Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2025 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
|
The Mysterious
Dr. Fu Manchu
(1929)
|
This full-sound crime drama, directed by Rowland V. Lee, stars Warner Oland and Jean Arthur, with Neil Hamilton, O.P. Heggie, William Austin, Claude King, Charles Stevenson, Noble Johnson, Evelyn Selbie, Charles Giblyn, Donald MacKenzie, Lawford Davidson, Laska Winters, Charles Stevens, Chappell Dossett and Tully Marshall.
Based on the master-criminal character created by Sax Rohmer, here is another clunky early sound film, with slowly delivered dialogue lines (with a deliberate pause before uttering the last word), unconvincing sound effects, and uneven recorded sound quality. After the unintentional killing of his family, Fu Manchu vows to wipe-out the British military leaders who opposed him in the Boxer Rebellion. He nearly succeeds. (Oops. Spoiler alert.)
Warner Oland stars for the first time in his brief run as the master criminal, leading to his many apperances as detective Charlie Chan. Today, we find it odd that a caucasian actor portrays an Asian character and Oland certainly pushes his performance over the top. As much as we love Jean Arthur, there are an awful lot of overly melodramatic line readings and exasperated exhalations at the end of her sentences. William Austin is ineffective as the obligatory comic relief (as is insufferable in the film’s sequel). Director Lee’s work is pedestrian at best.
— Carl Bennett
|
 KL Studio Classics
2022 Blu-ray Disc edition
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929) [sound version], black & white, 82 minutes, not rated, with The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (1930), black & white, 73 minutes, not rated.
Kino Lorber, K25891, UPC 7-38329-25891-7.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region A Blu-ray Disc; 1.20:1 aspect ratio picture in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24 fps progressive scan image encoded in SDR AVC format at 34.4 Mbps average video bit rate; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono sound encoded at 1.9 Mbps average audio bit rate; English language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; 8 chapter stops; standard BD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 14 June 2022.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 8 / audio: 7 / additional content: 8 / overall: 8.
|
|
This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from a 2K high-definition scan of a 35mm print. In the picture is a light amount of dust and speckling, with sporadic exposure fluctuations, more emphasized film grain than is perhaps desirable, and other minor print flaws.
The film is accompanied by the film’s original synchronized soundtrack.
Supplemental material includes audio commentary for both films in the collection by critic Tim Lucas; and the direct sequel The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (1930), which fares slightly better visually than the first film.
This is our recommended home video edition of the film.
|
|
This
Region A Blu-ray Disc edition is available directly from . . .
|
|
|
 Sinister Cinema
2025 DVD edition
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929) [sound version], black & white, ? minutes, not rated, with Daughter of the Tong (1939), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Sinister Cinema, H708, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $16.95.
Release date: 2025
Country of origin: USA
|
|
This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a 16mm reduction print.
The film is accompanied by the film’s original synchronized soundtrack.
|
|
This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
|
|
|
|
Other CRIME FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
|
