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Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 5 (Charlie Chan At The Wax Museum/Murder Over New York/Dead Men Tell/Charlie Chan In Rio/Charlie Chan In Panama/Murder Cruise/Castle in the Desert)
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Genre | Mystery & Suspense |
Format | Color, Black & White, Full Screen, NTSC |
Contributor | Victor Sen Young, Sidney Toler |
Language | English |
Number Of Discs | 4 |
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Product Description
Product Description
Disc 1: Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum Disc 2: Murder Over New York Disc 3: Dead Men Tell Disc 4: Charlie Chan in Rio Disc 5: Charlie Chan in Panama Disc 6: Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise Disc 7: Castle in the Desert Disc 8: Charlie Chan: The Fox Years
Amazon.com
The Charlie Chan Collection Volume 5 brings Fox's series of film mysteries based on Earl Derr Biggers' Chinese-Hawaiian detective to a conclusion with the studio's final seven features with Caucasian actor Sidney Toler in the lead. Budget restraints forced these latter Chan features to reduce the quality of their productions, and more often than not, the films took place on limited sets and without the scope or atmosphere of the earlier films. Plots were also reduced in running time and ambition; though hinged on a fun plot involving a plastic surgeon who creates new identities for crooks on the lam, Charlie Chan in the Wax Museum clocks in at barely over an hour, and suffers from bare sets and some highly predictable plot twists. Likewise, Dead Men Tell never leaves its claustrophobic pirate ship location, and Castle in the Desert, the final Chan film for Fox, is a confused hodgepodge of pulp thriller and horror tropes. Despite these drawbacks, there is still plenty of enjoyment to be had from Volume 5, especially in Charlie Chan in Rio, a remake of 1931's The Black Camel (with Warner Oland as Chan) that brims with an energy lacking from the later Toler efforts (there's also a nice bit involving Toler and Victor Sen Young's Number Two Son Jimmy conversing in Chinese with subtitles). Cinematography is also superlative in all of the Chan pictures included here, which lends a great deal of atmosphere to the modestly budgeted features. But the key pleasure of the Charlie Chan films is watching the detective unravel the case (no matter how convoluted) in his deliberate and patient manner, and Toler's performance (who would bring the character to Monogram and continue to play him until his death in 1947, after which Chan was essayed by Roland Winters) remains a distinct pleasure. Sen Young, though occasionally forced to mug furiously as Jimmy, lends likable support as Jimmy. There are also a host of Hollywood names on hand in supporting roles, including Lionel Atwill, Leo G. Carroll, Flash Gordon vets Jean Rogers and Frank Middleton, George Reeves, and even future Stooge Shemp Howard as a faux Hindu! Trailers for each film are included in the set, as well as still galleries and a 35-minute featurette which discusses, among other details, the impact of World War II on Fox's decision to bring the Chan series to a close. --Paul Gaita
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 1.33:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 10.4 ounces
- Item model number : 2253197
- Media Format : Color, Black & White, Full Screen, NTSC
- Run time : 7 hours and 31 minutes
- Release date : September 16, 2008
- Actors : Sidney Toler, Victor Sen Young
- Dubbed: : French, Spanish
- Subtitles: : English, French, Spanish
- Language : Unqualified, English (Mono)
- Studio : 20th Century Fox
- ASIN : B001ARDBXK
- Number of discs : 4
- Best Sellers Rank: #23,711 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #1,072 in Mystery & Thrillers (Movies & TV)
- #2,745 in Comedy (Movies & TV)
- Customer Reviews:
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Charlie Chan At The Wax Museum
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Charlie Chan In Rio
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Between 1931 and 1938 Chan was played by noted character actor Warner Oland. When Oland died, 20th Century Fox scrambled to find a new actor for the role--and ultimately assigned the part to Sidney Toler, who was well-regarded on stage but little known through films. In Toler's hands the character became less formal and the films began to emphasize comedy to a degree not previously seen. Some fans rebelled at the change, and even today fans continue to argue the merits of Oland vs. Toler. Even so, most fans would agree they enjoy both actors in the role.
The 5th collection of Chan DVDs released by 20th Century Fox includes several of the best films in the series. But sadly, 20th Century does not give this set the same loving touch earlier sets received: not only are the films released on the much-hated double-sided DVDs, the bonus material is either non-descript or simply not there at all, and it seems to me that the release was rushed through on the cheap. Even so, the films themselves are welcome and have received a reasonable restoration--and that is enough to make them welcome inclusions in any Chan fan's collection.
All five of the titles offered in the collection were released between 1940 and 1941, when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led the studio to discontinue the series, fearing audiences would become antagonistic toward its Asian characters. (This proved a mistake--actor Sidney Toler bought the screen rights and took them to poverty row Monogram Studio, where in spite of third and forth-rate scripts and supporting casts Chan films remained popular through 1949.) The titles included are: CHARLIE CHAN'S MURDER CRUISE; CHARLIE CHAN AT THE WAX MUSEUM; CHARLIE CHAN IN PANAMA; MURDER OVER NEW YORK; DEAD MEN TELL; CHARLIE CHAN IN RIO; and CASTLE IN THE DESERT. All feature Sidney Toler as Chan and Victor Sen Yung as number two son Jimmy Chan.
MURDER CRUISE seems to be a remake of CHARLIE CHAN'S CHANCE, a lost film, and it is among my favorites in the series, presenting us with a memorable cast including Lionel Atwill, Leo G. Carrol, Claire du Brey, and a truly winning turn from character actress Cora Witherspoon. This is easily among the most entertaining of the Toler films and a personal favorite. WAX MUSEUM offers a particularly improbable plot, but is no less the entertaining for that, and again the performers make the show quite a bit of fun--in this case including C. Henry Gordon, Marc Lawrence, and Joan Valerie, among others.
IN PANAMA is generally considered one of the best Toler films, and I have to agree. Although the United States had not entered World War II at this point, the war informs everything about the film, which concerns an attempt to destroy the Panama Canal. Again the supporting cast--especially Mary Nash and Lionel Atwill--is particularly fine, and the film ends on an unexpectedly somber note in anticipation of the war to come. Released in 1941, MURDER OVER NEW YORK seems to borrow from a number of earlier Chan films, as well as a Mr. Wong film, and is similar to PANAMA in the sense that it has an "anticipating war" quality in its tale of military sabatoge; although I would not include it among the best of the series, a strong cast and quick pace makes it enjoyable.
DEAD MEN TELL tends to be a film that divides Chan films: you either like or you don't, and I fall among the latter, for I find it lacks the light touch that makes Chan movies so entertaining. Set aboard a ship about to set sale on a treasure search, the film does offer an enjoyable turn by noted character actress Ethel Griffries and some atmospheric photography, but beyond this it holds not great interest for me. IN RIO, however, is easily the weakest of the films in this collection, a sub-par remake of the 1931 Chan THE BLACK CAMEL that fails to click in spite of the always welcome presence of Kay Linaker.
Perhaps the single most prized film in this collection is the final Chan film to be released by 20th Century Fox, the seldom-seen CASTLE IN THE DESERT. The plot is particularly far-fetched and wild, but it plays with a great deal of atmosphere, at a fast clip, and with a light touch--and includes what may be Ethel Griffries single most memorable performance in a long career of memorable character portraits.
It is true that 20th Century Fox gave these final films in the series the short end of the stick in their release, but even so the films themselves are essential for anyone who enjoys the series--and I give the collection five stars on that basis. As Chan himself would say, "Thank you so much!"
GFT, Amazon Reviewer