Customer Reviews

Charlie Chan Collection, Volume 3 (Charlie Chan's Secret / Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo / Charlie Chan on Broadway / The Black Camel)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Four more films:
Behind that Curtain (1929) - No Oland, very little Chan but Warner Baxter who would later play Doctor Ordway in the Crime Doctor film series, and Boris Karloff in the role of a servant.

The Black Camel (1931) - Features Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye

Charlie Chan's Secret (1936) - A great old-dark house whodunnit

Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937)- Charlie and #1 son on the great white way

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937) - The last of the Oland Chan films

EXTRAS:
Black Camel commentary by film critic Ken Hanke
Charlie Chan's Secret commentary by film critic Ken Hanke
Chan Is Missing: The Last Days Of Warner Oland featurette,
The World Of Charlie Chan featurette
Chanograms: The Aphorisms Of Charlie Chan featurette
Charlie Chan and The Rise of The Modern Detective featurette
Dr. Henry Lee: The Modern Day Charlie Chan featurette
Charlie Chan's Chance: A Recreation, a dramatized recreation of the lost film, Charlie Chan's Chance with an optional introduction by film historian John Cork
Restoration comparisons
Theatrical Trailers
Still Galleries

The Warner Oland cycle is now complete. The special interest groups that scared the Fox Movie Channel into not showing re-mastered editions of the Charlie Chan films back in 2003 have ultimately failed. With the release of Vol 3, ALL the Warner Oland Chan films (not counting the lost ones) are available on DVD for all who want to see them. (Hopefully, the rest of the Toler Chans will follow) Long live the great detective. And to the P.C. forces that don't like it I can only say is...Thank you...so much...

I'd like to comment on what a nice job 20th Century Fox has done in putting together all three volumes. After watching the final volume, it becomes apparent just how carefully they planned it all. The first volume takes Chan to London, Paris, Egypt, and Shanghai--it's a nice trip, and each movie makes mention of the previous spot as Chan makes his way from East to West. The special features spent much time on the real life inspiration for Chan, Chang Apana, and included commentary from Apana's family. The second volume finds Chan visiting the Circus, the Race Track, the Opera, and Olympics. The movies themselves and the special features focus a lot of attention on Chan's eldest son and the actor who played him--Keye Luke.

Thematically, the first two volumes stand alone quite well, and the special features are unique to each set--there was little overlap. It might be tempting to think of the third volume as the leftovers, but that would be a mistake. The Black Camel is the sole survivor of the first 5 Oland Chan movies, and it gives viewers a super glimpse of the original characterization--Chan is energetic and forceful in a more physical way than in the years to come. It's great to see that bit of history, and a Chan film with location shooting in Hawaii is a welcome sight. Charlie Chan's Secret has a spooky house vibe that follows The Black Camel very nicely. Commentary on the films at last! Of the twelve films, I think that TBC and CCS were good choices. Broadway and Monte Carlo are the last two Oland Chans, and there's an excellent featurette on Oland included here. Thus we see both the beginning and the end of the Oland Chans in this volume. I haven't mentioned all the special features since Amazon lists them, but I'll just say that once again, we get unique ones with little or no overlap between these and those of the previous volumes.

Fox has made it easy to watch the films in order if you like--pop in The Black Camel, the four films of volume 1, Charlie Chan's Secret, the four films of volume 2, then the last two films of volume 3. Taken all together, the featurettes give a well rounded view of the original novels and the novelist, the real life inspiration for Chan, some of the directors, and the actors, as well as the broader picture--the Chan books and movies as detective fiction and fictional portrayals of Asian Americans in U.S. culture. In addition you get a couple of interesting commentaries and 2 extra films that are interesting as pieces of Chan history even if they aren't great cinema (Eran Trece and Behind the Curtain). And as if all that wasn't enough--the slick green, red, and blue boxes all match and look wonderful together on the shelf.

The breadth of the special features, the thematic approach to the volumes, and the look of the art on boxes and cases should be taken by other studios as the standard for putting together a collection like this. Bravo 20th Century Fox!

