I've got something great for you as i succeeded to find a legendary 1932 movie which is hard to find, and it is the famous “Mask of Fu-Manchu” with the great Boris Karloff, and actress Myrna Loy. But what makes it great is that the decors were designed by one of the best Hollywood art director at that time, named Cedric Gibbons, as well as the expressionist photography and lighting.
After the introduction, action arrives in Fu Manchu lair and the decors are fantastically stylized, Gibbons even succeeded to give to Fu Manchu torture chambers some art-deco style - and the film was shot in 1932, so at the best moment of the style. It's Hollywood golden era, and the film inspired a lot of adventure movies which came later, starting by the Indiana Jones ones.
Boris Karloff who played famously in the original Frankenstein ( the monster ) and in the original The Mummy ( the mummy ) play here his other famous character as Dr Fu Manchu, and he is at his best as the evil dr Fu Manchu.
More infos from Wikipedia ( without spoilers ) and some original production shots before the full movie below:
The Mask of Fu Manchu is a 1932 pre-Code adventure film directed by Charles Brabin. It was written by Irene Kuhn, Edgar Allan Woolf and John Willard based on the 1932 novel of the same name by Sax Rohmer. Starring Boris Karloff as Fu Manchu, and featuring Myrna Loy as his depraved daughter, the movie revolves around Fu Manchu's quest for the golden sword and mask of Genghis Khan. Lewis Stone plays his nemesis.
Synopsis: Sir Denis Nayland Smith (Lewis Stone) of the British Secret Service warns Egyptologist Sir Lionel Barton (Lawrence Grant) that he must beat Fu Manchu in the race to find the tomb of Genghis Khan. The power-mad Fu Manchu (Boris Karloff) intends to use the sword and mask to proclaim himself the reincarnation of the legendary conqueror and inflame the peoples of Asia and the Middle East into a war to wipe out the "white race”.
During its initial release, The Mask of Fu Manchu was criticized by the Chinese government, and the Chinese embassy in Washington launched a formal complaint against the film for its hostile depiction of the Chinese, which is perfectly understandable as you'll understand when you'll see the movie, but that was another era. Enjoy the film!
Note: If the video below don't launch jump directly HERE to watch The Mask of Fu-Manchu.
Pictures and video: copyright MGM
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