The Fu Manchu Cycle 1965 – 1969 – Powerhouse Indicator limited edition box set has been announced as it was immediately propelled to the No.1 Blu-ray seller top spot on Amazon.co.uk‘s website!
MOVIES & MANIA owner Adrian J Smith and contributor David Flint recorded a socially-distanced audio commentary just yesterday for The Blood of Fu Manchu. In doing so, we discussed many of the issues surrounding author Sax Rohmer’s notorious supervillain character, Christopher Lee’s now-controversial ‘yellowface’ role as Fu Manchu, the careers of director Jess Franco, producer Harry Alan Towers and all the main cast involved, plus the historical context of the film itself within the 1960s fad for James Bond-fuelled action-adventure spies and supervillains.
The films in the box set are:
The Face of Fu Manchu (Don Sharp, 1965)
The Brides of Fu Manchu (Don Sharp, 1966)
The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (Jeremy Summers, 1967)
The Blood of Fu Manchu (Jesús Franco, 1968)
The Castle of Fu Manchu (Jesús Franco, 1969)
Release date: 19th October 2020 – Order via Amazon.co.uk
In 1965, maverick British producer and writer Harry Alan Towers (The Bloody Judge) scored a hit with The Face of Fu Manchu, a thrilling revival of Sax Rohmer’s super-villain imperiously portrayed by Christopher Lee (The Terror of the Tongs). Over the next four years, Lee and Towers would collaborate with directors Don Sharp (Psychomania), Jeremy Summers and Jesús Franco (Venus in Furs) on four ever more delirious tales of attempted world domination (The Brides of Fu Manchu, The Vengeance of Fu Manchu, The Blood of Fu Manchu, The Castle of Fu Manchu), each pitting the criminal mastermind against his arch-nemesis Nayland Smith, as played variously by Nigel Green (Play Dirty), Douglas Wilmer (Sherlock Holmes) and Richard Greene (The Adventures of Robin Hood).
Now, all five classic Fu Manchu films are presented on Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored from original negatives and containing a wealth of new and archival extras, including critical appreciations, cast and crew interviews and audio commentaries. This stunning Limited Edition box set is strictly limited to 6,000 units and is presented with an exclusive, fully illustrated 120-page book, featuring new writing by Tim Lucas.
The Face of Fu Manchu
- New restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with critics Kim Newman and Stephen Jones (2020)
- The BEHP Interview with Don Sharp – Part One (1993): archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring Sharp in conversation with Teddy Darvas and Alan Lawson
- Super 8 version: cut-down home cinema presentation
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- World premiere on Blu-ray
- More extras to be announced
The Brides of Fu Manchu
- New restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with film historians Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons (2020)
- Kim Newman on Sax Rohmer and the Fu Manchu novels
- The BEHP Interview with Don Sharp – Part Two (1993): archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring Sharp in conversation with Teddy Darvas and Alan Lawson
- The BEHP Interview with Ernest Steward (1990): an archival audio recording of an interview with the respected cinematographer, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- World premiere on Blu-ray
The Vengeance of Fu Manchu
- New restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative
- Original mono audio
- The BEHP Interview with Jeremy Summers (2001): archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring Summers in conversation with Darrol Blake
- Archival interview with Harry Alan Towers
- New interview with first assistant director Anthony Waye (2020)
- The Ghost of Monk’s Island (1966): Jeremy Summers directs this exciting mystery made for the Children’s Film Foundation
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- World premiere on Blu-ray
- More extras to be announced
The Blood of Fu Manchu
- New restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with critics David Flint (The Reprobate owner and contributor to MOVIES & MANIA) and Adrian J Smith (owner and editor of MOVIES & MANIA (2020)
- Visions of the Yellow Peril (2020): Christopher Frayling on ethnocentrism in the Fu Manchu cycle
- New interview with clapper loader Ray Andrew (2020)
- New interview with Stephen Thrower on Fu Manchu and Jesús Franco’s collaborations with Harry Alan Towers (2020)
- The Mystery of Doctor Fu-Manchu: The Fiery Hand (1923): a chilling episode of the original silent serial, starring Harry Agar Lyons as the evil mastermind
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- More extras to be announced
The Castle of Fu Manchu
- New restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative
- Original mono audio
- New interview with star Rosalba Neri (2020)
- The Further Mysteries of Doctor Fu-Manchu: The Coughing Horror (1924): Fu Manchu torments Nayland Smith with a terrifying creature in this silent serial sequel
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- More extras to be announced
- Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with a new essay on the Fu Manchu cycle by Tim Lucas, a look at the career of producer/screenwriter Harry Alan Towers, an examination of the work of Fu Manchu creator Sax Rohmer, new writing on The Ghost of Monk’s Island and the Stoll Pictures’ Fu Manchu silent serials, archival newspaper articles on the films, extracts from the films’ pressbooks, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- Limited edition exclusive double-sided poster and five replica production stills
- UK and World premieres on Blu-ray
- Limited edition box set of 6,000 numbered units
Order via Amazon.co.uk
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