Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Fu Manchu, Volume 1

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Here we are presented with several episodes revolving around the infamous Fu Manchu. Considering the age of the show the picture quality is quite good and the plots are serviceable, but as has been pointed out before, anyone expecting to recognize the Fu Manchu of literature will be sadly dissapointed.
Hopefully, one day soon we will see the series of Fu Manchu movies made in the 1960s find their way onto DVD, Based on the actual books and given a decent budget those features would easily find a way into my collection.
UPDATE 11/27/04: All of the five Christopher Lee Fu Manchu movies are available on DVD. From Region 2 the first three (Face of.., Brides of...and Vengeance of Fu Manchu) are available in a box set (can order from Amazon's UK site) and the final two are available in Region 1. So, if you haven't already purchased a region free DVD player, the message is simple.

First off, let me say this is a nice dvd. The picture is quite good considering the age of the show, there are a few rough spots to the prints used, but overall it's a pleasing picture. The sound is ok, too. There are no extras to speak of, except for a catalogue of other Alpha Video titles to look through. Now for the shows themselves. This is a terrible show! The acting is amateurish and the stories are dull and boring! Which is a pity. Sax Rohmer wrote some great novels featuring the devil doctor ("THE BRIDE OF FU MANCHU", "THE HAND OF FU MANCHU", "THE DRUMS OF FU MANCHU", "THE ISLAND OF FU MANCHU" and "SHADOW OF FU MANCHU" being the best) but no film producers have ever adapted his stories for the screen. With this series (produced by Republic Pictures) it appears the writers had never read the books and are only vaguely aware of what Fu Manchu is all about. For example, in one episode on this disc, Dr. Fu joins forces with Adolph Hitler to wreck vengeance on the world. Now anyone who has read the books knows that in "THE DRUMS OF FU MANCHU" (published in 1939) we find out that Fu hates war and has a plot to assassinate Hitler, which good old (or dumb old) Nayland Smith tries to stop! But the hack writers of this show, probably unable to read, were not aware of this fact and just figured, well heck, Fu is evil, Hitler was evil, let's have them join forces. DUMB! Still, if you enjoy Rohmer's work and Fu, you might enjoy this disc. It's good for a few laughs anyhow and it shows what a good writer ole Sax was and how lousy many of Hollywood writers were in the Golden Age of TV. - George Bauch.

Four episodes from the original 1956 TV Series is in BW and unclear in certain frames, but overall a very good transfer with good story lines. Episodes include 1) The Golden Egg of Dr Fu Manchu (henchmen sent to kill wife), 2) The Master Plan (revives Hitler), 3) The Death Ships (deadly germ cultures), 4) The Prisoner of Dr Fu Manchu (deadly serum at the Conference of Nations).

1st, outstanding service and great product, exactly as described.
2nd., amazing piece of early TV history and a welcome edition to my Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee interpretations of this wonderful pulp character.

I've seen a number of Fu Manchu films made long before & after this tv show ever existed. I rated this 3 stars only for the script quality. The 4 episodes on this disc are the usual fare- with a few twists along the way. What prevents this show from being a real standout is Glen Gordon's portrayal of Fu Manchu. He just doesn't look the part. The problem are his eye makeup. Gordon's eyebrows needed to be given a ''slanted'' look so that we can tell he's supposed to be an oriental. On the coin's flip side the gorgeous Laurette Luez plays Fu Manchu's female dacoit-or servant. If the rest of the actors are only average Laurette Luez gives us a pleasant distraction. Where did the producers discover this beautiful young lady? This dvd is worth 5 dollars just to check out this cutie!

I remember this back in the 50's as being scary. My sister and I had nightmares over the evil genius of Dr.Fu Manchu. Looking at it now I realize how silly it was and the awful acting! Also the quality of the DVD leaves a lot to be desired.

I thought this was a pretty good series from the waning days of Republic Pictures. I enjoyed Glen Gordon's portrayal of Fu. Somewhat over-the-top. I liked it.