wonder: even when young he never had a singing voice, it was his down to Earth silliness playing with words that endeared him to British Music Hall audiences.It's the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and his sudden rise to wealth and power, from the finding of their cave and robbing the robbers of their treasures. The magnificent Chu Chin Chow of the title and his coterie travelling to Baghdad are reduced to dust in double quick time, leading to the imposture by Abu Hasan and his Thieves at the court of Kasim Baba. The sets are astounding, probably gossamer but believable. Fritz Kortner as Head Thief is suitably savage, and Anna May Wong (again playing the treacherous insider, as in Fairbanks' Thief Of Bagdad) as his … slave is in a difficult position for the entire film. Along the way are some lovely songs: The Cobblers Song, the incredibly romantic Corraline (sung in the sparkling "moonlight" to every camera angle imaginable), I Love Thee So (languid and atmospheric photography) but especially the gorgeous Any Time's Kissing Time. Robey and Thelma Tuson gave it their all and succeeded in creating the most delicious idiotic/romantic 2 minutes in film history – just look at the slaves laughing in the background!It's one of the best British films from the decade even so I don't expect UK TV to ever show it again, but it's one I trot out on video to watch every few years with no loss of enjoyment. It might have been better in Technicolor because a lot of people who might have liked it today could be put off by the black and white photography. But if you can sink into the first 10 minutes or so you'll find a little gem worth the taking.

This film would have been shown in New Zealand when I was about 7 or 8 I'm now 78. There are some films from that era that stand out in my mind and this is one of them. I must have seen thousands of films since, 95% now forgotten but I always remembered Chu Chin Chow and have waited for it in vain on TCM. Checked it out on Amazon and there it was on DVD, it arrived this morning and I have watched it in full. I'm not disappointed. It is hard to believe that this was a British production because it is way up there with the best of the Americans of the era. George Robey is great and Anna May Wong a gem. It is a DVD I'll watch more than once.