The Face of Fu Manchu
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Face of Fu Manchu is a 1965 thriller based on the character of Fu Manchu, the Chinese villain created by Sax Rohmer. Don Sharp directed, with Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu and Nigel Green as Nayland Smith, the Scotland Yard detective in his pursuit.
It was a produced by Harry Alan Towers for Hallam Films and was filmed on location in Dublin, Ireland.
Plot
The film opens with the ghostly execution of world mastermind criminal Fu Manchu, witnessed by arch-nemesis Nayland Smith.
Back in England, however, it is increasingly apparent that Fu Manchu is still operating. Smith is quick to detect that the execution he witnessed was that of a double, an actor hypnotised into taking Fu Manchu's place. The villain is back in London, working from a secret base underneath the River Thames. He has kidnapped the esteemed Professor Muller, who holds the key to a potentially deadly solution from the seeds of a rare Tibetan flower.
Sequels
There were four sequels, all starring Christopher Lee in the title role, and produced by Harry Alan Towers.
- The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966, again directed by Sharp, this time with Douglas Wilmer as Nayland Smith)
- The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967, directed by Jeremy Summers, again with Wilmer)
- The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968, directed by Jesus Franco, with Richard Greene as Nayland Smith)
- The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969, also directed by Franco, with Richard Greene again)
See also
- The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), an earlier screen portrayal of Fu Manchu by Boris Karloff
- The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980), a comedy with Peter Sellers as both an aged Fu Manchu and Nayland-Smith.
