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Blood of Fu Manchu [1968]
Country of Origin: Spain / West Germany
/ USA / UK
Year of Production: 1968
Running Times: 82 mins Germany]
87 mins 56 sec [UK - video (1994)]
89 mins 3 sec [UK - video (1999)] 91 mins [USA]
Format: Eastmancolor 35mm
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono
CREDITS
PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Ada Films / Terra Filmkunst /
Udastex Films / Towers of London / Anglo Amalgamated
Producer: Harry Alan Towers
Production Managers: Juan Estelrisch, Tibor Reves,
Francisco Romero, Bob Lynn, Bruno Leder
SCRIPT
Script: Peter Welbeck (real name: Harry Alan Towers), Manfred R. Köhler,
Ricardo Franco, Jesus Franco
Characters: Sax Rohmer
DIRECTION
Director: Jesus Franco
Assistant Directors: Juan Estelrish, Reynald P. Barros
PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Manuel Merino
Assistant Director of Photography: Javier Perez Zofio
EDITING AND POST
PRODUCTION
Editors: Ángel Serrano, Alan Morrison, Waltraut
Lindenau, Stanley Frazen
MUSIC
Music: Daniel White [on US and UK prints]; Hans-Martin
Majewski, Gert Wilden [on West German and Spanish prints]
MAKE UP AND
COSTUMES
Make Up: Mariano Garcia
Christopher Lee's Make Up: Stuart Freeborn
Costumes: Helga Lepinski
SOUND
Sound: Malcolm Stewart
Dubbing Mixer: Bill Creed
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Jaime Rubio
DESIGN AND SET
CONSTRUCTION
Art Directors: Peter Gasper, Hans Billian
Set Dresser: Augusto Lega
LOCATIONS
Locations: Alicante, Spain; Barcelona, Spain; Madrid,
Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
CAST
Christopher Lee [Dr Fu Manchu]
Götz George [Carl Jansen]
Loni Von Frield (real name: Londi Von Friedel) [Celeste]
Tsai Chin [Lin Tang]
Maria Rohm [Ursula Wagner]
Richard Greene [Sir Denis Nayland Smith]
Shirley Eaton [Black Widow (Li Hong on West German
prints]
Howard Marion Crawford [Dr Ronald Petrie]
Ricardo Palacios [Sanco Lopez]
Isaura de Oliveira [Yuma]
Frances Kahn [Carmen]
Vicente Sejournant (real name: Vicente Roca) [Thomas]
Marcelo Arroita-Jáuregui [the governor]
SUMMARY
Fu Manchu is once again plotting world domination,
this time from his headquarters in the Amazon jungle. His plan is
to taint the lipstick of ten beautiful women with a rare poison that
kills only men and send them out to seduce ten prominent politicians.
Carl Jansen and Fu Manchu's arch-enemy Sir Denis Nayland Smith are
on hand to try to stop him.
CAPSULE REVIEW
With this, Towers took his Fu Manchu series
away from England and off to Brazil with Spanish auteur Franco.
Lee sits in a cave with his daughter by his side, having
nothing to do with any else. The colourful parades of the Rio carnival
are cut in for no reason. Shirley Eaton appears as a femme fatale
cut in with outtakes from another film [La
ciudad sin hombres [1968]]. Franco's
usual trombone style zooms are much in eveidence but Sax Rohmer, action,
mystery and entertainment are nowhere to be seen. Awful.
AVAILABILITY
Germany
Video Distributor: Taurus Video
Spain
Theatrical Distributor: C.E.A. Distribución / Andrés
Salvador Moli
UK
Video Distributor: Lumiere British Classics [LUM2100 - on
double bill with Die Folterkammer des Dr Fu Man Chu
[1969]]; Warner Home Video [S039030]
USA
Theatrical Distributor: Commonwealth United Entertainment
Video Distributors: NTA Home Entertainment; Trans
Atlantic Video (Hollywood's Best Collection); Moore;
American; Republic; Bingo
CENSORSHIP HISTORY
Finland
Rating: K-16
Sweden
Rating: 15
UK
Rating: A; 15
Theatrical prints cut by an unspecified amount in 1968; video versions
cut by 1 min 46 sec [Lumiere] and 44 sec [Warner]
USA
Rating: M; PG
West Germany
Rating: 18
TIMELINE
1968
August
23: West Germany - theatrical release
30: UK - rated A by the BBFC [with cuts, for theatrical
release]
November
25: Sweden - theatrical release
1969
April
25: Finland - theatrical release
September
24: USA - theatrical release
1970
March
16: Spain - theatrical release
1994
January
27: UK - rated 15 by the BBFC [with cuts, for video
release]
31: UK - video release [Lumiere British Classics [LUM2100]]
1996
June
11: UK - video deleted [Lumiere British Classics [LUM2100]]
1999
April
23: UK - rated 15 by the BBFC [with cuts, for video
release]
May
17: UK - video release [Warner Home Video [S039030]]
ALTERNATIVE TITLES
Against All Odds
Blodtörst - Swedish title
Fu Manchu - himon herra - Finnish title
Fu Manchu y el beso de la muerte - Spanish title
Kiss and Kill
Kiss of Death
Der Todeskuß des Dr Fu Manchu
LINKS
SEE ALSO
Daughter of the Dragon [1931]
Drums of Fu Manchu [1940]
Drums of Fu Manchu [1943]
The Fiendish Plot of Dr Fu Manchu [1980]
The Mask of Fu Manchu [1932]
The Mysterious Dr Fu Manchu [1929]
The Return of Dr Fu Manchu [1930]
SEQUEL TO
The Face of Fu
Manchu [1965]
The Brides of Fu
Manchu [1966]
The Vengeance of
Fu Manchu [1967]
SEQUEL
Die Folterkammer des Dr Fu Man Chu
[1969]
INCLUDES
FOOTAGE FROM
La
ciudad sin hombres [1968]
REFERENCES
MAGAZINES
Shivers no.50 p.57
review
BOOKS
Creature Features Strikes Again p.217
credits, review
Obsession:
The Films of Jesus Franco pp.59-60
illustrated credits, review [by Lucas Balbo] KEYWORDS
fu manchu; the amazon;
world domination; poisons; incas; kissing; snakes;
sequels; assassins; lipstick; drugs; espionage;
politicians; teenagers
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