KISS AND KILL: Fu Manchu and beyond representation: Part I

This post represents the 20th anniversary of this blog. When I started it in June. 2006 I had just relocated from an apartment in the city to a 125 year old house in a rural area. I had just finished a series of interviews with Jess Franco and wanted to have a place where I could regularly discuss his filmography, or rather my evolving perception of his massive output. I want to express my thanks and appreciation to my followers and their valuded feedback in the comments section. Hopefully we'll have another 20 years here if the internet still exists in the age of AI and I can make it to the age of 95.

The exotic universe of Fu Manchu holds a continuing fascination in the Franco multiverse. Wether it's the films, both Franco's and other director's approach to the character, or Franco's own deep dedication to representing the exoticism of that world, which spans a 50 year period, from 1967 to his 21st century digital period. But we have to loop back to his youthful obsession with the 1930s, 40s and 50s serials, films, magazines, novels and images based on the works of Sax Rohmer. The director himself speaks of his delight with that world and the formats in which is was presented to the public. He has talked about how happy he was while directing his first Fu Manchu film in late 1967 for producer Harry Alan Towers, who wrote the script for the project.* After the paradigm shift which the success of his 1967 NECRONOMICON (Succubus) had imposed on him he had found a way to become a commerical director making an entertainment for an international audience, rather than having to continue to make comprosed films within the barriers of Francisco Franco censorship which had imprisoned him for the first years of his career.

I remember seeing THE FACE OF FU MANCHU in a downtown movie theater in 1965. Colorful and action-packed to my 13 year old eyes, it impressed me on the big screen. It had been imported to America by SEVEN ARTS. It was a Harry Alan Towers-German co-production and the first of 5 films starring a famous UK actor as Fu Manchu which would be made over a period of 4 years. It was capably directed by Don Sharp. The mold had been set. For a variety of reasons by the time Franco got his hands of the directing reins the series ran out of some its commercial steam and exotic ambience. The were two export edits of this 4th iteration, THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU 93 minutes and KISS AND KILL, which was re-edited and shortened. I first saw this on a VHS tape circa 1989 via the 1988 American Video Corp. prerecord.

I actually perfer this reedited version which at least moves with a certain dispatch and doesn't seem to sag as much in the middle. The new opening scene commences with a high angle shot of the Brazilian jungle, which seems shot from an airplane and may be stock footage. It then proceeds to shots of Gotz George cutting his way with a machete through the thick jungle foilage.This seems more in the RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK universe with Harrison Ford cutting his way through the jungles. Inspired, consciously or unconsciously, by RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK for this 1988 video release or was the opening of that mega-hit, showing the hero cut his way through the thick jungle inspired by BLOOD....? I doubt it. Speilberg and George Lucas likely had better things to do..

This American Video 1988 VHS lists a 91 minute runtime on the back cover  (it's actually shorter than THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU version and plays much more efficiently with a new opening scene featuring Gotz George leading an expedition toward Fu Manchu's hidden jungle city, which actually looks more like a large cave. Credited to Peter Welbeck, producer Harry Alan Towers, this first Franco-Towers collaboration is somewhat more coherent, but less colorful than the Franco-Towers THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU (1969).

The back copy on the Kiss and Kill VHS (Rated PG) reads like a promo for a 1970s kung fu epic: " The great Christopher Lee explodes in this kung-fu classic! Playing a Japanese (?!) mercenary, he's intent on righting  the evils that roam the land [actually, he's playing the Chinese super villain Fu Manchu!] He's in top form, fighting off his enemies with lots of sizzling high energy, high-kickin' action! As one of the most exciting films of its genre, KISS AND KILL will keep you on the edge of your seat!" But even trimmed by 10 or so minutes it's somewhat of a slog and won't keep anyone on the edge of their seat. And there is no high kicking kung fu fighting in any version which I've seen. Immediately beyond BLOOD.... lay two more Rohmer installations. And "installations" is an appropraiate term for THE GIRL FROM RIO and THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU. And there would be returns to Rohmerland in the 1980s. But first let's look at the sources of this pop culture madness.

*Franco himself mentions the Republic serial as a primary inspiration, noting that anything which elongated that unique atmosphere was delightful for him on the interview with him on the Blue Underground Blueray .