Drums of Fu Manchu (1940)

The nefarious Dr. Fu Manchu searches for the keys to the tomb of Genghis Khan, in order to fulfill a prophecy that will enable him to conquer the world. His nemesis, Dr. Nayland Smith, and ... See full summary »

Directors:

John English, William Witney

Writers:

Sax Rohmer (book), Franklin Adreon (original screenplay),

Stars:

Henry Brandon, William Royle, Robert Kellard

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Henry Brandon	...	Dr. Fu Manchu
William Royle	...	Sir Dennis Nayland Smith
Robert Kellard	...	Allan Parker
Gloria Franklin	...	Mary Randolph
Olaf Hytten	...	Dr. Flinders Petrie
Tom Chatterton	...	Prof. Edward Randolph
Luana Walters	...	Fah-Lo-Suee
Lal Chand Mehra	...	Sirdar Prahni, high priest [Chs.9-10]
George Cleveland	...	Dr. James Parker [Ch.1]
John Dilson	...	Prof. Ezra Howard [Chs.5-6]
John Merton	...	Loki
Dwight Frye	...	Prof. Anderson [Ch.5]
Wheaton Chambers	...	Dr. Humphrey [Chs.2-3]
George Pembroke	...	C.W. Crawford - Si Fan member [Chs.1,4,7-8]
Guy D'Ennery	...	Ranah Sang, Si Fan member [Chs.1,7; b.g.4]

Storyline

The nefarious Dr. Fu Manchu searches for the keys to the tomb of Genghis Khan, in order to fulfill a prophecy that will enable him to conquer the world. His nemesis, Dr. Nayland Smith, and his associates fight to keep the evil doctor from getting his hands on the keys.

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Plot Keywords:

fu manchu | genghis khan | doctor | archive footage | lightning | 

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Taglines:

RUTHLESS DICTATORSHIP (original ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fu Manchu

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$166,312 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

269 min 269 min (15 chapters)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chapter Titles: 1) Fu Manchu Strikes, 2) The Monster, 3) Ransom in the Sky, 4) The Pendulum of Doom, 5) The House of Terror, 6) Death Dials a Number, 7) Vengeance of the Si Fan, 8) Danger Trail, 9) The Crystal of Death, 10) Drums of Doom, 11) The Tomb of Genghis Khan, 12) Fire of Vengeance, 13) The Devil's Tattoo, 14) Satan's Surgeon, 15) Revolt

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Connections

Followed by Drums of Fu Manchu (1943)

User Reviews

The Yellow Peril In Serial Style

Sax Rohmer (1883-1859) was among the most popular novelists of the early 20th Century. He was particularly well known for his creation of the character Fu Manchu--a truly diabolical Chinese scientist who, along with his equally evil daughter Fa Lo See, sought world domination through the most vicious means possible. In the process, Rohmer virtually created the idea of "the yellow peril" in the American and European mind, and his distinctly racist characterizations would color Western concepts of the far East for half a century.

Rohmer's Fu Manchu has reached the screen on several occasions, perhaps most notably in an unexpectedly sadistic 1932 THE MASK OF FU MANCHU, starring Boris Karloff and Myrna Loy. The 1940 serial was directed by Republic Studio's reliable team of John English and William Witney, and at the time it was felt to propel the genre to a new height; in hindsight, however, it seems fairly obvious that English and Witney's SPY SMASHER and THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL are really the high water mark of Republic serials. Whatever the case, the directing team does indeed give this tale considerable style and drive.

The story is very linear: Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon) is aided by lethal daughter Fah-Lo-Suee (Gloria Franklin) and a host of mind-controlled henchmen in an effort to secure the scepter of Ghengis Kahn--and thereby fulfill an ancient prophecy that will cause all of Asia to rise up under his leadership and get rid of those wretched Anglo-Saxon types for once and all. Needless to say, the Anglo-Saxons, both English and American, take an extremely dim view of the whole thing and set out to thwart his evil designs.

The serial starts out extremely well, with a host of imaginative visuals bolstered by a host of equally imaginative tortures. Unfortunately, Henry Brandon's Fu Manchu proves considerably more interesting than any of the good guys who oppose him, and in consequence the whole thing looses steam long about the fifth chapter and doesn't really regain it until the final third. But Brandon's memorable performance, the often remarkable visual designs, and the impressive fight choreography does make it entertaining throughout--even if you do wind up rooting for Fu Manchu instead of Sir Dennis Naylund Smith (William Royle) and his incredibly tiresome friend Allan Parker (Robert Kellard), who are supposed to be the heroes of the piece.

The whole thing, of course, is just as racist as it can be, and the final chapter is appallingly so. But even though it may cause you to roll your eyes it remains a fun sort of thing for hardcore serial fans, who will likely enjoy it quite a bit. As for the DVD--the film has been remastered, but the picture is rather fuzzy and the sound occasionally muddy as well. The package contains a brief but entertaining and enlightening documentary (described as a commentary) by Richard Valley and a handful of cast biographies for good measure.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer