In the 23rd Charlie Chan movie, Sidney Toler is in Paris. It's 1938, and war looms; the City of Lights is blacked out. But even war doesn't stop murder, and amidst arms smugglers and passport forgers, Toler assists Harold Huber in investigating a murder.
More than one of the Chan movies was shot with a lot of shadow; whether it was the burgeoning era of film noir, the inherent gloominess of murder, or just Sol Wurtzel trying to save a few bucks by turning off lights is unclear. It's certainly bizarre to see the parts of the 20th Century-Fox B lot meant to evoke Paris wit the lights turned out. With Victor Sen Yung missing from the movie, it's up to Huber to provide the comic relief, and the other performers, including Lynn Bari, Pedro de Cordoba Dorothy Tree, C. Henry Gordon, Douglas Dumbrille, Noel Madison, and Leo G. Carroll to provide the various, tangling plots to obscure whodunnit.
More than one of the Chan movies was shot with a lot of shadow; whether it was the burgeoning era of film noir, the inherent gloominess of murder, or just Sol Wurtzel trying to save a few bucks by turning off lights is unclear. It's certainly bizarre to see the parts of the 20th Century-Fox B lot meant to evoke Paris wit the lights turned out. With Victor Sen Yung missing from the movie, it's up to Huber to provide the comic relief, and the other performers, including Lynn Bari, Pedro de Cordoba Dorothy Tree, C. Henry Gordon, Douglas Dumbrille, Noel Madison, and Leo G. Carroll to provide the various, tangling plots to obscure whodunnit.