The Face Of Fu Manchu (1965)

[billy farmer]

One of my favourite British films and one that would definitely be in my all time top 50 is The Face Of Fu Manchu (1965), the first of five Fu Manchu films made in the 1960s starring Christopher Lee (perfect for the role) as Fu Manchu, definitely the best Fu Manchu film ever made with the brilliant Nigel Green (one of my favourite Actors) as the best Nayland Smith and Howard Marion Crawford (perfect for the role) as Nayland Smith's sidekick Dr. Petrie, a great film directed by Don Sharp and produced and written by Harry Alan Towers, the story of the film is Fu Manchu attempting to achieve world domination through the use of a deadly poison made from a Tibetan Flower, Fu Manchu has his headquarters at an underground lair near The River Thames, the film contains plenty of action packed scenes - narrow escapes, fisticuffs & shootouts and also memorable scenes including the Car chase which starts at The Museum Of Oriental Studies and the Village of Fleetwick being wiped out by poison dropped from above by a Plane, the film is set in Edwardian England and also has great performances from Tsai Chin as Lin Tang (Fu Manchu's Daughter), Walter Rilla (Professor Hans Muller), Karin Dor (Maria Muller), Joachim Fuchsberger (Karl Janssen), and James Robertson Justice (Sir Charles), and not forgetting those famous words spoken by Fu Manchu at the end of the film - the world shall hear from me again.

[vincenzo]

My favourite of the series too. Brides & Vengeance were fairly good but Face is easily the best for me.



The final two Jess Franco films (Blood & Castle) were atrocious.

[flynn]

ive not seen the face of fu manchu.

but watched The Castle of Fu manchu.as much as like

Richard Greene.this was a awful film.the only thing

i enjoyed about it was the Location shots.

[Lord Brett]

The final two Jess Franco films (Blood & Castle) were atrocious.

Though by Franco standards they're quite watchable - and avaiable in a decent quality double pack DVD.

[vincenzo]

Though by Franco standards they're quite watchable

Absolutely agree. Franco and Joe D'Amato don't rank too highly on my Greatest Directors list.

[Joe Fraguela]

Itoo enjoy the Fu Manchu films very much. I remember when BBC2 screened the first three Fu Manchu films many years ago when they use to show some great british films at 6.00PM in the evening.



The Face of Fu Manchu (1965) is the best out of all the 5 films and my own personal favourite.



Maria Rohm who was Harry Alan Towers wife also appears in 2 of the Fu Manchu films namely The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967) and The Blood of Fu Fu Manchu (1968). In the first one she played a nightclub singer in Shanghai. Interestingly it wasn't Maria Rohm who was doing the singing but british singer and ex vernons girls singer Samantha Jones

[will.15]

The Face of Fu Manchu is the only Fu Manchu I've seen and it was great. I suppose because of political correctness we won't ever see a new Fu Manchu and certainly not with a non-Asian actor.

[Windthrop]

Have to agree with the above compliments. This is a fine example of what IIRC Halliwell called pulp fiction come to life. It deserves classic status and is played with complete conviction by Lee and Green. Arguably Harry Alan Towers best film by some margin. I assume HAT decided to cut economic corners hence to diminishing quality of the later entries, though I still quite like Brides.

[billy farmer]

The second 1960's Fu Manchu film The Brides Of Fu Manchu (1966) starring Douglas Wilmer (one of my favourite Sherlock Holmes) as Nayland Smith was well worth watching. I have got The Face Of Fu Manchu (1965) and The Brides Of Fu Manchu (1966) on DVD, i would not waste my money on the other three 1960's Fu Manchu Films, The Vengeance Of Fu Manchu (1967) also starring Douglas Wilmer as Nayland Smith was a poor film and the final two with Richard Greene as Nayland Smith were absolutely dreadful.



Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu





Nigel Green as Nayland Smith





Nigel Green with Howard Marion Crawford as

Dr. Petrie and Joachim Fuchsberger as Karl Janssen

[James Fox]

ive not seen the face of fu manchu.

but watched The Castle of Fu manchu.as much as like

Richard Greene.this was a awful film.the only thing

i enjoyed about it was the Location shots.

That one was so bad they did it on MST3K.

[Gerald Lovell]

The law of diminishing returns certainly worked on this series, with Face being so good, Brides OK, Vengeance pretty poor and Blood and Castle dire. David De Keyser and Robert Rietty must've had good pay cheques on the last two, as they seemed to have dubbed just about all the male parts apart from Lee, Greene and Marion Crawford (sounds like a 1960s pop group).



On the DVD I have of Brides, the end of Face is not on it and I clearly remember this being on televised versions as a pre-credits sequence.



Lee is certainly a good Fu Manchu though, having had a dry run in a similar role in The Terror of the Tongs (1960). I also like Boris Karloff in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932).

[will.15]

[Gerald Lovell]

Nice pictures there, will. I think John Carradine also played Fu once in the pilot for the 1950s TV series. Apparently Sax Rohmer wanted Basil Rathbone to play the part.

[vincenzo]

Peter Sellers played him too (and Nayland Smith) though I think everyone concerned will want to forget about that one.

[dremble wedge]

Nice pictures there, will. I think John Carradine also played Fu once in the pilot for the 1950s TV series.

I never knew that! I read an interview with John's son David Carradine in the early 90s where he said he was hoping to play Fu Manchu soon. It didn't happen...

[will.15]

I was watching this Korean historical serial (it had subtitles) called The Age of Warriors, and this actor appears in it who looked perfect for Fu Manchu. His acting style was similiar to David Carradine, very low-key, but this guy was better.

[Dave Rattigan]

Don Sharp could always be relied on. He made a number of minor classics, including The Kiss of the Vampire and The 39 Steps (1978).



I watched Hammer's The Terror of the Tongs for the first time recently, and thought to myself how much better it would have been with Sharp at the helm. As it was, the direction was flat and clumsy.

[doojeen]

The Ward grave in St. Mary's Cemetery, Kensal Green, London NW10

The Face Of Fu Manchu

was filmed in Dublin, which looks really well as Edwardian London.

[Windthrop]

Don Sharp could always be relied on. He made a number of minor classics, including The Kiss of the Vampire and The 39 Steps (1978).



I watched Hammer's The Terror of the Tongs for the first time recently, and thought to myself how much better it would have been with Sharp at the helm. As it was, the direction was flat and clumsy.

I liked his version of Rasputin - Lee was superb in it IMHO. I can remember DS talking about Lee 'inhabiting' the part in a mid-80s Hammer docu.

[Dave Rattigan]

I agree, Windthrop, Rasputin the Mad Monk is a cracking movie, and Lee gives one of his most memorable performances.