The Face of Fu Manchu (1965)

Country of Origin: UK / West Germany
Year of Production: 1965
Running Times: 89 mins     96 mins
Format: Technicolor     35mm      Techniscope
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Constantin Film Produktion GmbH / Hallam
Executive Producer: Oliver A. Unger
Producer: Harry Alan Towers
Production Supervisor: John Comfort

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

DIRECTION
Director: Don Sharp
Assistant Director: Barrie Melrose

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Ernest Steward
Gaffer: Michael Browne
Unit Photographer: H.A.R. Thomson
Lighting: Lee Lighting Ltd

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: John Trumper

MUSIC
Music: Christopher Whelen

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Gerry Fletcher
Hair: Anne Box
Wardrobe Supervisor: Dorothy Edwards

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Frank White

LOCATIONS
Locations: Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

CAST
Christopher Lee (Fu Manchu)
Nigel Green (Nayland Smith)
Joachim Fuchsberger (Carl Jansen)
Karin Dor (Maria Muller)
James Robertson Justice (Sir Charles)
Howard Marion-Crawford (Dr Petrie)
Tsai Chin (Lin Tang)
Walter Rilla (Professor Muller)
Harry Brogan (Gaskell)
Poulet Tu (Lotus)
Edwin Richfield (chief magistrate)
Joe Lynch (custodian)
Peter Mosbacher (Gustav Hanumon)
Deborah DeLacey (Dacoit girl)
John Franklin (morgue keeper)
Jim Norton (Matthius)
Jack O'Reilly (constable)
Archie O'Sullivan
Derek Young
Eric Young (The Grand Lama)

PLOT SUMMARY

A series of strangulations in London leads Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard to suspect that his arch-nemesis Fu Manchu may not dead as he thought. In fact Fu Manchu is planning world conquest by means of a powerful poison he's managed to distill from the seeds of a rare Tibetan poppy - and to test it, he unleashes it in an aerial attack on a small English town.

First of an eventual series of Christopher Lee's portrayal of Fu Manchu. Lee makes a stunning and imposing villain. The story is good and in the style of the novels (though an original from the producer not Sax Rohmer) and moves at a cracking pace in the style of the German Krimi's from where much of the cast come. Excellently shot though London looks odd (the reason its actually Dublin!!). A fine adventure.

UK
Theatrical Distributor: WPD

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Seven Arts Pictures

Finland
Rating: K-16

Spain
Rating: 13

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: PG

West Germany
Rating: 12

TIMELINE

1965
August
6: West Germany - theatrical release

1966
March
28: Sweden - theatrical release

May
13: Finland - theatrical release

Fu Manchu 1 - Finnish video title
Fu Manchu - kauhun mestari - Finnish title
Fu Manciu: operazione Tigre - Italian title
Fu Manchu - skräckens mästare - Swedish title
Ich, Dr Fu Man Chu - German title
The Mask of Fu Manchu - early title
El regreso de Fu-Manchú - Spanish title

LINKS

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)

SEQUELS
The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966)
Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967)
Blood of Fu Manchu (1968)
Die Folterkammer des Dr Fu Man Chu (1969)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
The Many Faces of Christopher Lee (1996)

MAGAZINES

The Dark Side January / February 1996 p.16 (UK)
review

Radio Times 10-16 September 1983 p.69 (UK)
credits

Shivers no.50 p.57 (UK)
review

BOOKS

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Fantasy and Horror Movies 1991 - 1992 p.128
credits, review

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.130
credits

book into film, strangulations, london, police, fu manchu, poison