Die Maske des Fu-Manchu (1932)

Die Maske des Fu-Manchu: Directed by Charles Brabin, Charles Vidor. With Boris Karloff, Lewis Stone, Karen Morley, Charles Starrett. Englishmen race to find the tomb of Genghis Khan before the sinister Fu Manchu does.

“The Mask of Fu Manchu easily could have served as inspiration for Raiders of the Lost Ark. Archaeologists dashing to retrieve relic to save Western Civilization. Feats of derring-do. Scenes of despicable torture and heroic bravery. What makes this movie even better is in Raiders you know Dr. Jones will win. The Nazis are mere obstacles in his path to run over. But in this movie, Boris Karloffu0026#39;s performance as the insidious Dr. Fu Manchu makes the Nazis seem like mere shadows of a threat compared to his evil genius. His Fu Manchu is a villain you not only fear, but respect. Myrna Loy as his daughter is wickedly good. While the sparks put off by Fu Manchuu0026#39;s diabolical invention are impressive special effects, they are nothing in comparison to the sparks emitted by the young, scantily clad Myrna Loy.”