Drums of Fu Manchu

Rating:
Summary: Memorable Henry Brandon performance distinguishes the serial
Review: Henry Brandon -- a master character actor who usually played villains -- got his only leading role in this 1940 Republic serial, "suggested by" Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu stories. Brandon steals the film from the supporting players and the squadron of athletic henchmen (who do not speak -- eerie!).

The serial is about par for Republic. The plot concerns an archaeological search for the artifacts of Genghis Khan, but you won't care much. The story characters are sketchily written and competently if not brilliantly acted (although one must admire hero Robert Kellard's enthusiasm). There are the usual chases, fistfights, and narrow escapes for cliffhanger fans, and a good musical score.

As the treacherous warlord Fu Manchu, Henry Brandon's careful, eloquent performance is a masterpiece of economy. He speaks volumes with a swift extension of the forearm, a slight smirk, a raised eyebrow, a dramatic pause, a sly drawl. He even plays an effective bereavement scene. when he discovers one of his coterie has died. Brandon is far better than his material in this one.

The original negative of this serial was presumably unavailable, so the DVD producers had to make do with a copy. What survives looks like a good to excellent third-generation print in excellent physical condition. The image has more contrast and less detail than other DVDs, but it's certainly watchable and enjoyable.

All in all, a decent show made better by the leading actor.

Rating:
Summary: Memorable Henry Brandon performance distinguishes the serial
Review: Henry Brandon -- a master character actor who usually played villains -- got his only leading role in this 1940 Republic serial, "suggested by" Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu stories. Brandon steals the film from the supporting players and the squadron of athletic henchmen (who do not speak -- eerie!).

The serial is about par for Republic. The plot concerns an archaeological search for the artifacts of Genghis Khan, but you won't care much. The story characters are sketchily written and competently if not brilliantly acted (although one must admire hero Robert Kellard's enthusiasm). There are the usual chases, fistfights, and narrow escapes for cliffhanger fans, and a good musical score.

As the treacherous warlord Fu Manchu, Henry Brandon's careful, eloquent performance is a masterpiece of economy. He speaks volumes with a swift extension of the forearm, a slight smirk, a raised eyebrow, a dramatic pause, a sly drawl. He even plays an effective bereavement scene. when he discovers one of his coterie has died. Brandon is far better than his material in this one.

The original negative of this serial was presumably unavailable, so the DVD producers had to make do with a copy. What survives looks like a good to excellent third-generation print in excellent physical condition. The image has more contrast and less detail than other DVDs, but it's certainly watchable and enjoyable.

All in all, a decent show made better by the leading actor.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Series - Disappointing Print.
Review: I admit that if you are a fan of these delightful old series adventures, you'll thoroughly enjoy "Drums of Fu Manchu". The DVD set includes an informative 12 page booklet entitled, "The History of Fu Manchu", written by Eric Hoffman, and also, among other things, a short documentary about the cinematic history of this grand, evil character. It's clear that VCI Entertainment put a lot of effort into this "digitally remastered" video, and I find no fault with that effort.

With that said, I must admit that I was rather disappointed with the quality of the print that VCI Entertainment used, after they had put so much effort into the DVD's "extras". Although this print of "Drums" is clean and well preserved (no scratches or artifacts), it is generally dark, indistinct, and murky with only a very limited gray-scale range. It reminds me of the prints that used to be used for the late, late, late TV movies, before there was cable, that used third and fouth generation prints because they felt no one was watching anyway.

The DVD format has certainly raised the bar for what is acceptable, and not acceptable, when watching films in the comfort of our own homes. I, for one, now demand a crisp, clear, clean print that does full justice to the original. With all sorts of "restorations" now being offered that, in many cases, are better than the original release print of a film, I've become spoiled and quite critical. And a film's age has nothing to do with it. The DVD print of the Republic Serial, "Jungle Girl" (1941), is absolutely pristine! It was made from a 35mm Master Positive Print that is as clear and clean as any I've seen. The serial, "Jungle Jim" (1936), is also clean and clear, although not as sharp and crisp as "Jungle Girl". Both of these serials were issued by VCI, so I suspect that what they used for "Drums of Fu Manchu" was the best they could find. Still, it was disappointing to be expecting another "Jungle Girl", and receive such a mediocre print. By the way, the absolutely worst print of a serial that I've purchased was "The Three Musketeers" produced by the Roan Group, a company that usually does pretty good work. If these companies can't find a good print to work with, why do they even bother to reissue these movies? I, for one, would be willing to wait until the negative was found, a fine grained, master print was discovered (and I "know" they're out there), or the film was properly "restored" (emphasis on "properly").

