The Castle of Fu Manchu Blu-ray Distributed By: Blue Underground / May 30, 2017
Christopher Lee is at his sinister best in this Fu Manchu Double Feature Blu-ray!
THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU:
The Legendary Asian Crime Lord Is Back… And International Evil Has A Chilling New Home!
Christopher Lee (THE LORD OF THE RINGS) returns as the diabolical super-villain who, along with his sadistic daughter Lin Tang (Tsai Chin of CASINO ROYALE), creates a fiendish new chemical weapon that will turn the seas into a giant block of ice. But when his archenemy Nayland Smith (Richard Greene of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD) tracks the madman’s trail of kidnapping, murder and massive global destruction, he himself becomes trapped in Fu Manchu’s impenetrable lair of cruelty. Can any of the world’s top secret agents (including a wild performance by Jess Franco) now stop the cold-blooded terror that lives in THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU?Maria Perschy (THE GHOST GALLEON) and Rosalba Neri (99 WOMEN) co-star in this notorious sequel directed by Jess Franco (THE BLOODY JUDGE) that marked Christopher Lee’s final performance as the infamous Chinese madman. Now Blue Underground presents THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU in High Definition, packed with Extras for a disc full of Fu Manchu mayhem!
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- The Fall of Fu Manchu – Interviews with Director Jess Franco, Producer Harry Alan Towers, and Stars Christopher Lee, Tsai Chin, & Shirley Eaton
- Theatrical Trailers
- Poster & Still Gallery
Movie: 
(2.0 / 5)Video: 
(1.5 / 5)Audio: 
(3.0 / 5)Extras: 
(2.5 / 5)Average: 
(2.3 / 5)
There are those of you who are fans of the Fu Manchu series, and those who aren’t. Consider me part of the second group that considers a “Fu Manchu” to be a kind of facial hair style. I’m only partially joking. I’m aware that the character, created by Sax Rohmer, has been explored in most major media, beginning in the 1913 novel The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu. This review, however, is my first foray into the films of Fu Manchu.
The character has been celebrated in at least fourteen films (my count could be off by a film or two) but not without also being harshly criticized as figure of anti-Asian racism. Blue Underground has packaged two of these films in a nice double-bill starring the legendary Christopher Lee (Lord of the Rings, The Wicker Man) as the title villain, and both directed by Jess Franco.
Now, if you’re like me and discovering these films for the first time, Blue Underground’s double feature blu-ray release may not be the best place to start. Blood and Castle represent parts 4 & 5 in a five film series starring Christopher Lee. In order to be completely caught up in the series, it really helps to see The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966), and The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967) prior to beginning Blood. At the time of writing this review, I still have not seen the previous entries and the challenge that ensued created an inability to understand the primary opposition between Fu Manchu and his adversary, protagonist Nayland Smith.
The Castle of Fu Manchu fairs a little bit better. Fu Manchu has some incredible freezing device and once again sets forth to take over the world. The plot is a bit more structured and the battle lines a bit more defined. However, Franco seems to be restrained this time as his excesses in female nudity and violence are nonexistent. The fifth and final film in the franchise plays more straight forward and mainstream but this proves to be both it’s best asset and failure.
The Disc
Technical merits of the Blu-ray are outstanding and Severin Films once again shows they go above and beyond for all of their releases.
The video is very good considering that the source elements were probably less than ideal. Image appears a little washed out at times and there are some inconsistencies here and there, but overall the film looks fantastic.
The audio is serviceable and provides some additional “guffaws” with unintentionally humorous musical cues, sound effects, and choice quotes.
Last but not least, Severin Films produces a number of supplemental treats that are not deserved but greatly welcomed. The interview with Director Eddy Matalon proves incredibly telling as his recollection of the film seems to describe a much more coherent and polished film than the rest of us experience. The interview with actress Randi Allen (Cathy all grown up) is an interesting look into someone who is very humble and has zero desire for the industry, but ended up being featured in a cult classic because her mother happened to be the costume designer. And the audio commentary feels like a nice cherry on top listening to Cathy fans, speak openly about the flaws and virtues of this “Canuxploitation” rarity.
Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?
At the end of the day, I fully recommend you acquire Severin Films Blu-ray and add it to your collection of obscure treasures. But do you really need me telling you that? That trailer sells itself.
Hidden Treasure!
