Brides of Fu Manchu (1966)

Country of Origin: UK / West Germany
Year of Production: 1966
Running Times: 94 mins
Format: Eastmancolor     35mm
Ratio:
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Anglo-Amalgamated Productions / Constantin Film Produktion GmbH / Fu Manchu Films / Hallam
Producer: Oliver A. Unger, Harry Alan Towers
Production Manager: John Comfort

SCRIPT
Script: Don Sharp, Peter Welbeck (rn: Harry Alan Towers)
Characters: Sax Rohmer

DIRECTION
Director: Don Sharp
2nd Unit Director: David Eady

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Ernest Steward
2nd Unit Photography: John Kotze

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Alan Morrison

MUSIC
Music: Johnny Douglas
Conductor: Philip Martell

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Frank White

CAST
Christopher Lee (Fu Manchu)
Douglas Wilmer (Nayland Smith)
Marie Versini (Marje Lentz)
Heinz Drache (Franz)
Howard Marion Crawford (Dr Petri)
Tsai Chin (Lin Tang)
Rupert Davies (Jules Merlin)
Kenneth Fortescue (Sergeant Spicer)
Joseph Fürst (Otto Lentz)
Roger Hanin (Inspector Grimaldi)
Harald Leipnitz (Nikki Sheldon)
Carole Gray (Michel Merlin)
Burt Kwouk (Feno)
Salmaan Peer (Abdul)
Eric Young (control assistant)
Wendy Gifford (Louise)
Poulet Tu (Lotus)
Danni Shersdan (Shiva)
Denis Holmes (constable)
Maureen Beck (Nurse Brown)
Michael Chow (guard)
Christopher Kum (wireless operator)
Tommy Yapp (Dagoit)

PLOT SUMMARY

Fu Manchu is back and this time he's abducting daughters of scientists and holding them on his remote island hideaway. Fu Manchu demands that the scientists work on a powerful death ray project, his latest ruse to take over the world. Nayland Smith is called in to again battle his arch-nemesis...

CAPSULE REVIEW

Second of the Lee / Harry Alan Towers Fu Manchu series. Where Sax Rohmer would have an occasional femme fatale working for the Oriental overlord, Towers comes up with an original story where a bevy of very sixties sexy beauties are involved in Fu Manchu's plot to take over the world. An alternate European version featured nudity from the brides and the film certainly feels much more like an exploitation picture with teasing hints of S&M and torture, sixties style. The more full on version would be real fun - the regular is OK but a considerable step down from The Face of Fu Manchu (1965).

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Seven Arts Pictures

Finland
Rating: K-16

Sweden
Rating: 15

1966
October
17: Sweden - theatrical release

December
16: USA - theatrical release
23: Finland - theatrical release

2002
May
23: USA - television broadcast (on ENCACT)

Die 13 Sklavinnen des Dr Fu Man Chu - Austrian title
Die Dreizehn Sklavinnen des Dr Fu Man Chu - German title
Fu Manchu - paholaisen palvelija - Finnish title
Fu Manchus djävulska hämnd - Swedish title
Il giorno dei fazzoletti rossi - Italian title
Las novias de Fu-Manchú - Spanish title

SEE ALSO
Daughter of the Dragon (1931)
Drums of Fu Manchu (1940)
Drums of Fu Manchu (1943)
The Fiendish Plot of Dr Fu Manchu (1980)
The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)
The Mysterious Dr Fu Manchu (1929)
The Return of Dr Fu Manchu (1930)

SEQUEL TO
The Face of Fu Manchu (1965)

SEQUELS
The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967)
The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968)
Die Folterkammer des Dr Fu Man Chu (1969)

MAGAZINES

Monthly Film Bulletin January 1967 p.8 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Necronomicon no.1 p.9 (UK)
review

Radio Times 17-23 September 1983 p.23 (UK)
review

BOOKS

Aurum Film Encyclopedia of Film: Horror (2nd edition) p.176
credits, review

Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction p.249
credits, review

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Fantasy and Horror Movies 1991 - 1992 p.57
credits, review

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.48
credits

fu manchu, kidnapping, scientists, death rays, sequels