Movie review – “The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) ***

After three films at Paramount, MGM took a crack at the Fu Manchu franchise, throwing in some of their contract players (including Lionel Stone and Myrna Loy) and hiring Boris Karloff. The result is an entertaining piece of schlock, which is better directed and photographed than the Paramount films - not to mention having superior production values. The plot concerns a race to find Genghis Khan’s tomb, with Fu Manchu wanting to get hold of Khan’s mask and lead Asia in a rebellion. This gives the story pace and makes the heroes active as opposed to just sitting around waiting to be avenged upon. (It’s very clearly inspired by The Mummy and vampire films – Nayland Smith is Van Helsing figure, there’s a male lured by the sexual attractiveness of Fu Manchu’s daughter, his girlfriend tries to bring him around the the "right side").

There's lots of torture – people stuck under bells as they ring, prisoners whipped in a dungeon (Myra Loy excitedly encourages the minions to do this), ends of bunks have daggers, crocodile pits, sacrifice in public. There's also a heavy homoerotic element, with the hunky romantic lead being whipped and operated on while only wearing underpants surrounded by muscular black men (this was pre-Code), a camp scene where the good white girl lures the bloke back from his lust for Chinese Myrna Loy. Plus a spectacular finale with Fu Manchu trying to whip up his minions and Stone electrocuting all of them (surely an inspiration for the Raiders of the Lost Ark finale)

It's totally racist – Fu Manchu’s goal is to wipe out the white race. Asians are either evil, sex mad or comically stupid (the waiter at the end). Stone is effective, as is Karloff and Loy is hilarious fun. Fast paced, under 70 minutes and lots of fun. I’m surprised MGM didn’t make more of these, even if only for their B unit.