The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), directed by Don Sharp, is the first of five 1960s thriller films starring Christopher Lee as the eponymous villain.
With the assistance of Scotland Yard's Nayland Smith (Nigel Green), the Chinese government has captured the criminal mastermind Dr. Fu Manchu and executed him for his crimes against humanity... or so it seems. It turns out that the person executed was actually an actor whom Fu Manchu had hypnotized. Now back in London, Fu Manchu has kidnapped a scientist to learn the means of using Tibetan seeds to produce a poison that works instantly, a pint of which has the power to kill every person and animal in the city. With such power at his disposal, Fu Manchu could put the world on its knees. Will he be stopped?
Followed by The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966), The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967), The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968), and The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969).
This film provides examples of:
- Actually a Doombot: The film opens with Fu Manchu's execution. However, it turns out that the person who was executed was actually an actor hypnotized by Fu Manchu.
- Affably Evil: Fu Manchu is polite and stoic.
- Arch-Enemy: Nayland Smith to Fu Manchu (and vice-versa)Fu Manchu: Nayland Smith - now the wheel of fate has turned full circle.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Nayland Smith. As examples - he quickly identifies Professor Muller's original poppy seed suppliers, foresees Hanuman's murder attempt, and figures out the entry points of Fu Manchu's hideout.
- Black Comedy: After a violent brawl with Fu Manchu's henchmen, Nayland Smith and company leave the guarded room of a museum, resulting in this line from its curator:Curator: Wait a minute! You can't leave the museum littered with dead Chinese!
- Captain Ersatz: Lin Tang, who is Fah Lo Suee in everything except name.
- Chase Scene: Of the automobile flavor - Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie in one automobile chasing after Fu Manchu and Lin Tang in another.
- The Chessmaster: Fu Manchu and Nayland Smith
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Hanuman - the warehouse owner who is in cahoots with Fu Manchu and whose warehouse serves as a secret entrance to Fu's base of operations.
- Daddy's Little Villain: Lin Tang
- Deadly Gas: Fu Manchu weaponizes the distilled poisonous liquid of the Blackhill poppy Seeds by having it sprayed overhead from an airplane. Its invisible and deadly properties gives the impression of poison gas.
- Diabolical Mastermind: Fu Manchu, who wants to distill the poisonous liquid of the Blackhill poppy seed and use it to control the world. The problem is that the liquid becomes harmless when exposed to heat, so Fu Manchu kidnaps a scientist (later he kidnaps a second) to inform him how to stabilize the liquid so it is poisonous at all temperatures.
- Do Not Adjust Your Set: Fu Manchu publicly announces his return to the public via radio, then demonstrates the strength of his poison on the Essex village of Fleetwick. The poison is sprayed overhead from an airplane, killing the entire population of almost 3000, as well as the army units guarding it.Fu Manchu: Attention! Attention! This is Fu Manchu. Stand by for an important message. I repeat, this is Fu Manchu. In a few days time I shall speak again to this country, and through it, to the entire world. What I tell you to do then must get done immediately. Anyone who disobeys will perish. To show you this is no idle threat, I give you this warning: remember Fleetwick. Remember Fleetwick.
- Dull Surprise: Fu Manchu, with the exception of the last two minutes of the film (see Oh, Crap!). It appears at though the heavy makeup on Christopher Lee prevents him from moving his eyebrows and emoting with his eyes.
- The Edwardian Era: The era in-which this film takes place.
- Elaborate Underground Base: Fu Manchu has one underneath the River Thames which has two entrances: a warehouse and a graveyard. After Nayland Smith and company use some maps and detective work to deduce the location of the lair and its entrances, they break in and have it flooded.
- Fantastic Fruits and Vegetables: The Blackhill poppy AKA "The Seed of Life". The Tibetan monks spoke legends of it being the secret to eternal life. Fu Manchu knows that the Tibetan monks of legend somehow weaponized the seeds, and he plans on doing the same.
- Femme Fatale: Lin Tang
- He Knows Too Much: By the time Nayland Smith reaches Fu Manchu's Tibetan hideout, he already has the knowledge to harness the poison of the poppy seeds. Fortunately, Nayland Smith has a contingency just for the occasion.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie
- Hypnotic Eyes: Fu Manchu. To demonstrate the strength of his hypnotism, he has Professor Gaskel punch a wall so hard his fist bleeds.Fu Manchu: You will obey me now until death.
- I Have Your Wife: Fu Manchu has Professor Muller's daughter Maria kidnapped after the professor refuses to divulge information on the Blackhill poppy. This way, her father will divulge knowledge and conduct experimentation for Fu Manchu's poison gas scheme.
