The Blood of Fu Manchu (German: Der Todeskuss des Dr. Fu Man Chu, lit. 'The Death-Kiss of Dr. Fu Manchu', Spanish: Fu-Manchú y el beso de la muerte), also known as Kiss of Death, Kiss and Kill (U.S. title) and Against All Odds (original U.S. video title), is a 1968 British adventure crime film directed by Jesús Franco, based on the fictional Asian villain Dr. Fu Manchu created by Sax Rohmer. It was the fourth film in a series, and was preceded by The Vengeance of Fu Manchu. The Castle of Fu Manchu followed in 1969.
| The Blood of Fu Manchu | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jesús Franco |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer |
| Produced by | Harry Alan Towers |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Manuel Merino[1] |
| Edited by | Allan Morrison |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
It was produced by Harry Alan Towers for Udastex Films. It starred Christopher Lee as Dr. Fu Manchu, Richard Greene as Scotland Yard detective Nayland Smith, and Howard Marion-Crawford as Dr. Petrie. The film was filmed in Spain and Brazil. Shirley Eaton appears in a scene that she claimed she was never paid for; apparently, the director Jesús Franco had inserted some stock footage of her from one of her films (The Girl from Rio (1968)) into the film without telling her. She only found out years later that she had been in a Fu Manchu film.[4]
Plot
editIn his remote jungle hideout, the evil Dr. Fu Manchu, with his sadistic daughter Lin Tang, has discovered a deadly venom in a "lost city" in the Amazonian jungle that affects only men. Women can become carriers of the "kiss of death" by being bitten by venomous snakes. The venom causes blindness and is ultimately followed six weeks later by death. Using mind control, he aims six women at Nayland Smith and other key people with political influence. This prevents them from interfering with his own ambitions: to prepare millions of "doses" and spread them around the world's major cities and capitals in a plan to gain world domination.
Cast
editCredits adapted from the booklet of the Powerhouse Films Blu-ray boxset The Fu Manchu Cycle: 1965-1969.[5]
- Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu
- Tsai Chin as Lin Tang
- Maria Rohm as Ursula Wagner
- Richard Greene as Nayland Smith
- Howard Marion-Crawford as Dr. Petrie
- Frances Khan as Carmen
- Isaura de Oliveira as Yuma
- Shirley Eaton as Black Widow
- Götz George as Carl Jansen
- Ricardo Palacios as Sancho Lopez
- Loni von Friedl as Celeste
Uncredited:
- Marcelo Arroita-Jáuregui as The Governor
- Olívia Pineschi as Fu's Girl
- Vicente Roca as Governor's Secretary
- Francesca Tu as Lotus
Production
editIn 1965, the first of many adaptations of the works of Sax Rohmer were adapted to film by producer Harry Alan Towers. The first was The Face of Fu Manchu (1965) by director Don Sharp. The film had actor Christopher Lee begin a run of five performances as the villainous mastermind Fu Manchu.[6]
In 1967, director Jesús Franco met producer Harry Alan Towers. The two would make nine feature films together during a two-and-a-half-year period.[6] These included three adaptations of works of Rohmer, The Blood of Fu Manchu, The Girl from Rio (1969) and The Castle of Fu Manchu (1970).[6][7]
Filming began on November 30, 1967 and lasted approximately three weeks.[6]
Various prints list different credited crew members. English and German prints both credit Alan Morrison as the films editor while German prints also add Waltraut Lindenau as an editor. Spanish prints credit Angel Serrano.[3] On the English prints, the music is credited to Daniel White while the Spanish print credit German composer Gert Wilden.[8]
Release
editThe Blood of Fu Manchu was released first in central London on August 30, 1968.[9][10] This was followed by a more general release in the United Kingdom on March 23, 1969.[9]
It was screened in Detroit on September 24, 1969. The first known release in Spain was in Seville on March 2, 1970, followed by screenings on March 16 in Barcelona and later in Madrid on February 1, 1971.[3]
References
edit- ^ Thrower 2015, p. 152.
- ^ BBFC.
- ^ a b c d Thrower 2015, p. 153.
- ^ "The Blood of Fu Manchu/The Castle of Fu Manchu (Blu-ray)". www.dvddrive-in.com. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ The Fu Manchu Cycle: 1965-1969 (The Blood of Fu Manchu: Cast) (booklet). Powerhouse Films. 2020. p. 11. PHILTD201.
- ^ a b c d Thrower 2015, p. 154.
- ^ Thrower 2015, p. 162.
- ^ Thrower 2015, p. 156.
- ^ a b British Film Institute.
- ^ Gifford 2001, p. 778.
Sources
edit- "The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968)". BBFC. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- "Information". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- Gifford, Denis (2001) [1973]. The British Film Catalogue. Vol. 1 (3 ed.). Routledge. ISBN 978-1-57958-171-8.
- Thrower, Stephen (2015). Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco: Volume 1:1959-1974. Strange Attractor Press. ISBN 978-1-907222-31-3.
External links
edit
- The Blood of Fu Manchu at IMDb
- Kiss and Kill at the TCM Movie Database
- ‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› The Blood of Fu Manchu at AllMovie