The Face of Fu Manchu (1965)

Director:

Don Sharp

Writers:

Sax Rohmer (characters)
Harry Alan Towers (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 October 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Obey Fu Manchu Or Every Living Thing Will Die!

Plot:

Grisly strangulations in London alert Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard to the possibility that fiendish Fu Manchu may not after all be dead...

Plot Keywords:

Scotland Yard | Strangulation | Fu Manchu | Super Villain | Based On Novel

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Fu Manchu
Nigel Green	...	Nayland Smith
Joachim Fuchsberger	...	Carl Jannsen
Karin Dor	...	Maria Muller
James Robertson Justice	...	Sir Charles
Howard Marion-Crawford	...	Dr. Petrie (as Howard Marion Crawford)
Tsai Chin	...	Lin Tang
Walter Rilla	...	Muller
Harry Brogan	...	Gaskell
Francesca Tu	...	Lotus (as Poulet Tu)
Archie O'Sullivan	...	Chamberlain
Edwin Richfield	...	Chief Magistrate
Joe Lynch	...	Custodian
Peter Mosbacher	...	Hanumon (as Peter Mossbacher)
Ric Young	...	Grand Lama (as Eric Young)
Deborah DeLacey	...	Slave Girl (as Deborah De Lacey)
Jim Norton	...	Mathius
Jack O'Reilly	...	Constable
Peter Mayock	...	Soldier
Aiden Grennell	...	Security Guard
Ray Mackin	...	Soldier
Kevin Flood	...	Traffic Policeman
John Franklin	...	Morgue Attendant
Conor Evans	...	River Police Officer
Derek Young	...	Village Official

Directed by
Don Sharp

Writing credits
Sax Rohmer		(characters)
Harry Alan Towers		(screenplay) (as Peter Welbeck)

Produced by
Harry Alan Towers	....	producer (as Peter Welbeck)
Oliver A. Unger	....	executive producer (as Oliver Unger)

Original Music by
Christopher Whelen

Cinematography by
Ernest Steward		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Trumper

Art Direction by
Frank White

Makeup Department
Anne Box	....	hairdresser (as Ann Box)
Gerry Fletcher	....	makeup artist

Production Management
John Comfort	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Barrie Melrose	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Ken Cameron	....	sound recordist
Fred Hughesdon	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
James Bawden	....	camera operator (as Jimmy Bawden)
H.A.R. Thomson	....	camera operator: second unit (as H.A.R. Thompson)
Michael Browne	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dorothy Edwards	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
John Colville	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Christopher Whelen	....	conductor
Ivor Slaney	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Phyllis Townshend	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Hallam Productions (as Hallam Productions Ltd.)
• Constantin Film Produktion (uncredited)

Distributors

• Warner-Pathé Distributors (1965) (UK) (theatrical)
• Constantin Film (1965) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Seven Arts Pictures (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Gefion Film (196?) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Aquarius TV (2002) (Greece) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2012) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)

Other Companies

• Lee Lighting  lighting

Also Known As:

Runtime:

89 min | UK:92 min (2003)

Country:

UK | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 | Iceland:16 | Australia:M (TV rating) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Hallam Productions

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Near the end of the movie when Smith and Janssen rescue Prof. Muller and set up the bomb they capture Lin Tang, tie her up and gag her. Lin Tang is seen in the following making a great show of struggling against her bonds and even falling behind the bed, so that the guards did not find her when they looked into the room, so she couldn't alert them. So far the story, but looking at the way Lin Tang was tied up she would have been able to remove the gag every time she wanted to and cry out for help.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Dragon Ladies & Kung-Fu Masters: Re-Constructing Asian American Sexualty (#6.30)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Radio Revels

Evil eyes

Since 1923, Sax Rohmer's arch-villain Fu Manchu had been brought from the novels to the screen again and again, the most famous interpretation probably created by Boris Karloff in 1932. Between 1965-68, Christopher Lee starred in 5 more Fu Manchu movies. The German co-producers often added stars from the Edgar Wallace series, such as Joachim Fuchsberger and Karin Dor when the new series opened with "The Face of Fu Manchu". Strangely enough, it begins as if it was a sequel to something, describing Fu Manchu faking his execution while Nayland Smith watches, although we are not told how they got into this situation. Anyway, Fu Manchu comes to London with a weapon of mass destruction, while Smith tries to stop him. Smith had a „feeling" from the beginning that he was cheated at the execution, but it was not completely reasonable for a man like him, since the first hints at new activities were vague. So I thought he might have been be a bit more surprised when he actually meets the criminal mastermind. The last third of the movie is a bit rushed, especially the scenes in Tibet. It is not a perfect movie because it has a few holes, but it was a good start for the new series. I voted 7/8/5/7/4 for the five movies.