‘The Mask Of Fu Manchu’ Blu-Ray Review – Long Requested Boris Karloff Pre-Code Horror Film Gets A+ Release

Boris Karloff takes one his most celebrated cinematics turn as the diabolical fiend Dr. Fu Manchu, and Myrna Loy plays his exotic daughter in this 1932 cult horror classic. This time, the evil Fu Manchu patiently awaits the discovery of Genghis Khan’s tomb. For he is certain that possession of Khan’s mask and sword will enable him to rule the East and lead it to victory over the hated Western world. When British scientists in the Gobi Desert discover the tomb, Fu captures and tortures them in his elaborate Torture Garden, hoping they will take him to the treasure he craves. But an unexpected traitor has other plans for the doctor. Based on Sax Rohmer’s original story “The Mask of Fu Manchu” is “fast moving and humorous” (Halliwell’s Film Guide) and full of pre-code suspense! The film is presented in its original, uncut theatrical release version as first seen in 1932.

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Video Quality

This spectacular new 1080p Blu-Ray from Warner Archive is derived from a recent 4K restoration of the best surviving preservation elements. This is a title that horror fans have been demanding for many years, and when it comes to this label it is always worth the wait. Due to the film’s vintage, this easily could have had a lacking release considering the negative is no longer extant in full, but the experts at the Warner Archive have worked with a steady hand to provide a seamless experience between the original negative and the necessary secondary source. 

When you see the results of their work, it will remind you why dedicated film preservation is so important. This black-and-white feature retains its gorgeous natural film grain throughout which provides a significant amount of detail to the image. The image shows off an awe-inspiring amount of depth, most notably in the shadows where there is no semblance of any crush. The object detail that this image unlocks is quite amazing. The black levels are immensely deep and hold up consistently throughout with no evidence of any compression artifacts. It is Warner Archive’s world, we are just living in it.

Audio Quality

The Mask of Fu Manchu is presented here with a strong DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio split mono mix which represents the film quite fairly. A discrete amount of age-related hiss remains at high volumes, but mostly the audio presentation is free of issues – especially compared to many films of this era. Sync issues do not pop up along with any other such hindrances to the experience. Music is not a consistent part of this presentation, but what is present sounds nice and stable with fine fidelity. Dialogue and background noises are balanced well with any complementary sounds. Lines are rendered clearly in a that shows the care put into the preservation efforts. Warner Archive does provide optional English (SDH) subtitles.

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Film Historian Greg Mank delivers an incredibly detailed and engaging archival commentary track in which he dives deep into the history surrounding this production as well as the talent involved with it, the technical skill in the crafts, the moments that were censored outside of the theatrical cut, and more. 

• Freddy The Freshman: A seven-minute Merrie Melodies cartoon from 1932 in beautiful HD that finds Freddy attending a swinging party and then playing in the big game. 

• The Queen Was In The Parlor: A seven-minute Merrie Melodies cartoon from 1932 in beautiful HD that finds the king returning home wanting to see his queen.  

Final Thoughts

The Mask of Fu Manchu has been a long-requested Blu-Ray title for cinephiles, but it feels more important for its history rather than its actual quality. This Pre-Code chiller has many “problematic” elements that are addressed in a text card prior to the film, but beyond that, the film itself is a bit disjointed and rarely achieves the thrills of other contemporary horror films that this label has released. Where it does stand out is in the sadistic elements of torture that still make an impression even in the modern day. We are always happy to see Boris Karloff and Myrna Loy, despite the egregious miscasting, but the film is mostly just fine rather than a classic sending a shiver up your spine. Warner Archive has released a new Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation, an entertaining commentary track, and a couple of additional cartoon shorts. If you have been demanding this title, the wait has been worth it. Recommended 

The Mask of Fu Manchu can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive 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.