I just finished this yesterday and it's fantastic. I've got this one on VHS only, so I've not gotten around to watching it for many many years, but a busted dvd player requires alternative planning. It's been so many years in fact that I've largely forgotten the details, so as the many ingenious threats by Fu Manchu unfolded I was continuously fascinated to see how it would turn out. And unlike some serials, the cliffhangers in this one are really excellent. Some serials depend on just plain luck all the time for the hero to survive, but in this story we were often treated to the element of unseen story to save the day, the heroes saved themselves and didn't depend so much on luck.
The story is pretty straightforward and familiar for Fu Manchu fans. Fu Manchu seeks the Scepter of Ghenghis Khan which will give him sway over a vast army in the Eastern world. He is opposed by Sir Nayland Smith and a young man named Allen Parker who saw his father killed by Fu Manchu's men. They spend the first half of the serial fighting over clues to the location of the scepter and then the last half fighting over possession of the scepter itself.
This is a great serial with dandy acting and wonderful action sequences. The plot is varied and there are ghostly houses, hills full of native warriors, secret passages in ancient caves, and the typical assortment of domestic threats. Fu Manchu is aided by his daughter and his slave warriors who have had brain surgery to guarantee their loyalty to Fu Manchu. These silent killers are a very potent image throughout the serial and give Fu Manchu a real sense of sprawling menace.
The acting is above average with Henry Brandon as Fu Manchu. Some regard his portrayal as the best on film of the classic Sax Rohmer villain and I can't disagree. Brandon is outstanding. But Robert Kellard is excellent also as Parker, the main action hero of the story. He's very robust and his action sequences are very smoothly done. William Royle is Nayland Smith and he's quite good, taking part in more fist fights than I'd have imagined.
William Whitney and John English are the superb directors of this serial as they are of so many excellent Republic serials. This one has not only the typical Republic rockem sockem action sequences, but some really effective atmospheric touches as well. Fu Manchu is almost always shown in deep shadow and it gives him a real sense of menace. This one is a real gem. I give it the highest recommendation.
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Yes, I regard this as the best of the chapterplays for a lot of reasons. I'm surprised Kellard doesn't get more appreciation. He certainly gives the simple character his all, which is more than one could say for most actors in serial leading-man roles.
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