| The Blood of Fu Manchu | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jesús Franco |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Fu Manchu bySax Rohmer |
| Produced by | Harry Alan Towers |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Manuel Merino[1] |
| Edited by | Allan Morrison |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Countries |
|
| Language | English |
The Blood of Fu Manchu (German:Der Todeskuss des Dr. Fu Man Chu,lit. 'The Death-Kiss of Dr. Fu Manchu',Spanish:Fu-Manchú y el beso de la muerte), also known asKiss of Death,Kiss and Kill (U.S. title) andAgainst All Odds (original U.S. video title), is a 1968 Britishadventurecrime film directed byJesús Franco, based on the fictional Asian villainDr. Fu Manchu created bySax Rohmer. It was the fourth film in a series, and was preceded byThe Vengeance of Fu Manchu.The Castle of Fu Manchu followed in 1969.[4]
It was produced byHarry Alan Towers forUdastex Films. It starredChristopher Lee as Dr. Fu Manchu,Richard Greene asScotland Yard detectiveNayland Smith, andHoward Marion-Crawford as Dr. Petrie. The film was filmed inSpain andBrazil.Shirley Eaton appears in a scene that she claimed she was never paid for; apparently, the directorJesús Franco had inserted some stock footage of her from one of her films (The Girl from Rio (1968)) into the film without telling her. She only found out years later that she had been in a Fu Manchu film.[5]
In his remote jungle hideout, the evil Dr. Fu Manchu, with his sadistic daughter Lin Tang, has discovered a deadlyvenom in a "lost city" in the Amazonian jungle that affects only men. Women can become carriers of the "kiss of death" by being bitten by venomous snakes. The venom causes blindness and is ultimately followed six weeks later by death. Usingmind control, he aims six women at Nayland Smith and other key people with political influence. This prevents them from interfering with his own ambitions: to prepare millions of "doses" and spread them around the world's major cities and capitals in a plan to gain world domination.
Credits adapted from the booklet of the Powerhouse FilmsBlu-ray boxsetThe Fu Manchu Cycle: 1965-1969.[6]
Uncredited:
In 1965, the first of many adaptations of the works ofSax Rohmer were adapted to film by producerHarry Alan Towers. The first wasThe Face of Fu Manchu (1965) by directorDon Sharp. The film had actorChristopher Lee begin a run of five performances as the villainous mastermindFu Manchu.[7]
In 1967, directorJesús Franco met producerHarry Alan Towers. The two would make nine feature films together during a two-and-a-half-year period.[7] These included three adaptations of works of Rohmer,The Blood of Fu Manchu,The Girl from Rio (1969) andThe Castle of Fu Manchu (1970).[7][8]
Filming began on November 30, 1967 and lasted approximately three weeks.[7]
Various prints list different credited crew members. English and German prints both credit Alan Morrison as the films editor while German prints also add Waltraut Lindenau as an editor. Spanish prints credit Angel Serrano.[3] On the English prints, the music is credited to Daniel White while the Spanish print credit German composerGert Wilden.[9]
The Blood of Fu Manchu was released first in central London on August 30, 1968.[10][11] This was followed by a more general release in the United Kingdom on March 23, 1969.[10]
It was screened in Detroit on September 24, 1969. The first known release in Spain was inSeville on March 2, 1970, followed by screenings on March 16 inBarcelona and later inMadrid on February 1, 1971.[3]
| Novels |
|
|---|---|
| Characters | |
| Films |
|
| Radio |
|
| Television series | |
| Related articles | |
