The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966)

Director:

Don Sharp

Writers:

Sax Rohmer (characters)
Harry Alan Towers
(more)

Release Date:

16 December 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Better dead than wed!

Plot:

Christopher Lee returns as Sax Rohmer's insidious Asian villain Fu Manchu for the second of his five vehicles...

Plot Keywords:

Fu Manchu | Lingerie Slip | Radio Tower | Hypnotism | Kidnapping

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Fu Manchu
Douglas Wilmer	...	Sir Dennis Nayland Smith
Heinz Drache	...	Franz Baumer
Marie Versini	...	Marie Lentz
Howard Marion-Crawford	...	Dr. Petrie (as Howard Marion Crawford)
Tsai Chin	...	Lin Tang
Rupert Davies	...	Jules Merlin
Kenneth Fortescue	...	Sergeant Spicer
Joseph Fürst	...	Otto Lentz
Roger Hanin	...	Inspector Pierre Grimaldi
Harald Leipnitz	...	Nikki Sheldon
Carole Gray	...	Michèle Merlin
Burt Kwouk	...	Feng
Salmaan Peerzada	...	Abdul (as Salmaan Peer)
Ric Young	...	Control Assistant (as Eric Young)
Wendy Gifford	...	Louise
Francesca Tu	...	Lotus (as Poulet Tu)
Danni Shersdan	...	Shiva Ramchand
Denis Holmes	...	Constable
Maureen Beck	...	Nurse Brown
Michael Chow	...	Guard
Kristopher Kum	...	Wireless Operator (as Christopher Kum)
Tommy Yapp	...	Dacoit
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anje Langstraat	...	Dutch Bride
Ulla Berglin	...	Fu Manchu's Slave (uncredited)
Nicholas Courtney	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Danielle Defrère	...	Fu Manchu's Slave (uncredited)
Yvonne Ekmann	...	Danish Girl (uncredited)
David Lawton	...	Man (uncredited)
Katerina Quest	...	Fu Manchu's Slave (uncredited)
Christine Rau	...	Fu Manchu's Slave (uncredited)
Gaby Schär	...	Fu Manchu's Slave (uncredited)
Lucille Soong	...	Ling / Bride (uncredited)

Directed by
Don Sharp

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sax Rohmer		characters
Don Sharp		uncredited
Harry Alan Towers		(as Peter Welbeck)

Produced by
Harry Alan Towers	....	producer

Original Music by
Bruce Montgomery

Cinematography by
Ernest Steward

Film Editing by
Allan Morrison

Art Direction by
Frank White

Makeup Department
Anne Box	....	hair stylist (as Ann Box)
George Partleton	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Roberto Bakker	....	assistant production manager
John Comfort	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Eady	....	second unit director
Barrie Melrose	....	assistant director

Art Department
George Lack	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Len Abbott	....	sound recordist
John Brommage	....	sound recordist
Roy Piper	....	dubbing editor
Terry Sharratt	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Dudley Lovell	....	camera operator
John von Kotze	....	cinematographer: second unit (as John Kotze)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
H. Hayes	....	wardrobe supervisor
T. Hayes	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Philip Martell	....	conductor

Other crew
Josie Fulford	....	continuity
Bruce Sharman	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Constantin Film Produktion
• Fu Manchu Films
• Hallam Productions

Distributors

• Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (1966) (UK) (theatrical)
• Constantin Film (1966) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Seven Arts Pictures (1966) (USA) (theatrical)
• Gefion Film (196?) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Aquarius TV (2001) (Greece) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:94 min | West Germany:85 min

Country:

UK | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:M | West Germany:16 (nf) | UK:U

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Constantin Film Produktion

Trivia:

Douglas Wilmer replaced Nigel Green.

Quotes:

Sir Dennis Nayland Smith:You have nothing to celebrate, Fu Manchu. The arms conference is safe. You are beaten.
Fu Manchu:That is where you are wrong, Commissioner. In a few moments there will be no arms conference.
Sir Dennis Nayland Smith:You will release that girl now and order your men to line up over there. I will count three before I fire. One... two...
Fu Manchu:[to henchman] Send her to the snakes!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Slanted Screen (2006)

"Not bad as sequels go."

Evil Oriental mastermind Fu Manchu (CHRISTOPHER LEE) abducts ten beautiful girls from around the world whose fathers are distinguished scientists and engineers. He then forces them to construct a "death ray", which generates phenomenal energy through radio waves. First he uses his new weapon to destroy "The Windsor Castle", an ocean liner, which was carrying several VIP's in order to show the world the extent of the damage he could do unless his demands are met. His next intended target is London's "St Paul's Cathedral" where an international arms conference is to take place. Nayland Smith (DOUGLAS WILMER) must locate his arch enemy's new installation and destroy the weapon, but in such a way that the lives of the girls will not be threatened.

THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU was the first sequel to the popular FACE OF... (1965), which went into production at the legendary Bray studios (once the home of the Hammer horror factory) on 12 January 1966 while its predecessor had barely completed its run of the UK's cinemas. The film also came with a huge publicity stunt, in which Lee would travel around different countries in Europe and select ten suitable girls (not necessarily an actress) to be Fu Manchu's brides in the film.

THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU is in no way as stylish as its predecessor, but its not bad as sequels go with the James Bond style plot carrying a little more weight than any of its subsequent successors. Director Don Sharp was wisely retained in the director's chair along with Cinematographer Ernest Steward whose lighting did so much for the first film. Between them they still brilliantly recreate the period atmosphere of 1920's London giving it a Conan Doyleish edge. The main problem with the film is that the script places more emphasis on torture and sadism here (one of the faults in subsequent entries) like when Fu Manchu forces one of the girls (in a state of trance) to throw another into his snake pit so the light-heartedness of the original is gone. A more explicit version filmed for overseas audiences apparently exists and Douglas Wilmer who was very popular on British television at the time as Sherlock Holmes is a disappointing substitute for Nigel Green as Nayland Smith.

In summary, though by no means a perfect film, The Brides Of Fu Manchu is still the last of the good Fu Manchu's. From this point on the series was to sadly degenerate into shambling nonsense with lacklustre scripts, lower budgets and poor overall execution.