The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)

Englishmen race to find the tomb of Ghengis Khan. They have to get there fast, as the evil genius Dr. Fu Manchu is also searching, and if he gets the mysteriously powerful relics, he and ... See full summary »

Director:

Charles Brabin

Writers:

Irene Kuhn (screen play), Edgar Allan Woolf (screen play),

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Lewis Stone, Karen Morley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Boris Karloff	...	Dr. Fu Manchu
Lewis Stone	...	Nayland Smith
Karen Morley	...	Sheila
Charles Starrett	...	Terrence Granville
Myrna Loy	...	Fah Lo See
Jean Hersholt	...	Von Berg
Lawrence Grant	...	Sir Lionel Barton
David Torrence	...	McLeod

Storyline

Englishmen race to find the tomb of Ghengis Khan. They have to get there fast, as the evil genius Dr. Fu Manchu is also searching, and if he gets the mysteriously powerful relics, he and his diabolical daughter will enslave the world!

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Plot Keywords:

fu manchu | sword | mask | genghis khan | tomb | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

La máscara de Fu-Manchú

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$327,627 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As originally scripted, during the torture sequence, it was planned to have Von Berg (Jean Hersholt) suspended over the crocodile pit and Neyland Smith (Lewis Stone) about to be impaled by the walls of spikes. This was reversed when, for reasons unknown, it was thought that a fat captive would make more sense being impaled than a thin one.

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Goofs

While he is Fu Manchu's prisoner, it is an important plot point that Sir Lionel Barton has had his hand cut off by Fu, his severed hand falling out of a tree and being discovered by Terrence Granville. But later, when Barton's body is abandoned in front of the expedition headquarters after his murder, he clearly (in long shot) has both hands.

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Quotes

Fu Manchu: [to horde of Asians] Men of Asia! The skies are red with the thunderbolts of Genghis Khan! They rain down on the white race... and burn them!

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Connections

Follows The Knocking on the Door (1923)

User Reviews

The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) ***

No self-respecting fan of the great Boris Karloff should miss his juicy performance in this raunchy and very unconventional film. As the evil and maniacal Asian mastermind Dr. Fu Manchu, Karloff plans to kill off "the white race" as he hunts down the highly desirable mask and sword of Genghis Khan, which winds up in the possession of a group of British treasure seekers. Boris seems to really relish his part as he tortures his captives with a grinning sadistic glee. Myrna Loy plays his self-described "ugly and insignificant daughter", who harbors a sado-masochistic appetite and nymphomania.

The sets are glorious, some sequences are disturbing for the time they were made, and there is newly restored controversial dialogue in the recent editions of the film, with "politically incorrect" slang being used on both sides of the line. There is sometimes a criticism toward the movie for its usage of this type of speech, but the time in which the feature was produced should be historically considered, as well as fairly noting that no race is spared during the length of the film. While Fu Manchu is referred to as a "yellow devil" by his victims, for instance, he is also denouncing Christianity and roaring with contempt to his eastern followers with his authoritative command for them to "kill the white men and take their women!"

There are also some unintentional laughs to be found on occasion, and many of them come courtesy of Karen Morley as "Shelia", who is just atrocious with her comedic overacting. Running a scant 68 minutes, this is a wild and wacky good time for fans of old movies, serials, and Boris Karloff in particular. Enjoy!