Frankenstein of the East! After Lon Cheney's tragic death in 1930, just weeks after the premiere of his last film, The Unholy Trinity (1930), his last studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, decided to shy away from any further attempts to make horror films, preferring to focus instead on strengthening his reputation in producing prestigious melodramas and comedies. However, despite the disapproving cries of film critics and social commentators, by mid-1931 filmmakers from other film studios showed no signs of losing interest in the genre. Twelve months later, looking at Universal, RKO, Paramount and First National dividing this new market, MGM executives decided they too would have to fight. By the end of 1931, they had two films in production. And eventually, Freaks (1932) by Toda Brownning and The Mask of Fu Manchu come out.
For the production of The Fu Manchu Mask, MGM chose to borrow from Universal one of the actors who helped bring horror movies on a par with other genres. The release of Frankenstein in late 1931 had swift and dramatic consequences for Boris Karloff, who at the age of forty-four turned out to be the film industry's most incredible superstar.
Although Karloff's work as Fu Manchu is somewhat unconvincing as a character, Fu Manchu will crack: his Fu Manchu just oozes with frenzied malice. Fortunately, Boris Karloff does not try to portray any accent - in the extreme case, one can suggest that Fu Manchu was educated in the West, which saves him from curling up standard English. Some of Boris Karloff's lines are more memorable for their content than their pitch from an actor.
In “The Mask of Fu Manchu” – a typical production of MGM, with its headline stars, big names and generous production funds, the film is a feast for the eyes, from the exquisite costumes worn by Boris Karloff and Myrna Loy, to the spectacular black and white cinematography of Gaetano “Tony” Gaudio and the amazing scenery provided by Cedric Gibbons and his team.
5 out of 10