The Castle of Fu Manchu (German: Die Folterkammer des Dr. Fu Man Chu, lit. 'The Torture Chamber of Dr. Fu Manchu', Spanish: El castillo de Fu-Manchu) is a 1969 film and the fifth and final Dr. Fu Manchu film with Christopher Lee portraying the title character. The film, directed by Jesús Franco, is an English-language coproduction between companies from various European countries including the UK, Spain[6] and West Germany.[7]
| The Castle of Fu Manchu | |
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 German theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jesús Franco |
| Screenplay by |
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| Spanish dialogue by |
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| Based on | Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Manuel Merino[2] |
| Edited by | John Colville[2] |
| Music by | Charles Camilleri Malcomb Shelby |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 92 minutes[4] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
The film is also known as Assignment Istanbul.[8]
Plot
editSupercriminal Dr. Fu Manchu plots to freeze the world's oceans with a diabolical new device. With his beautiful but evil daughter, Lin Tang, his army of dacoits, and the help of the local crime organization led by Omar Pasha (whom Dr. Fu Manchu double-crosses), Dr. Fu Manchu takes over the governor's castle in Istanbul, which has a massive opium reserve, to control the largest opium port in Anatolia, since the drug is an important ingredient for the fuel for his machine. Dr. Fu Manchu needs the help of an intelligent scientist with an ailing heart whom he has imprisoned. In order to keep the scientist alive, he kidnaps a doctor and his wife to give the scientist a heart transplant from one of his obedient servants. Opposing him from Britain's branch of Interpol are his nemeses, Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie.
Cast
edit- Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu
- Tsai Chin as Lin Tang
- Maria Perschy as Dr. Ingrid Koch
- Richard Greene as Nayland Smith
- Howard Marion-Crawford as Dr. Petrie
- Günther Stoll as Dr. Curt Kessler
- Rosalba Neri as Lisa
- José Manuel Martín as Omar Pasha
- Werner Aprelat as Melnik
Uncredited:
- Mike Brendel as Pasha's Gunman
- Jesús Franco as Inspector Hamid
- Herbert Fux as Governor
- Osvaldo Genazzani as Sir Robert
- Burt Kwouk as Feng (archive footage from The Brides of Fu Manchu)
- Gustavo Re as Professor Heracles
- Gene Reyes as Hamid's Aide
- Moisés Augusto Rocha as Fu's Henchman
Production
editRelease
editThe Castle of Fu Manchu was released on May 30, 1969 in West Germany and on September 24, 1970 in Kingston, Jamaica.[9][10] This was followed by screenings in the United Kingdom in December 1970, Barcelona on September 18, 1972 and Madrid on May 28, 1973 and Seville on July 6, 1974.[11]
Home media
editBlue Underground released the film on DVD under The Christopher Lee Collection in 2003.[12]
Reception
editThe film is considered the worst of the Fu-Manchu series with Lee.[13]
In popular culture
editIn 1992, The Castle of Fu Manchu was featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Season 3, Episode 23). Towards the end, Joel Robinson comments that Roger Ebert liked the movie; however, in 1993 Ebert stated he had "never seen it."[14]
See also
edit- A Night to Remember - Titanic sinking scene used for this movie
- List of films considered the worst
References
edit- ^ a b "Die Folterkammer des Doktor Fu Manchu (1972)". BFI. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Die Folterkammer des Dr. Fu Man Chu". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ "Castillo de Fu-Manchu, El". iicaa Catalogo de Cinespanol. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "The Castle of Fu Manchu (A)". British Board of Film Classification. 11 September 1970. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
- ^ The Castle of Fu Manchu (booklet). Powerhouse Films. 2020. p. 12. PHILTD201.
- ^ Schlegel, Nicholas G. (11 June 2015). Sex, Sadism, Spain, and Cinema: The Spanish Horror Film. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-5116-8.
- ^ a b "El castillo de Fu-Manchú | Filmoteca de Catalunya". www.filmoteca.cat. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Tom; Miller, Mark A. (1 May 2016). The Christopher Lee Filmography: All Theatrical Releases, 1948-2003. McFarland. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-4766-0896-9.
- ^ Johnson, Tom; Miller, Mark A. (27 April 2004). The Christopher Lee Filmography: All Theatrical Releases, 1948-2003. McFarland & Company. p. 187. ISBN 9781476608969.
Released 30 May 1969 (West Germany)
- ^ Thrower 2015, pp. 180–181.
- ^ Thrower 2015, p. 181.
- ^ DVD Savant Review: The Blue Underground Christopher Lee Collection on DVD Talk
- ^ Johnson, Tom; Miller, Mark A. (1 May 2016). The Christopher Lee Filmography: All Theatrical Releases, 1948-2003. McFarland. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-4766-0896-9.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (1 October 1993). "Movie Answer Man (10/01/1993)". RogerEbert.com. Roger Ebert. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
Q. Did you really like "Castle of Fu Manchu?" The Mystery Science Theater critics said, "Roger Ebert liked this!" (Don Donovan) A. I've never seen it. Maybe they had me confused with Gene Siskel. Happens all the time.
Sources
edit- Thrower, Stephen (2015). Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco: Volume 1:1959-1974. Strange Attractor Press. ISBN 978-1-907222-31-3.
External links
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