In 1932 MGM through their subsidiary Cosmopolitan
Productions released their version of Fu Manchu and basically set the pattern
for the Fu Manchu films of the 1960s. It is all here and it is fabulous.
It also has a few issues that not only might trouble audiences today but
also did back then. It takes Orientalism and stereotypes and smears it over
everything like honey and jam - it is also perversely sexually charged as
only a Pre-Code film could get away with. That led to various Asian groups
and China protesting the film. And other protests regarding the electrical
sexual content. Both led to cuts in the film for decades but now happily
they are back where they belong. It is interesting to note that Cosmopolitan
was owned by William Randolph Hearst. To some large degree the concept of
the Yellow Peril was created and spread by his newspapers in an attempt to
scare Americans and needless to say it succeeded. This film is Yellow Peril
on parade.
Yet again, this is a stunning film with exotically eye-catching sets, costumes
that are ravishing, beautiful black and white photography that is transfixing
in its daring and performances - in Yellow Face - from Boris Karloff and
Myrna Loy that even today are so wonderfully bizarre that it is like a happy
dance. In the three previous films produced by Paramount, Fu Manchu's ambitions
were relatively small and limited - just to kill a group of men he felt were
responsible for the deaths of his family. The budgets and sets were not notable
and Fu himself just a rascally Chinese man no greater than many other screen
villains. MGM takes off the shackles - a big budget and a grandiose villain
intent on killing all the white men in the world and taking their women.
That's the Fu Manchu we love. He is wickedly evil, merciless, charismatic,
has long sharp fingernails, great taste in Mandarin clothes and is hypnotic.
He commands all he sees. Of course, he is defeated in the end as Fu Manchu
always is but that is our loss.
An English archeologist thinks he has discovered the tomb of Genghis Khan
and back home Nayland Smith tells him that he needs to lead an expedition
to it as quickly as possible and beat Fu Manchu to it. He says that if Fu
Manchu gets there first, he will take the Sword and Mask of Genghis Khan
and lead an uprising of millions all through Asia. But if we get the items,
we will just put them in the British Museum where they belong. Hmmm - and
you wonder why Fu Manchu wants to destroy the West. A couple times in the
film when his English captives say "The British government will not allow
this", he only laughs. Nayland Smith is played by Lewis Stone who in five
years would be playing Andy Hardy's father. A little old for the role and
certainly not what you might expect for a heroic adventurous character. But
we all love Andy Hardy's dad.
The archeologist is kidnapped by Mummy's in the museum - coming out of hiding
from their sarcophagus - and shipped to China. He is first offered Fu's daughter
Fah Lo See for sex if he will tell him the location of the tomb and then
tortured with a never-ending banging of gongs. I would have given in at the
Myrna Loy offer. She is magnificent and deliciously evil in the film with
eyebrows that go up at a 90-degree angle. Loy had done exotic more than a
few times - one of the best is her as a Muslim Queen in the Black Watch commanding
an uprising against the British - but never more stunningly desirable than
here. I can't imagine what men were thinking back in 1932 when she makes
her grand entrance bedecked in exquisite clothes, a head piece all jeweled
up with some odd white puffy balls sticking out on top and a haughty expression
that implies she would rather kill you than shake your hand.
There is a gathering of all the head tribesmen throughout Asia and a proud
father introduces his daughter as "ugly and insignificant" and she gives
a steely pep talk about recapturing the world and getting rid of the white
man. The crowd gives her a standing ovation. But in fact, later she
feels the juices flowing for a white man that has been captured (Charles
Starrett who would go on to be a star in loads of B Westerns). When she first
sees him, catnip goes through her mind as her eyes glaze over and a purr
is in the air. In one of the scenes that was cut she supervises his torture.
He is strung up by two Nubian slaves and she first commands "The Whip", her
eyes a glow and then "Faster, faster" in a near orgasmic state. The kind
of role that she never got again after the Thin Man. But it is sour and sweet
torture - first the whip, then her gentle hands caressing his body in bed.
Dad comes in and warns her not to kill this one like the others - we will
need him.
Nayland who so far has done damn little goes looking for Fu in the House
of 10,000 Joys - a combo bordello/opium den/restaurant - the perfect place
to spend a weekend. So much cool stuff - Nayland escapes being tied up and
runs over crocodiles ala James Bond to escape, the stud is stripped and put
on a table and drugged as Fah Lo See licks her lips, the white woman (Karen
Morley) calls Fu "a hideous yellow monster" and in the big speech Fu wears
a crown that Carmen Miranda would be jealous of. All this and more are crammed
into 68 minutes of wonderness like a Cracker Jack box.
