The Mask of Fu Manchu *** (1932, Boris Karloff, Lewis Stone, Karen Morley, Charles Starrett, Myrna Loy, Jean Hersholt) – Classic Movie Review 3888

Directors Charles Brabin and (uncredited) Charles Vidor’s 1932 horror adventure stars Boris Karloff as novelist Sax Rohmer’s creepy villain Dr Fu Manchu, the evil genius who is stirred up to new evil by the beautiful Sheila Barton (Karen Morley).

Lewis Stone plays Nayland Smith, who leads a party of English adventurers on an expedition to find Ghengis Khan’s tomb and the gang get more than they bargained for when they are apprehended by his old foe Fu Manchu, who is also searching for the tomb. He who gets the powerful relics can control the world.

Myrna Loy plays Fu Manchu’s diabolically villainous daughter Fah Lo See, who is equally stirred by the handsome Terrence Granville (Charles Starrett).

The Mask of Fu Manchu is good camp fun, with plenty of laughs both intentional and unintentional. Karloff does his usual good job, having assumed the Fu Manchu mantle from Warner Oland, who had played him in three movies.

The screenplay is by Irene Kuhn, Edgar Allan Woolf and John Willard.

Also in the cast are Jean Hersholt, David Torrence, Lawrence Grant, Herbert Brunston, Willie Fung and Ferdinand Gottschalk. Grant also appeared in the Oland Fu Manchu movie Daughter of the Dragon (1931).

It was advertised, rather oddly, as ‘The Frankenstein of the Orient!’ but you see how that would work for film publicists.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3888
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