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Series - Disappointing Print.
Review: I admit that if you are a fan of these delightful old series adventures, you'll thoroughly enjoy "Drums of Fu Manchu". The DVD set includes an informative 12 page booklet entitled, "The History of Fu Manchu", written by Eric Hoffman, and also, among other things, a short documentary about the cinematic history of this grand, evil character. It's clear that VCI Entertainment put a lot of effort into this "digitally remastered" video, and I find no fault with that effort.

With that said, I must admit that I was rather disappointed with the quality of the print that VCI Entertainment used, after they had put so much effort into the DVD's "extras". Although this print of "Drums" is clean and well preserved (no scratches or artifacts), it is generally dark, indistinct, and murky with only a very limited gray-scale range. It reminds me of the prints that used to be used for the late, late, late TV movies, before there was cable, that used third and fouth generation prints because they felt no one was watching anyway.

The DVD format has certainly raised the bar for what is acceptable, and not acceptable, when watching films in the comfort of our own homes. I, for one, now demand a crisp, clear, clean print that does full justice to the original. With all sorts of "restorations" now being offered that, in many cases, are better than the original release print of a film, I've become spoiled and quite critical. And a film's age has nothing to do with it. The DVD print of the Republic Serial, "Jungle Girl" (1941), is absolutely pristine! It was made from a 35mm Master Positive Print that is as clear and clean as any I've seen. The serial, "Jungle Jim" (1936), is also clean and clear, although not as sharp and crisp as "Jungle Girl". Both of these serials were issued by VCI, so I suspect that what they used for "Drums of Fu Manchu" was the best they could find. Still, it was disappointing to be expecting another "Jungle Girl", and receive such a mediocre print. By the way, the absolutely worst print of a serial that I've purchased was "The Three Musketeers" produced by the Roan Group, a company that usually does pretty good work. If these companies can't find a good print to work with, why do they even bother to reissue these movies? I, for one, would be willing to wait until the negative was found, a fine grained, master print was discovered (and I "know" they're out there), or the film was properly "restored" (emphasis on "properly").

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Series - Disappointing Print.
Review: I admit that if you are a fan of these delightful old series adventures, you'll thoroughly enjoy "Drums of Fu Manchu". The DVD set includes an informative 12 page booklet entitled, "The History of Fu Manchu", written by Eric Hoffman, and also, among other things, a short documentary about the cinematic history of this grand, evil character. It's clear that VCI Entertainment put a lot of effort into this "digitally remastered" video, and I find no fault with that effort.

With that said, I must admit that I was rather disappointed with the quality of the print that VCI Entertainment used, after they had put so much effort into the DVD's "extras". Although this print of "Drums" is clean and well preserved (no scratches or artifacts), it is generally dark, indistinct, and murky with only a very limited gray-scale range. It reminds me of the prints that used to be used for the late, late, late TV movies, before there was cable, that used third and fouth generation prints because they felt no one was watching anyway.

The DVD format has certainly raised the bar for what is acceptable, and not acceptable, when watching films in the comfort of our own homes. I, for one, now demand a crisp, clear, clean print that does full justice to the original. With all sorts of "restorations" now being offered that, in many cases, are better than the original release print of a film, I've become spoiled and quite critical. And a film's age has nothing to do with it. The DVD print of the Republic Serial, "Jungle Girl" (1941), is absolutely pristine! It was made from a 35mm Master Positive Print that is as clear and clean as any I've seen. The serial, "Jungle Jim" (1936), is also clean and clear, although not as sharp and crisp as "Jungle Girl". Both of these serials were issued by VCI, so I suspect that what they used for "Drums of Fu Manchu" was the best they could find. Still, it was disappointing to be expecting another "Jungle Girl", and receive such a mediocre print. By the way, the absolutely worst print of a serial that I've purchased was "The Three Musketeers" produced by the Roan Group, a company that usually does pretty good work. If these companies can't find a good print to work with, why do they even bother to reissue these movies? I, for one, would be willing to wait until the negative was found, a fine grained, master print was discovered (and I "know" they're out there), or the film was properly "restored" (emphasis on "properly").

