THE FU MANCHU CYCLE, 1965-1969 - LE

THIS ITEM WAS A LIMITED EDITION AND IS NOW OUT-OF-PRINT.
STANDARD EDITIONS ARE HERE.

THE FACE OF FU MANCHU (Don Sharp, 1965)
THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU (Don Sharp, 1966)
THE VENGEANCE OF FU MANCHU (Jeremy Summers, 1967)
THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU (Jesús Franco, 1968)
THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU (Jesús Franco, 1969)

Release date: 2 November 2020 (OOP date: 29 October 2021)
Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set (2 x UK & 3 x World Blu-ray premieres)

In 1965, maverick British producer and writer Harry Alan Towers (The Bloody Judge) scored a hit with The Face of Fu Manchu, a thrilling revival of Sax Rohmer’s super-villain imperiously portrayed by Christopher Lee (The Terror of the Tongs). Over the next four years, Lee and Towers would collaborate with directors Don Sharp (Psychomania), Jeremy Summers and Jesús Franco (Venus in Furs) on four ever more delirious tales of attempted world domination (The Brides of Fu Manchu, The Vengeance of Fu Manchu, The Blood of Fu Manchu, The Castle of Fu Manchu), each pitting the criminal mastermind against his arch-nemesis Nayland Smith, as played variously by Nigel Green (Play Dirty), Douglas Wilmer (Sherlock Holmes) and Richard Greene (The Adventures of Robin Hood).

Now, all five classic Fu Manchu films are presented on Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored from original negatives and containing a wealth of new and archival extras, including critical appreciations, cast and crew interviews and audio commentaries. This stunning collection is strictly limited to 6,000 units, and is presented with an exclusive, fully illustrated 120-page book, featuring new writing by Tim Lucas.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES

THE FACE OF FU MANCHU

• New restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with genre-film experts, critics and authors Stephen Jones and Kim Newman (2020)
• The BEHP Interview with Don Sharp – Part One: From Hobart to Hammer (1993, 96 mins): archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring Sharp in conversation with Teddy Darvas and Alan Lawson
• The BEHP Interview with Ernest Steward – Part One: The BIP Years (1990, 96 mins): archival audio recording of an interview with the respected cinematographer, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project
• Archival interview with Christopher Lee (1965, 4 mins): extract from the Irish television programme Newsbeat, filmed during location shooting in Dublin
• Vic Pratt Introduces ‘The Face of Fu Manchu’ (2020, 7 mins): appreciation by the BFI curator
• Underneath the Skin (2020, 49 mins): broadcaster, educationalist and author of The Yellow Peril: Dr Fu Manchu & The Rise of Chinaphobia, Christopher Frayling, examines the origin, history and reputation of Sax Rohmer’s works
• Alternative titles and credits
• Super 8 versions: cut-down home cinema presentations with original vinyl soundtracks
• Original UK, German and French theatrical trailers
• Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• World premiere on Blu-ray
  
  

THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU

THE VENGEANCE OF FU MANCHU

THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU

THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU

• New restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative
• Two presentations of the film: with the original The Castle of Fu Manchu title sequence, and the alternative Assignment Istanbul titles
• Original mono audio
• Vic Pratt Introduces ‘The Castle of Fu Manchu’ (2020, 7 mins): appreciation by the BFI curator
• From Alicante to Istanbul (2020, 13 mins): actor Rosalba Neri remembers Jesús Franco, Maria Rohm and the making of The Castle of Fu Manchu
• An Interview with Harry Alan Towers (2008, 45 mins): far-reaching personal account of the intrepid producer’s life in radio, TV and film
• The Further Mysteries of Dr. Fu-Manchu: ‘The Coughing Horror’ (1924, 31 mins): Fu Manchu torments Nayland Smith with a terrifying creature in this silent serial sequel, presented with an optional new score by the band Peninsula
• Alternative title sequences
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
  
  

• Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with a new essay on the Fu Manchu cycle by Tim Lucas, a look at the career of producer/screenwriter Harry Alan Towers, an examination of the work of Fu Manchu creator Sax Rohmer, new writing on The Ghost of Monk’s Island and the Stoll Pictures’ Fu Manchu silent serials, archival newspaper articles on the films, extracts from the films’ pressbooks, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• Five replica production stills
• UK and World premieres on Blu-ray 
• Limited edition box set of 6,000 individually numbered units
  
  

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BBFC cert: 15
REGION B
EAN: 5060697920666