Charlie Chan was originally created by novelist Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933), who very loosely based the character on Hawaii's legendary police officer Chang Apana (1887-1933.) Biggers wrote six novels in all, and after several false starts 20th Century Fox (then simply known as Fox) hit on the right combination of actors, mystery, and comedy. The result was perhaps the single most popular film series Hollywood ever created.

Contemporary audiences tend to view the films as politically incorrect, but the fact remains that Chan and his family--most often personified by Keye Luke as son Lee--were among the very few positive Asian characters on American movie screens at the time; as such they were particularly popular with Asian-American audiences of the day. Volume 3 of the 20th Century Fox collection rounds out the surviving films starring Warner Oland, who was the original series Chan.

Several Chan films have been lost; the earliest still in existence is THE BLACK CAMEL, the second in the series. Based directly on the Biggers novel of the same name, this 1931 release finds Chan investigating the murder of a Hollywood star in Hawaii. Loosely suggested by the William Taylor Desmond murder and filmed partly on location, THE BLACK CAMEL is atypical of most Chan films--and all the more interesting for that. It also has the fortune of Bela Lugosi as Warner Oland's co-star, and Lugosi and Oland have unexpected chemistry. Released in 1936, CHARLIE CHAN'S SECRET is a story of a missing heir, a woman who is under the influence of "spirtualists," and features seances, a creepy mansion, and lots of foolish-but-fun plot turns. Although not one of the best Chan films, it is among my own favorites.

Released in 1938, CHARLIE CHAN ON BROADWAY and CHARLIE CHAN AT MONTE CARLO were the last two Chan films made starring Oland, who died not long after. Both films feature Keye Luke as son Lee Chan. ON BROADWAY finds Chan doing battle with a murderous blackmailer in New York; it is among the better films in the series, slick and well executed. AT MONTE CARLO finds Chan seeking stolen bonds--and plunging into a mixture of blackmail and murder as a result. While it tends to be a bit slower than most Chans, it too is enjoyable.

Fox has done very well by the Chan films in the past, but on this occasion the studio has really knocked itself in terms of bonuses. There are the usual, expertly made "featurettes" on various aspects of the series, but on this occasion two films (BLACK CAMEL and SECRET) have very erudite, entertaining commentaries. The set also includes items of interest: a print of BEHIND THAT CURTAIN, a very early Chan film that is not properly part of the series, and a re-creation via stills and dialogue of the lost film CHARLIE CHAN'S CHANCE. Regretfully, BEHIND THAT CURTAIN is a dire film and best left to hardcore fans, and the recreation of CHANCE is more akin to an Ed Wood film than a Chan film--but Fox gets points for effort. The restorations are not flawless, but they are much better than other prints; recommended for Chan fans everywhere!

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Just when you thought it was over, Fox has released a 4th and final installment in the Warner Oland Charlie Chan series. Thank you Fox. This set contains several very important Chan films. The Black Camel is the second Oland outing (Carries On is lost and only a Spanish version exists with Spanish actors), so this is a very important film in the Chan genre. It also contains what has been considered by many fans another "lost" film, SECRET and ends with the final Oland entry MONTE CARLO that has a hilarious scene with #1 son Keye Luke's rear end on fire.

There is still a missing Oland film and Like CARRIES ON may be lost forever. MGM has released the first 6 (and the least interesting) of the Sidney Toler WWII Chan films--which are overly cautious. The pre-war Fox Toler outings are still waiting for release. Let's hope they will be forthcoming, so many of them are highly entertaining and much better made than the Monogram counterparts released on CHANTHOLOGY.

Thanks again FOX. Let's see some more!

Well, it must be taking a long time to refinish these Classics. I'm sure I am not alone in hoping that the big wigs at 20th Century Fox are working on the Sidney Toler movies next ? Even though I have all 42 films, they are reproduction from old tv like tcm or fox movie channel, I love the transfer on the Warner Oland films that have been released and will be happy to re-purchase them and the forthcoming Toler films just because of the packaging and extras. If anyone knows whats up with the Toler films made by 20th century being released soon, let me know !! I am also looking forward to the reproduction of Charlie Chans Chance...that oughta be good !

THANK YOU 20TH CENTURY FOX !!! KEEP 'EM COMING!!!!

