JohnHowardReid Back at M-G-M, after a loan-out to RKO, Myrna Loy was cast as the daughter of Fu Manchu when, to everyone's surprise, Louis B. Mayer outbid Paramount for the rights to Sax Rohmer's 1932 novel, "The Mask of Fu Manchu". Determined to cash in on the book's success, the studio spent more money on this fourth entry in the series than Paramount had expended on the combined total of the first three. Warner Oland was replaced by Boris Karloff, while Myrna Loy took over from Anna May Wong, and Lewis Stone substituted for O.P. Heggie's Nayland Smith. Unfortunately, neither audiences nor censors responded to the movie's outrageously tongue-in-cheek approach. Failing to recover anything like its huge production cost, this spectacular failure put paid to Fu Manchu until Henry Brandon surfaced as a weak imitation in the 1940 Republic serial, "Drums of Fu Manchu"; and a whole quarter century after that, Christopher Lee successfully revived the sinister doctor in Don Sharp's stylish "The Face of Fu Manchu". "The Mask of Fu Manchu" is available, would you believe, not on an M-G-M DVD, but on a 10/10 Warner DVD.

Sean Fay This film is perhaps even more politically incorrect than its source material. Nayland Smith and Lionel Barton have no qualms from stealing from the tomb of Genghis Khan, a man who lived on the other side of the world and to whom they have no connection. In their quest of thievery, they readily enlist half-naked Asian men to help, never once even attempting to understand their culture, customs, or religion. For Smith, Sheila, Barton, and the rest --- Fu Manchu is a "yellow beast" and his people savages. The film's climax sees Smith and crew electrocute not only Fu Manchu but the entire crowd as well, making it clear that mass murder is totally okay, so long as it's against yellow people. The only good Asians are either dead, working for them, or as we see at the film's end, stupid. Aside from the plot, various other aspects of the film are problematic as well. Fu Manchu and his daughter are both played by white actors in heavy makeup --- the Asian equivalent of Blackface. Fu Manchu is purportedly Chinese while at the same time being the villain for the whole of "the East," as if director Charles Brabin doesn't realize that Asia is an entire continent comprised of all sorts of different countries. Add in Fu Manchu's black servants, and it's clear Brabin has absolutely no idea what "the East" is like at all.Is it entertaining? Sure, in a 1930's campy kind of way. But with a racist message at the core, it can't be considered a good film.

Mark Rapaport 'The Mask of Fu Manchu' is a truly ridiculous film, but not without some merit. The audience it once played for in 1932 is clearly far from the audience that is moviegoers today. This is most evident in the comedy element, which was probably not intended to play as overtly as the director intended. I found myself laughing consistently at the over-the-top portrayal of Fu Manchu and his Eastern counterparts, which really plays more like modern day sketch comedy than a movie storyline. The British, as well, were largely a laughable bunch--everything from their self-important wardrobe to their shameless racism. Of course it's tough to say how much of this was intended by the filmmakers as a sort of cultural satire.Despite these comedic inconsistencies, 'The Mask of Fu Manchu' manages to hold our attention with a cliché but nevertheless historically effective big-Hollywood plot line. It has everything we've grown accustomed to in a blockbuster: an evil villain, a damsel in distress, a bumbling Brit or two. All we need is a guy in a bat costume, a few more extended portions of pointless but artsy dialogue, Will Ferrell as Fu Manchu, and some improved cinematography, and we'd have a genuine modern-day hit on our hands.

lim-onade This movie was awesome. I thought the heinously racist depictions of every non-white character in it were absolutely awesome. The absurdly ominous gong sounds every single time a Chinese character appeared? Awesome. China being portrayed as a land of whore houses and opium dens? Awesome. The impossible to understand "Eastern Races" being portrayed as half-naked, barbaric idiots who worship skeletons? Awesome. The fact that the only educated Chinese character was the source of seemingly every evil in the world? Awesome. The romantic face off between the dragon lady dominatrix China woman and the virginal white woman (who wins by the pure force of her unadulterated love)? Awesome. The way all the China men were struck down by the just and powerful white men wielding the electric powers of Zeus? Awesome. And how the Chinese servant (also made out to be a thoughtless, servile idiot) in the last scene is congratulated for being uneducated? Awesome! The list just goes on and on and on...