Christopher Lee Collection

THE FLICKS: Blue Underground’s latest contribution to the world of cult cinema on DVD is the Christopher Lee Collection, which is a bit of misnomer. Although the horror icon is the featured player in each film, he’s far from the driving force behind them. The box set could easily have been re-titled “The Harry Alan Towers Compendium” (the producer and screenwriter of all four films) or “The Jess Franco Jamboree” (the director responsible for three of four). Bored with his association with Hammer and his typecasting as Dracula, Lee sought out more diverse roles to satisfy his creative outlet. While the “Fu Manchu” films were an initial success, by the time Towers and Franco put “Castle of Fu Manchu” and “Blood of Fu Manchu” into production, the actor was backed into the same corner – covered in heavy make-up with very little screen time. Both films are saddled with Franco’s lasseiz-faire direction - unnecessary and disorienting camera zooms, pathetic stunts, and a dash of clumsy erotica. If one tries to take it seriously, it makes for a painful experience. On the other hand, from the “Mystery Science Theater” perspective of film appreciation, “Castle” and “Blood” make for some uproarious fun! Modeled after the adventures of 30’s era movie serials, Franco tries for the feel of dangerous locals, exotic women, and the threat of global catastrophe. In “Castle of Fu Manchu,” the infamous “Yellow Peril” is holed up in a Turkish fortress with a rather vague plan to freeze the world’s oceans. Unfortunately, the scientist he’s blackmailed to do his bidding is suffering from heart failure. And do-gooder Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard (Fu Manchu’s archenemy) is hot on his trail. The bargain basement effects begin early with an iceberg sequence lifted entirely from “A Night to Remember.” And it only gets worse (or better, depending on your point of view) from there. Lee, always the professional, makes the most of his limited screen time. But you get the impression he was in this for a free trip, a fact he comes clean about in the disc’s commentary. “Blood of Fu Manchu” is almost a total wash, despite starting off with an ingenious, if far fetched, concept. Women of Fu Manchu’s choosing are bitten by a venomous snake, then sent out to the far corners of the globe. Their orders are to transmit the poison via a passionate kiss to enemies of Fu Manchu. Of course, Nayland Smith is at the top of the list. And after receiving the smooch of death, the intrepid investigator must track down his foe before time runs out. The plot is so incomprehensible as to be almost surreal. And Franco seems particularly inept this time around, getting mired down in the exploits of an overweight gang of scruffy banditos. But if you can hold out there’s special treat in the form of one of the most poorly choreographed stripteases ever put to film! “Circus of Fear” features a changing of the guard, of sorts. A Edgar Wallace mystery with Lee starring as a masked lion tamer with something to hide, Franco is replaced by director John Moxey, who delivers a traditional (but professional) little thriller. The disparate plot threads (an armored car robbery on London’s Tower Bridge, various love triangles and oaths of family vengeance) come together at the winter quarters of a traveling circus, where a shadowy crime figure hides among the quirky employees. Is it the blackmailing dwarf? The upstanding ringmaster? Or the hotheaded knife thrower? Lee’s face is hidden for the majority of the film’s running time, but at least “Circus of Fear” throws in a good thrill every 15-minutes or so. It’s “Ten Little Indians” approach tackles the material with a good deal of class and is blessed with the presence of actor/provocateur Klaus Kinski in one of his first English speaking roles. Franco redeems himself somewhat with “The Bloody Judge,” the only movie that is exclusive to this set. And Blue Underground seems to have saved the best for last. Not only does the film feature the best performance by Lee in a historically showy role, but it finds Franco more at home in his “exploitation” element. Along with the “inspired by actual events” biography of Judge Jeffreys, a notorious 17th century witchfinder who delivered death sentences by the dozen, “The Bloody Judge” features copious amounts of torture, nudity and gore. Butchered by censors, the film has floated across continents with several different running times and titles (in the U.S. it was “Night of the Blood Monster”). But Blue Underground gives us the most complete version to date, with all the sensationalistic elements intact. Lee and co-star Leo Genn make for outstanding gentile adversaries as they vie for power while the crown of England is up for grabs. And, despite Lee’s objections to the vulgar additions to the story, Franco’s soft-core sex and gore spice up the proceedings quite nicely. Of the four films included in the set, “The Bloody Judge” is the most comfortable fit for the Blue Underground label, with echoes of “Salon Kitty’s” perverse historical filmmaking. But “Circus of Fear” deserves a nod as well for it’s Giallo-like sense of style. The “Fu Manchu” films are most definitely an acquired taste, but likely must-see for fans of Franco. THE FEATURES: “Blood of Fu Manchu” and “Castle of Fu Manchu” share the same format: A 15-minute interview with Lee, Franco, Towers and co-star Tsai Chin, along with trailers, posters, still and a history of the Fu Manchu character in print and on film. The interviews dig up some wonderful stories – Lee’s make-up prevented him from looking anywhere but straight ahead which dictated his stiff acting style – Franco tells how Harry Towers (writing under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck) would crank out an entire script during his airline commute to the set. “Circus of Fear” ditches the interviews in favor of a running commentary by director Hoxey, who admits that the film was designed to grab it’s audience in the first reel...and not much more than that. Still, there’s an appreciation for what the low budget crew was able to pull off, like the Tower Bridge robbery, which was filmed on-location, a feat that likely would never take place today. Trailers for the American release (titled “Psycho-Circus”), posters, stills and bios cap things off. “The Bloody Judge” packs in the most extras of the set, featuring a 8-minute deleted scenes transferred from a bootleg Spanish VHS tape and alternative takes of certain sequences of the film that were re-shot or re-edited for release in foreign markets. Trailers, stills and bios support the highlight of the disc, which is a 25-minute documentary called “Bloody Jess.” Featuring more new interviews with Franco and Lee, each has their say about what the film was meant to be. Lee is obviously still a bit peeved about the “naughty bits” that were spliced in (he refuses to watch the film for just that reason). Franco, on the other hand, finds it to be one of his most successful achievements, incorporating his love for classic horror films (the executioner is based on Boris Karloff’s character in “Tower of London”) and historical epics (surprisingly, Franco was second unit director on Orson Welles’ “Chimes at Midnight”). All the films are 16:9 enhanced with good to outstanding transfers (“Circus Of Fear” suffers from a good bit of wear at times) and mono sound. As usual, you can always count on the Blue Underground crew scour the archives for the best elements for their eclectic DVDs.