The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)

Director:

Piers Haggard

Writers:

Rudy Dochtermann (writer)
Jim Moloney (writer)

Release Date:

8 August 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

BEWARE! See this movie - An hour later you'll want to see it again!

Plot:

Fu Manchu's 168th birthday celebration is dampened when a hapless flunky spills Fu's age-regressing elixir vitae...

Plot Keywords:

Fu Manchu | Chinese | Detective | Jewel Thief | Mummy

Cast

Peter Sellers	...	Dennis Nayland Smith / Dr. Fu('Fred') Manchu
Helen Mirren	...	Alice Rage
David Tomlinson	...	Sir Roger Avery
Sid Caesar	...	Joe Capone
Simon Williams	...	Robert Townsend
Steve Franken	...	Peter Williams
Stratford Johns	...	Ismail
John Le Mesurier	...	Perkins
John Sharp	...	Sir Nules Thudd
Clément Harari	...	Doctor Arnold Wretch
Kwan-Young Lee	...	Tong
John Tan	...	Dacoit
Philip Tan	...	Dacoit
Serge Julien	...	Dacoit
Johns Rajohnson	...	Dacoit

Also Known As:

Fu Manchu (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:108 min | Norway:101 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Norway:12 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Australia:PG

Company:

Braun Entertainment Group

Trivia:

David Tomlinson's last film before retirement.

Quotes:

Fu Manchu: You were the only worthy adversary I ever had Nayland, the only one.
Nayland Smith: But I hated you Fu. Oh God, did I hate you.
Fu Manchu: Yes, but they were the good old days.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Forty Deuce (1982)

Fun for we old movie buffs and detective story fiends

Like a couple of other reviewers here, I'm baffled as to why this movie is so lambasted. It is not the gut-busting laugh getter, but then it's not supposed to be. I found it to be rather tongue in cheek fun, not unlike a silly James Bond film (when Connery was doing it still) and entertaining for the detective movie buff like myself. I remember seeing it with my wife. And the ending is silly and funny I thought. Sure it's not a great film like "Being There" but it is not a horrible film to go out on as some professional reviewers have said. I really liked the exaggerated Chinese accent Sellers gives his Fu Manchu (Which I would imitate for my wife's amusement often) and the funny bit about the aging and somewhat out there Nayland Smith pushing a lawnmower over the carpet in the "home" that helped him think. And so to you Nay(land) sayers out there, I say FU! I had a good time with this addition to detective fiction satire.