The Mask of Fu Manchu

Summary

“In shame, I ask you to receive a message from my ugly and insignificant daughter.”

Warner Archive has continued to surprise me with their diverse output of classic and overlooked films. Warner Archive has always been a good purveyor of genre films of yesteryear with a lineup that includes strong releases of films from legendary horror producer Val Newton, early works by director Alfred Hitchcock, film noirs by Fritz Lang and Jacques Tourneur, and so many more pictures that they have pulled from the Warner vault and restored beautifully. I have been a fan of the label for years, and I was excited to see that they were releasing the 1932 science fiction film The Mask of Fu Manchu starring Boris Karloff. While I had never seen the film, I had enjoyed a number of pictures where Karloff appeared such as Isle of the Dead, The Body Snatcher, and The Invisible Ray. Karloff was a chameleon whose face could be molded into everything from regular roles such as in Bedlam or heavily made up roles such as Frankenstein’s monster or the Mummy. He always elevated his material with his theatrical approach.

The Mask of Fu Manchu had a fairly troubled release history due to a number of elements that were deemed problematic depending on the market in which it was released beginning with its original theatrical exhibition. Numerous cuts were made for numerous markets. With its theatrical re-release in 1972, the already short film was recut to remove a number of racially charged moments. Warner has restored all of those cut moments to present the film as it was originally intended to be seen. The film is definitely best viewed through the lens of the times in which the picture was made. The caricatures in it are certainly as ridiculous as they are problematic and reveal a fear of the “yellow peril” that was certainly present when the picture was made. Taken as a piece of entertainment, The Mask of Fu Manchu is one of the most over-the-top pre-code adventure pictures that I have seen.

In London, Sir Lionel Barton (Lawrence Grant) is about to undertake a search for the tomb of Genghis Khan in the Gobi Desert for the British Museum. British government agent Nayland Smith (Lewis Stone) warns Lionel that he must achieve his goals over his opponent Dr. Fu Manchu. Fu Manchu is a brilliant scientist from Asia who has amassed three different doctorates. He is also bent on world domination. There is a mask in the tomb that belonged to Genghis Khan. While Lionel would want the mask for the British Museum, Fu Manchu wants the mask of Genghis Khan so he can proclaim himself as ruler over the Asian world. Taking the government’s warning seriously, Lionel meets with his cohorts at the museum to explain the plan for locating the tomb. They will traverse some mountains on the edge of the Gobi to find the tomb. Lionel explains that they will be in danger from Fu Manchu for the duration of their expedition. When he leaves the room, Lionel is snatched by Fu Manchu’s men, who have disguised themselves as mummies. A week later, Sheila Barton (Karen Morley) comes to the police commissioner to see if anything has been heard about her father. A telegram mentions that Lionel is possibly being held captive near Liangchow. Sheila volunteers that she will go with Doctor Von Berg on his expedition with hopes that they may find the tomb before Fu Manchu. While Lionel is tortured by Dr. Fu Manchu to draw information out of him, the expedition led by Doctor Von Berg is successful. Sheila has brought her boyfriend Terrence Granville (Charles Garrett) along to help her locate and rescue her father. In the tomb, they locate the skeletal body of Genghis Khan wearing a mask and sword. The local workers bow down in reverence until the archeologists fire a shot in the air. Nayland joins Sheila and Terrence with hopes of keeping Fu Manchu from gaining the mask and sword and with hopes of recovering Sir Barton. Fu Manchu’s men begin to attack the archeologists, and the diabolical doctor prepares numerous methods of torture and experiments for them.

The Mask of Fu Manchu is one of the most outrageous pre-code films I have seen. The film revels in exploring aspects of masochism, torture, and blatant xenophobia. The film is short and packs a lot into it for only running 68 minutes. Based on the series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer, the film brings to life the world domination seeking supervillain Fu Manchu. The film is considered to be the most successful of the adaptations of Rohmer’s work due to the over-the-top performance of Boris Karloff. Boris Karloff looks so strange as Fu Manchu due to his drawn on eyelashes and brows, long mustache, and long fingernails. The makeup effects are striking. They definitely create the desired effect. His performance is appropriately villainous. It is also unintentionally hilarious. Fu Manchu aims to wipe out the white race, bringing to life the almost comical fears that people had of the “yellow peril” at that time. Mirna Loy – who would find fame in The Thin Man series – has a fantastic role as Fu Manchu’s daughter who derives obviously sexual pleasure by whipping the men whom she can also put under her spell through the use of serums. Mirna plays the role with a fervent energy that will remind viewers of a dominatrix. The other actors in the film are fine, but Karloff and Mirna Loy are damn entertaining in the picture. Aside from Karloff and Mirna Loy, the main reason to watch the film is the production values. The film is a visual feast thanks to some very clever set and costume design. The screen is consistently filled with interesting details to take in. 

The film also has some surprisingly grotesque moments that are better experienced during the course of the film which I have intentionally not ruined in my review. By today’s standards these moments are pretty tame, but they would have caused a stir at the time of the film’s release. The torture chamber sequences in the film are all very fun and inventive. I would put them on par with the death rooms of some of James Bond’s villains.

As I said before, the film does present problematic stereotypes, but everything in the film is so over the top and ridiculous, that I would have a hard time getting upset watching the film. I mean, Fu Manchu is surrounded by black men in loin cloths to portray his henchmen. White people play Asian people in all of the speaking Asian roles but one. The filmmakers wanted so badly for everything to seem exotic that it paid no attention to any rhyme or reason regarding race. Nothing about the film at all feels real, and that probably is why the film has continued to have fans for all these years. For myself, I definitely had fun watching the movie.

Video

The video presentation is very good, but has some limitations. Certain sequences are of lower quality  – some of these sequences may have been removed to avoid some of the less savory aspects of the film – whatever the case, those sequences are much grainier and softer than the other moments of the film which are all very clean and clear with strong fine detail and well resolved grain. 

Audio

Warner Bros. have provided a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that sounds pretty good. As a mono mix front speakers are used for the entire mix. Clarity is solid. For the most part the audio is rendered very well, but there are a couple moments where the audio has either been damaged or was recorded improperly. Given the abilities of the restoration team, I would guess that this is the best it will ever sound.

Supplements:

Commentary by Greg Mank – this is a fantastic commentary. Greg discusses not only the numerous cuts made to the film, but also gives a lively talk on the key cast and crew members of the picture. It’s a very well considered and interesting track that should not be skipped by anyone who purchases the film.

Classic Cartoons – Two Merrie Melodies shorts from the era. 

• • Freddy the Freshman 
  • The Queen Was in the Parlor

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.25/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 3.5/5

Overall – 4/5

The Mask of Fu Manchu is one of the more ludicrous and entertaining pre-code adventure pictures. The film obviously has problematic stereotypes in it, and only one speaking role in the picture is given to an actual Asian actor, but the film is so ridiculous that it would be difficult to find it offensive. The film had a troubled history of censorship from its initial release into other countries and had numerous problematic elements cut out of it for its 1972 re-release. Warner went the extra mile to restore it to its full problematic grandeur, and the Blu-ray presentation by Warner archive presents the film as originally intended. It is a very entertaining mad scientist picture from the Thirties that shows the fear of the “yellow peril” that was felt by the English speaking world in that era. Boris Karloff and Mirna Loy play their roles with such diabolical glee that the picture is a lot of fun to watch. Warner has done a great job on the technical specifications given the limitations inherent to the material, and the Greg Mark commentary is top notch. 

The film can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com.