- Hollywood Drowning: Fu Manchu has a henchwoman drowned in a tank after she tries to help Professor Muller escape. She struggles heavily before her death.
- Instant Sedation: The Blackhill poppy seeds' poison kills you instantly. A plane sprays the invisible poison at a pair of British soldiers who are several miles beneath the plane. They collapse and die within seconds.
- Last Words: The film ends with a medium closeup of Fu Manchu's fading in over the explosions of the monastery, and his voice utters the following.Fu Manchu: The world shall hear from me again... the world shall hear from me again.
- MacGuffin: The Grand Lama's papers on the poisonous liquid of the Blackhill poppy Seeds. They were given to Professor Gaskel on the Younghusband Expedition (a Tibetan expedition) that Professor Muller was not allowed on. Afterwards, they were locked in a vault in a guarded room of the Museum of Oriental Studies. Professor Gaskel reveals the whereabouts of the papers to Fu Manchu out of jealousy at not being a part of the expedition.
- The Blackhill poppy seeds are another MacGuffin. They only grow in Tibet, which is where Fu Manchu escapes to after his underground lair is flooded.
- Master of Disguise: Lin Tang uses a disguise to infiltrate a museum that Professor Gaskel works at. There, she drops a listening device. The museum's vault contains documents needed to understand how to make poison from the Blackhill poppy seeds.
- Oh, Crap!: After his enemies leave his clutches during the last minutes of the film, Fu Manchu realizes that something is horribly wrong.Lin Tang: What is it, father?Fu Manchu: Why did Nayland Smith leave the seeds here?[cue the entire monastery blowing up, and with it - Fu Manchu and his minions]
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Fu Manchu's daughter Lin Tang first appears disguised as Hanuman's secretary. Nayland Smith soon recognizes her from past encounters, which makes sense considering she only used glasses to disguise her face.
- Psychic-Assisted Suicide: How Fu Manchu makes Professor Gaskel kill himself once he is no longer needed.
- Secret Underground Passage: Fu Manchu's henchmen break into a guarded room of The Museum of Oriental Studies via sewer tunnel.
- Spell My Name With An S: The village name of Fleetwick (NOT Flitwick) is spelled out on a sign when the army comes to protect it following Fu Manchu's radio threats.
- The Stool Pigeon: Professor Muller - much to the chagrin of his daughter Maria - divulges a lot of information to Fu Manchu. He does this to mainly to protect his daughter, but also does it out of pride and For Science!. Lampshaded by Fu Manchu.Fu Manchu:Very interesting professor - vanity, jealousy. They bring us much that we need.
- Stuff Blowing Up: At the end of the film, Nayland Smith and company secretly rig Fu Manchu's Tibetan monastery to explode.note After Nayland Smith and company escape his clutches, Fu Manchu wonders why they did not take his abundance of poison gas poppy seeds with them. Cue explosions.
- Supervillain Lair: Fu Manchu has one underneath the River Thames which has two entrances: a warehouse and a graveyard. After Nayland Smith and company use some maps and detective work to deduce the location of the lair and its entrances, they break in and have it flooded. Afterwards, Fu Manchu hides at a Tibetan monastery with the kidnapped Professor Muller.
- The Watson: Dr. Petrie, whose skepticism at Fu Manchu's return is at odds with Nayland Smith's concerns.
- We Will Meet Again: Invoked by Fu Manchu's last words, which close the film.Fu Manchu: The world shall hear from me again... the world shall hear from me again.
- Yellow Face: Fu Manchu and a few other characters. Strangely, many of Fu Manchu's minions are white actors who do not appear to have any yellowface makeup on at all, but other characters still refer to them as being Chinese.
- Yellow Peril: Fu Manchu and his minions. Lampshaded by Dr. Petrie at the beginning of film when Smith contemplates the return of Fu Manchu.Nayland Smith: Haven't you noticed the sudden increase in drug crimes? The number of Orientals involved in gang killings?Dr. Petrie: Not the yellow peril again! You are overtired! [chuckles]
- You Are Too Late: By the time Nayland Smith and company reach the Tibetan monastery where Professor Muller has been imprisoned, he informs them that even if they rescue him, Fu Manchu already knows how to harness the poisonous power of the poppy seeds. Furthermore, Fu Manchu has received plenty of poppy seeds from the Grand Lama. Fortunately, Nayland Smith has already rigged the monastery to blow up while Fu Manchu (and his poppy seeds) are on its grounds.
