Search - The Adventures of Fu Manchu on DVD

WHEN WILL FILM PRODUCER'S DO RIGHT BY FU???

SwellBooks | Park Ridge, IL | 03/21/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Eye Opening

Miguel B. Llora | Bay Point, California USA | 06/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This set includes: "The Prisoner of Dr. Fu Manchu", "The Golden God of Dr. Fu Manchu", "The Death Ships of Dr. Fu Manchu", and "The Master Plan of Dr. Fu Manchu." I was especially interested in the last one starring Glen Gordon, Lester Matthews, Clark Howat, Laurette Luez, John George and Carla Balenda. Guest starring Alan Dexter, Steven Geray, Damian O' Flynn and Stuart Whitman. Written by Arthur Orloff and directed by William Witney. In this story, Dr. Fu Manchu (Glen Gordon) kidnaps a prominent plastic surgeon named Dr. Harlow Henderson (Alan Dexter) and forces him to change the face of the one and only arch demonized individual of all time: Adolf Hitler. Apparently, only Fu Manchu had the know how to keep him alive and in hiding. The yellow peril incarnate, Dr. Fu Manchu plans to join forces with Adolf Hitler and do nothing short of conquering the world! Unbeknownst to him, Dr. John Petrie (Clark Howat) accidentally stumbles into Fu Manchu's "evil" plot while searching for his lost friend. Dr. Petrie finds himself held prisoner and compelled to care for Henderson's most recent patient after Dr. Henderson is done away with in classic Dr. Fu Manchu style. The question is: Can Nayland Smith (Lester Matthews) stop this most deadly duo? This episode moves at a nice swift pace. It certainly has some unexpected twists and turns and is actually funny - for the most part - until one begins to understand the juxtaposition. Do some research on Fu Manchu and get a fix on what the character represents, and then all of a sudden it is not so funny.

Miguel Llora"

This will have to do for now...

Darren Harrison | Washington D.C. | 03/31/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Classic TV - The Fu Manchu Series from 1956

SwellBooks | 02/27/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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)."