This special edition includes two pre-code classics. THE MYSTERIOUS DR. FU MANCHU (1929) – The diabolical doctor makes his talkie film debut in The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu, based on the first book in Sax Rohmer’s classic series. During the Boxer Rebellion, Dr. Fu Manchu, deviously played by Warner Oland (Charlie Chan in Paris), saves the life of little Lia Eltham; but soon after, his own wife and child are killed by the allied troops. He takes revenge by hypnotizing the now grown Lia, played by screen great Jean Arthur (A Foreign Affair), to do his evil bidding. The world’s most notorious supervillain is born in this Pre-Code chiller from director Rowland V. Lee (Tower of London). Co-starring Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon of TV’s Batman) as Dr. Jack Petrie and O.P. Heggie (The Bride of Frankenstein) as Inspector Nayland Smith. THE RETURN OF DR. FU MANCHU (1930) – The fiendish Dr. Fu is back with a vengeance in The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu, as the evil criminal genius continues his campaign of cruelty on the foggy moors of the English estate where Lia Eltham and Dr. Jack Petrie are set to marry. Director Rowland V. Lee (Son of Frankenstein) returns along with Warner Oland (Charlie Chan’s Secret), Jean Arthur (Easy Living), O.P. Heggie (The Count of Monte Cristo) and Neil Hamilton (Tarzan the Ape Man) for this sequel that’s more menacing, more exciting and more bloodcurdling than the first.
For thoughts on Fu Manchu Double Feature [The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu/The Return Of Dr. Fu Manchu], please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu and The Return Of Dr. Fu Manchu make their Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p presentation from a 2K master. While not without some expected issues, these presentations are honestly very impressive for films that are over 90 years old. The new transfer shows off a surprising amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. There is a pleasing amount of nuance present with subtle textures on the clothing and within the production design. Black levels are deep with no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is likewise well defined, and the track only experiences a small amount of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. The sparkling black-and-white photography shot by Harry Fischbeck shines in high definition with natural grain intact. There is still a pretty fine layer of minor nicks and scratches, but it is apparent that it has been cleaned up immensely. Kino Classics has done some great work here.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a pretty stable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves the movies well considering their place in early talkies. Despite its age, this track only presents with a small amount of age related wear and tear and some light hissing and crackles. The track sounds a bit thin when it comes to the music, which is not uncommon for a film of this vintage and almost assuredly dates back to the source elements. Dialogue and background noises are represented in harmony with all competing elements. Music never gets a chance to overpower the dialogue or other important information throughout the duration. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. Kino Classics has done some fine work to make this sound as pleasant as the material will allow.
Special Features
- The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu Audio Commentary: Film Historian Tim Lucas provides a deeply informative commentary track in which he discusses the history of the Fu Manchu character, the nearly “lost” nature of this film, the history of the performers involved in the film, the roots in the theatrical stage experience, the art direction of the film and more. This provides a great deal of context that is very valuable.
- The Return Of Dr. Fu Manchu Audio Commentary: Film Historian Tim Lucas returns for another incredibly informative commentary track in which he discusses how this film works as the first horror sequel, the new and returning faces in this outing, an analysis of the text and tropes implemented and more. Lucas notes that this track should be considered a continuation of his previous track which lays much of the groundwork for the series as a whole.
- Trailers: There are trailers provided for Blackmail, Supernatural, The Spider Woman Strikes Back, The Mad Doctor and The Queen of Spades.
Final Thoughts
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu and The Return Of Dr. Fu Manchu are two early Hollywood thrillers that entertain yet find themselves conjuring unfortunate stereotypes. The Pre-Code nature of the production gives these films an added sense of dread which helps them stand out as a bit daring. The second film lacks the ambition of the first entry, but it works well as the prototypical horror sequel. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports both a lovely A/V presentation and a couple of great commentary tracks. If you can get past the dated material, these two films are pretty entertaining journeys.
Fu Manchu Double Feature [The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu/The Return Of Dr. Fu Manchu] is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.