6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Commissioner Sir Nayland Smith of the British Secret Service asks Sir Lionel Barton to travel to the edge of the Gobi desert to find the mask and sword of the infamous Genghis Khan. Nayland is particularly concerned that he do so before Dr. Fu Manchu, who is intent on conquering the world. Before he can depart, Barton is kidnapped by Fu Manchu who tortures him relentlessly to find out where the relics are to be found, but Barton stands his ground and refuses to divulge his information. Meanwhile, Nayland, Terrence Granville and Sheila Barton, Sir Lionel's daughter, set out to excavate the site. They find the sword and mask but are also taken prisoner. They must stop Fu Manchu from implementing his diabolical plan...
Starring: Boris Karloff, Lewis Stone, Karen Morley, Charles Starrett, Myrna LoyHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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1943
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