Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Mask of Fu Manchu Blu-ray Movie Review

Yellow vs. white.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 5, 2024

One of the most bonkers pre-Code horror films of Golden Age Hollywood, Charles Brabin's singular The Mask of Fu Manchu must be seen to be believed. Starring Boris Karloff as the obscenely over-the-top Chinese supervillain (a clear byproduct of that era's "Yellow Peril" mindset) and Myrna Loy as his sex-obsessed daughter, it was subjected to copious trims and cuts in various American states and foreign countries. Traditional ratings don't apply here: Fu Manchu could earn anywhere from 0.5 to five stars, depending on the criteria, and I wouldn't argue. This is basically a B-movie with performances to match and high production values that stand in sharp contrast to its base-level narrative.

Inexplicably popular with audiences upon its November 1932 theatrical release, The Mask of Fu Manchu was a much-needed success for MGM following the financial failure of Tod Browning's similarly unseemly Freaks earlier that year. (Both films have been reevaluated in the decades since, and I'd imagine that Freaks comes out ahead in most circles.) A famously troubled production, The Mask of Fu Manchu began filming without a completed script, which supporting actress Myrna Loy described as "obscene" upon paging through it for the first time. Undoubtedly, she and lead actor Boris Karloff, hiding under a Mandarin moustache and full garb with four-inch fingernails, quickly recognized the film's "colorful" approach to storytelling and performed their parts accordingly. Most everyone else followed suit, save for a few supporting actors and extras who play their characters amusingly straight. First-time director Charles Vidor was fired just weeks into production and replaced by Charles Brabin, who worked for only two more years.

This provides fittingly chaotic window dressing for the film's barely-there plot, which begins with stalwart British Secret Service agent Sir Denis Nayland Smith (Lewis Stone) urging Egyptologist Sir Lionel Barton (Lawrence Grant) to raid the recently discovered tomb of Genghis Khan before the dastardly Fu Manchu (Karloff) can claim the ancient ruler's sword and mask for himself; anything less would almost certainly spell certain doom for the White race. Barton is immediately kidnapped by Chinese henchman and taken to Fu's lair, where he tempts the Brit with his lovely daughter Fah Lo See (Loy) but eventually tortures him to reveal the tomb's secret location. Soon enough, the reinforcements are called in: Barton's adventurous daughter Sheila (Karen Morley) and her new fiancé Terrence Granville (Charles Starrett), among others, join the expedition and quickly grab the fabled artifacts... but of course with Sheila's poor father still missing, the plan soon becomes to trade Barton for the sword and mask. Are they the genuine article?

The Mask of Fu Manchu's story feels pretty convoluted for how simple it should be, leaving viewers with no choice but to bask in its over-the-top performances, admittedly great production design, and of course the brazen spectacle of its incendiary dialogue. It undoubtedly had its share of detractors back in the day -- individuals and groups -- and roughly 90 seconds of particularly offensive dialogue were even cut from the original negative long before its VHS home video release in the early 1990s, not to mention original theatrical showings whose prints were mangled to various degrees to fit each region's moral sensibilities. (Subsequent releases, first a laserdisc edition and then DVD, thankfully reversed course to present the fully uncut film with lesser-quality 16mm elements filling in those brief gaps.)

Warner Archive's welcome new Blu-ray edition follows that same pattern, mostly working with the original nitrate negative for this pristine new 4K-sourced restoration but also "settling" for those same rough-looking 16mm elements in a handful of moments. It's a perfectly acceptable trade-off for getting the complete movie in its best quality under the circumstances, and a number of solid bonus features adds even more much-needed support too.

The Mask of Fu Manchu Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As mentioned earlier, Warner Archive's new 1080p transfer of The Mask of Fu Manchu was largely sourced from a new 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative, which was scanned in 4K and treated to the boutique label's careful proprietary manual cleanup process. Less than two minutes of censored footage, however, required the next best thing: a 16mm print which was likely treated with similar care but, in no uncertain terms, can't come close to matching the original negative's quality. It'll be almost immediately obvious which is which for even first-time viewers, but that's only because the wide, wide majority of The Mask of Fu Manchu looks so impressive. Fine detail and textures are steady, allowing us to more fully appreciate the outstanding production design while similarly ridiculing the bad makeup. Black levels, contrast, shadow detail; these are all up to par and quite striking at key moments, rivaling the best-looking WAC Blu-rays from this particular era of cinema. In contrast, the brief 16mm shots are considerably more soft with chunkier grain levels... but to the boutique label's credit, they don't seem to have manipulated these to any significant degree. All things considered, it's fine work and as close as you can get to a five-star presentation for this film.

The Mask of Fu Manchu Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix tells more or less the same story, offering a predominantly strong presentation of its mono source material in a split-channel track that features mostly crisp and intelligible dialogue, well-rendered music cues, and background effects that rarely fight for attention. The overall dynamic range is surprisingly robust at times, with a relatively full presence during crowded scenes and nicely prioritized moments such as the infamous "bell torture" sequence that rings loud and deep. Those pesky 16mm clips, on the other hand, sound a bit thinner and less defined in comparison... but they're more or less over before you notice them, so it's hardly a complaint.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

The Mask of Fu Manchu Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with colorful vintage poster-themed cover artwork. Bonus features include a few classic Merrie Melodies shorts and a terrific DVD-era audio commentary, detailed below.

• Audio Commentary - This outstanding feature-length track, first recorded in 2006 for WB's Hollywood Legends of Horror Collection (later reissued by Warner Archive), features film historian Gregory Mank and is an absolutely essential listen for fans of Fu Manchu. It covers plenty of ground in just 68 minutes and acknowledges the film's particular place in Golden Age Hollywood history, tackling plenty of subjects along the way including "the yellow peril", censorship in different locations, the cast's approach to the material, production design, Fu Manchu's other portrayals in film, subtext, the resurrection of its original cut on laserdisc and DVD, and much more. Again, this is a highly recommended commentary that, in many ways, is better than the actual main feature.

• Classic Cartoons - Two beautifully restored Merrie Melodies shorts from the era.

• Freddy the Freshman (6:54) - This 1932 short, directed by Rudolph Ising, takes its narrative cues from a catchy song written by Cliff Friend and Dave Oppenheim; its title dog character throws down at a college party and even becomes the star of a football game. Predictable stuff, but still worth a look.
• The Queen Was in the Parlor (6:46) - Another Ising MM short released in 1932, this one spoofs a few nursery rhymes as well as then-popular singer Rudy Vallee; it concerns a missing queen, a court jester (the little-used character "Goopy Geer", who debuts here), and a threatening black knight.

The Mask of Fu Manchu Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Charles Brabin's eyebrow-raising The Mask of Fu Manchu, based on the novel by Sax Rohmer, is every bit as incendiary as its source material and one of the defining films of Hollywood's pre-Code era. Is it any good? Well, that all depends on what you want out of a movie, but it's at least interesting. Warner Archive's welcome new Blu-ray offers rock-solid A/V merits largely sourced from the original nitrate negative, not to mention a truly outstanding audio DVD-era audio commentary from film historian Gregory Mank. If this is your cup of tea, you'll love every minute.