This film is part of Free
A Bid for Fortune
Master criminal Dr Nikola seeks a Chinese curio that promises eternal life and world domination
Overview
An Australian lawyer is entrusted with a curious Tibetan object known as the Rod of Knowledge, but soon discovers that dangerous occultist and evil mastermind Dr Nikola wants it for his own nefarious ends. A Bid For Fortune was an early British adventure serial which was packed together into this standalone feature that played in British cinemas during April 1917.
Producer Sidney Morgan adapted Guy Boothby's tale from the hugely popular Doctor Nikola series. Boothby, an Australian immigrant to the UK, was mentored by Rudyard Kipling and his evil occultist Dr Nikola was a forerunner of Fu Manchu, appearing in a string of novels between 1895 and 1901.
Related
Crosstrap Crosstrap
Drama 1962 62 mins
Stuck out in the country, two rival gangs fight it out with increasing savagery.
Good-Time Girl Good-Time Girl
Crime 1948 92 mins Location: Islington
Find out what happens when a good girl goes bad in this controversial post-war Brit noir thriller starring Jean Kent.
Trapped by the London Sharks Trapped by the London Sharks
Comedy 1916 83 mins Silent
Nefarious nightclub hosts blackmail a drunkard into fleecing their customers
Dear Murderer Dear Murderer
Drama 1947 94 mins
A frosty Greta Gynt goes head to head with jealous husband Eric Portman in this pitch-black British noir.
Enemy Enemy
Thriller 1976 60 mins
Frightening events unfold that may or may not be figments of Marigold’s imagination.
Trapped by the Mormons Trapped by the Mormons
Drama 1922 92 mins Silent
Unscrupulous criminals in the Manchester suburbs abuse the Mormon faith to lure young women away from their families.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.