The Brides of Fu Manchu

The Brides of Fu Manchu
The Brides of Fu Manchu
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Don Sharp
Screenplay by	Peter Welbeck
Based on	Fu Manchu; by Sax Rohmer
Produced by	Harry Alan Towers; David Henley
Starring	Christopher Lee; Douglas Wilmer; Heinz Drache; Marie Versini; Howard Marion-Crawford; Tsai Chin; Rupert Davies; Roger Hanin
Cinematography	Ernest W. Steward
Edited by	Allan Morrison
Music by	Bruce Montgomery
Production; companies	Fu Manchu Films; Constantin Film
Distributed by	Anglo-Amalgamated; Warner-Pathé (UK); Constantin Film (West Germany)
Release date	2 September 1966;
Running time	93 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom; West Germany
Language	English

The Brides of Fu Manchu is a 1966 British/West German Constantin Film co-production adventure crime film based on the fictional Chinese villain Dr. Fu Manchu, created by Sax Rohmer. It was the second film in a series, and was preceded by The Face of Fu Manchu. The Vengeance of Fu Manchu followed in 1967, The Blood of Fu Manchu in 1968, and The Castle of Fu Manchu in 1969. It was produced by Harry Alan Towers for Hallam Productions. Like the first film, it was directed by Don Sharp, and starred Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu. Nigel Green was replaced by Douglas Wilmer as Scotland Yard detective Nayland Smith.^[3]

The action takes place mainly in London, where much of the location filming took place.

Plot

In 1924, Dr. Fu Manchu, his army of dacoits and his vicious daughter Lin Tang are kidnapping the daughters of prominent scientists and taking them to his hidden base in the Atlas Mountains, where he demands that their fathers help him to build a device that transmits blast waves through a radio transmitter, which he intends to use to take over the world. He plans to keep (even wed) the girls in question. But Dr. Fu Manchu's archenemy, Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard, is determined not to let that happen.^[4]

Cast

Credits adapted from the booklet of the Powerhouse Films Blu-ray boxset The Fu Manchu Cycle: 1965-1969.^[5]

Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu
Douglas Wilmer as Nayland Smith
Heinz Drache as Franz Baumer
Marie Versini as Marie Lentz
Howard Marion-Crawford as Dr. Petrie
Tsai Chin as Lin Tang
Rupert Davies as Jules Merlin
Kenneth Fortescue as Sergeant Spicer
Joseph Fürst as Otto Lentz
Roger Hanin as Inspector Pierre Grimaldi
Harald Leipnitz as Nikki Sheldon
Carole Gray as Michel Merlin
Burt Kwouk as Feng
Salmaan Peerzada as Abdul
Eric Young as Control Assistant
Wendy Gifford as Louise
Poulet Tu as Lotus
Sally Sheridan as Shiva
Denis Holmes as Constable
Maureen Beck as Nurse Brown
Michael Chow as Guard
Kristopher Kum as Wireless Operator
Tommy Yapp as Dacoit

The Brides of Fu Manchu (all uncredited)

Ulla Berglin
Danielle Defrère
Évelyne Dhéliat
Yvonne Ekmann
Anje Langstraat
Katerina Quest
Lucille Soong
Christine Rau
Gaby Schär

Production

Sharp recalled producer Harry Alan Towers used the film to showcase "young and beautiful actresses". It was shot at Bray Film Studios (UK). Nigel Green was not available to repeat his performance as Nayland Smith so he was replaced by Douglas Wilmer. Sharp recalled filming went "smoothly but already the signs were there that" Towers could make Fu Manchu movies without having to "worry too much because the stories were okay. Well, there was more to making the movies than that."^[6]

References

^ "The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966)". BBFC. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
^ "Die driezehn Sklavinnen des Dr. Fu Man Chu". filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
^ Vagg, Stephen (27 July 2019). "Unsung Aussie Filmmakers: Don Sharp – A Top 25". Filmink. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
^ "The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966)". Archived from the original on 21 February 2018.
^ The Fu Manchu Cycle: 1965-1969 (The Brides of Fu Manchu: Cast) (booklet). Powerhouse Films. 2020. p. 7. PHILTD201.
^ Sharp, Don (2 November 1993). "Don Sharp Side 5" (Interview). Interviewed by Teddy Darvas and Alan Lawson. London: History Project. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.

External links

The Brides of Fu Manchu at IMDb
The Brides of Fu Manchu at AllMovie
The Brides of Fu Manchu at the TCM Movie Database

[1] "The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966)". BBFC. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.

[2] "Die driezehn Sklavinnen des Dr. Fu Man Chu". filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.

[3] Vagg, Stephen (27 July 2019). "Unsung Aussie Filmmakers: Don Sharp – A Top 25". Filmink. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.

[4] "The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966)". Archived from the original on 21 February 2018.

[PF-5] The Fu Manchu Cycle: 1965-1969 (The Brides of Fu Manchu: Cast) (booklet). Powerhouse Films. 2020. p. 7. PHILTD201.

[6] Sharp, Don (2 November 1993). "Don Sharp Side 5" (Interview). Interviewed by Teddy Darvas and Alan Lawson. London: History Project. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.