The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)

Fu Manchu's 168th birthday celebration is dampened when a hapless flunky spills Fu's age-regressing elixir vitae. Fu sends his lackeys to round up ingredients for a new batch of elixir, ... See full summary »

Director:

Piers Haggard

Writers:

Rudy Dochtermann (screenplay), Jim Moloney (screenplay),

Stars:

Peter Sellers, Helen Mirren, David Tomlinson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Sellers	...	Fu Manchu / Nayland Smith
Helen Mirren	...	Alice Rage
David Tomlinson	...	Sir Roger Avery
Sid Caesar	...	Joe Capone
Simon Williams	...	Robert Townsend
Steve Franken	...	Pete Williams
Stratford Johns	...	Ismail
John Le Mesurier	...	Perkins
John Sharp	...	Sir Nules Thudd
Clément Harari	...	Dr. Wretch
Kwan-Young Lee	...	Tong
John Tan	...	Dacoit
Philip Tan	...	Dacoit
Serge Julien	...	Dacoit
Johns Rajohnson	...	Dacoit

Storyline

Fu Manchu's 168th birthday celebration is dampened when a hapless flunky spills Fu's age-regressing elixir vitae. Fu sends his lackeys to round up ingredients for a new batch of elixir, starting with the Star of Leningrad diamond, nabbed from a Soviet exhibition in Washington. The FBI sends agents Capone and Williams to England to confer with Nayland Smith, an expert on Fu. Nayland suspects Fu will kidnap the king and queen and demand the George V diamond as ransom. Scotland Yard recruits Alice Rage to stand-in for the queen. Fu nabs the "fake" queen; Rage becomes enamored of Fu and aids him in his quest for the George V diamond.

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Plot Keywords:

fu manchu | fbi | england | cottage | jewel thief | 

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Taglines:

BEWARE! See this movie - An hour later you'll want to see it again!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

A jó öreg dr. Fu Manchu

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Braun Entertainment Group, Playboy Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 95 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lead actor Peter Sellers and executive producer Lynne Frederick were married at the time that this movie was made. This film was their final collaboration. Originally, Frederick was not working on this film. In order to ensure that the picture was completed, actress Frederick was brought on to the movie as an Assistant Producer. The movie was Frederick's final screen credit. Frederick's last movie as actress had been Sellers' previous film, The Prisoner of Zenda.

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Quotes

Fu Manchu: Nayland Smith again. That is very good news...
Servant: Why is it good news, master?
Fu Manchu: Because I'm in no condition to receive bad news. I shall fine you each 1000 yen.
Servant: But you don't pay us, master.
Fu Manchu: Then I shall start paying you in order to fine you.

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Connections

References San Francisco (1936)

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Soundtracks

"Toccata and Fugue In d minor"
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

Fun for we old movie buffs and detective story fiends

Like a couple of other reviewers here, I'm baffled as to why this movie is so lambasted. It is not the gut-busting laugh getter, but then it's not supposed to be. I found it to be rather tongue in cheek fun, not unlike a silly James Bond film (when Connery was doing it still) and entertaining for the detective movie buff like myself. I remember seeing it with my wife. And the ending is silly and funny I thought. Sure it's not a great film like "Being There" but it is not a horrible film to go out on as some professional reviewers have said. I really liked the exaggerated Chinese accent Sellers gives his Fu Manchu (Which I would imitate for my wife's amusement often) and the funny bit about the aging and somewhat out there Nayland Smith pushing a lawnmower over the carpet in the "home" that helped him think. And so to you Nay(land) sayers out there, I say FU! I had a good time with this addition to detective fiction satire.