Fox has done an excellant job restoring the Warner Oland Charlie Chan Moviess in this collection. As an extra they recreated a lost Charlie Chan Movie by having people read the script while still photos appear on the screen. The only problem that I had with this was the person ding the voice of Chan was poor. It would have been better to have had a well known asian actor do the voice like Mako. Definately this volume is a must get for any Charlie Chan Fan.

Fox has done a wonderful job of cleaning up the old films and producing very good DVDs of these old Chan films. The commontaries they have put together add real insight into the world as it was when these films were produced. Chan films were actually one of the first Hollywood offerings to show a non-white character (Charlie Chan) as intelligent, honorable, and insightful. Often he shows up the all white police force proving his superior intelligence. It is true that Hollywood did not use an actual Asian in the part....but then that was common and is often so even today. The Charlie Chan films show a Chan who honors his Asian heritage, accepting and using the wisdom passed down, while also showing great American patriatism. Yes the films can be very dated....all films from the 30's and 40's are going to reflect a lot of the attitudes of the time just as today's films reflect the attitudes of our time. But the stories are great and the "Chanisms" are often words to live by. Thank you so much!

After watching these movies,you will be coming up with alot of Chan aphorisms like that one...but probably much,much better!
This box set includes:
Charlie Chan's Secret,Charlie Chan on Broadway,Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo,Behind That Curtain(1929,the first appearance of the Chan character at Fox),The Black Camel and Charlie Chan's Chance(a recreation of what this lost film might have looked like).
I haven't seen any of these films in at least 50 years but they have lost none of their charm and heart and that is in BIG part to Warner Oland himself.I have seen Oland,Toler and Winters each playing the famous detective.In my oppinion the latter two just tried hard to imitate Oland but fell far short of the mark.They didn't have the dignity,heart,warmth nor comportment the way Oland did.In fact I have seen very few actors immerse themselves in their characters as much as he did.I would even dare say that after a time the two almost became inseperable.I know relatively little of Warner Oland's career except that I know he had played Oriental parts in previous years and that there was at one stage a walk off of a film set by the actor and then his eventual return to Sweden.He was having personal problems,alot of it brought on by alcohol.By today's standards one might say he was burned out.In the end he never returned and died in his homeland.Tragic,for his family and the public,as we lost a very talented man that day in 1938.
I recall reading but never finishing a Derr Biggers Charlie Chan novel.The reason? I had watched a couple of Oland Chan's before hand.Big mistake.I found the character in the books to be different than the on screen character fleshed out with such panache by Oland.It is one of the few times I have committed the literary sin of preferring the movie over the book.That is the impact Oland had on me and that impact has only been heightened considerably with the release of this and the other Oland Chan
films by Fox.
Each film has been transferred over to DVD using the best available source material on hand at Fox.There is a definite difference in the quality from one film to the next but the age of one particular film compared to another matters little.As I said it's the quality of the material on hand which makes it or breaks it.Some are very clean and crisp while others are quite grainy.However ALL are visually quite clear.
Fox seems to have done the best they can with what they have.When one considers that four versions are seemingly lost we should be thankful to at least have these films.
Finally all these sets come with many featurettes that are sure to delight even the most casual Chan fan.As is my practice I have not seen them yet but I am looking forward to viewing them all at a later time.
In conclusion I highly recommmend these Warner Oland Charlie Chan box sets to one and all.It is a must have for all Charlie Chan fans and for those who have never seen them I will tell you that you are in for a special treat.And for those curious enough to want to see the later Chan actors to compare I would advise you to rent if you can.If not possible just buy one or two and see how you like them.But I think it will become apparent very quickly that THESE Chans with the magnificent and talented Warner Oland will become,like me,your favourites too!

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 3 (Charlie Chan's Secret / Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo / Charlie Chan on Broadway / The Black Camel)
I have always enjoyed the old Charlie Chan movies but now even my children are enjoying them. We watched one together and they loved trying to solve the crime.

I was happy to see Vol. 3 come out...Charlie Chan's children are in most of these and very happy to see his daughter helping him solve crimes as well. Not quite as good as the Vol. 2 but I am still happy I bought it.