Rating:
Summary: Not One of the Best
Review: I enjoy watching serials from this era and I can definitely say that this one rates below average compared to others I have watched.

Rating:
Summary: A FU-TASTIC SERIAL!!!
Review: I have two words to all potential buyers of this DVD: BUY IT! It is fantastic! This is probably one of the best movie serials ever made! Fifteen exciting chapters of trains wrecks, chases, car crashes, fights, fights and more fights, featuring one of the best villians in all of fiction, Dr. Fu Manchu. Brillantly played by Henry Brandon, whom most sf/ fantasy fans may know from John Carpenter's "ASSAULT ON PRECEINT 13". He is perhaps the best Fu in movie history, even better than Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee! He is that good, I kid you not! The serial is not based on the Sax Rohmer novel of the same name, but uses some of the plot of an earlier Fu novel and the Karloff film "THE MASK OF FU MANCHU". Normally this would make me an unhappy camper, but this serial is such a joy to watch and is so exciting, that I can forgive the producers for ignoring Rohmer's great book ("DRUMS" is one of my favorite Fu novels). All of the cast is pretty good. I liked Gloria Franklin as Fu's daughter Fah Loo Suee although she mysteriously disappears from the proceedings after about 12 chapters. And fans of Universal horror films will be happy to see the familiar face of the fly-eating maniac Renfield from the Lugosi Dracula, Dwight Frye in a small role in the 5th chapter. And wait until you see Loki, the lead Dacoit, one of "Fu Manchu's men-of-murder". He's a hoot! The picture and sound on the DVD are very nice and the extra's give a nice history of both Fu Manchu and the serial. There is a nice booklet included with the "HISTORY OF FU MANCHU" by Eric Hoffman and a photo gallery on the dvd and star and director bios and filmographies. Let me close by saying: this is one great DVD. BUY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT!!! - George Bauch.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Serial Ever!
Review: If you can handle political incorrectness, you'll agree this serial can't be beat. It has the unspeakable Dr. Fu, his equally loathsome daughter, Fah Lo Suee, plus legions of serpents, insects and dacoits. Fu is a god among bad guys, happy to wreck a crowded passenger train just to kill one person. Even when he commands them to die pointlessly, his minions obey. This movie shows a world in constant motion, without reason or logic. In other words, it's pure fun. And at last it's available to the general public, for the first time since its theatrical release.

Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST REPUBLIC SERIALS
Review: Made in 1940, this Republic serial was one of the best ones they ever did, second perhaps only to the great "Captain Marvel". The plot seems lifted directly from the classic "Mask of Fu Manchu" starring Boris Karloff in 1932.

Fu Manchu, played by Henry Brandon, is seeking the tomb of Genghis Khan to find the lost scepter (Similar to Karloff finding Khans Sword) which will give him control of all of the oriental tribes and rule the world.

Fu is aided by his sinister daughter Fah Lo Suee and an army of zombie-like creatures who do his every bidding. The action moves from America to China as Fu Manchu races against his usual foe Sir Dennis Nayland Smith (William Royle) to uncover the scepter.

Henry Brandon was outstanding as Fu Manchu. An imposing figure to be sure that seethed with evil, second perhaps only to the great Karloff himself. Robert Kellard plays Allan Parker, Naylands assistant who does most of the rough and tumble action.

This serial had quite a budget for it's time and it really shows in the quality of the cinematography, as well as the great action seqeunces. Really a fun time.

Rating:
Summary: Much creepier than your average serial!
Review: Okay, I think this is one of the great serials. It is much darker than many. Many scenes have the feel of the horror and mystery movies of the times, and these scenes quite distinguish this as one of the more innovative serials.

Obviously, this is villian centered, and what an evil personage we have here! The makeup is superb, and as a personification of evil, Fu Manchu makes the emporer Ming look like a Sunday School teacher. He must have laid awake nights figuring out new and hideous ways to do away with his adversaries. Looks like the daughter is growing up in Dad's footsteps, although she hasn't graduated yet from using poisonous cigarette fumes to overcome her victims.

This is good, old fashioned fun. Anyone who quibbles, as one reviewer did, with petty details like the train engineer hearing a gunshot from several cars back shouldn't be watching serials anyway, because they have never been known for their plausibility.

If you're new to serials, this one should be fairly high up on your must see list. And if you're already a committed collector, this should definitely be in your collection.