This film is part of Free
The West Case
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Overview
A fiendishly complicated scheme involving dancing girls, hashish, a fishing line, and a trained marmoset results in mysterious master criminal Fu-Manchu snatching the plans for the West Aero-Torpedo. Stern Denis Nayland Smith and staunch Dr Petrie battle to get them back in this earliest surviving instalment of the thrill-a-minute serial The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu.
The first part of this lavishly-budgeted 15-part Stoll serial is lost in the mists of time, so we join the action with the second thrilling instalment. The drama is based closely on an incident in the first of Sax Rohmer’s bestselling Fu-Manchu novels, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu (1913), but the hiding place of the stolen plans – bafflingly overlooked by Nayland Smith in his search – was the invention of the filmmakers.
Related
The Woman from China The Woman from China
Action and Adventure 1931 76 mins Silent
A young woman is persuaded to help a Chinese businessman to kidnap a naval officer in this fun and outrageous British thriller.
Attack on a Mission Station Attack on a Mission Station
War 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Blackburn
Dramatised account of Chinese rebels' violent confrontation with Christian missionaries, made in the wake of the Boxer Rebellion.
Cosmopolitan London Cosmopolitan London
Interest film 1924 10 mins Location: Soho
An extraordinary tour of Soho's French cafés, Clerkenwell's Little Italy and the lesser-trodden streets of Limehouse in the 1920s.
A Bid for Fortune A Bid for Fortune
Drama 1917 84 mins Silent
Master criminal Dr Nikola seeks a Chinese curio that promises eternal life and world domination
Lieutenant Lilly and the Sploge of Opium Lieutenant Lilly and the Sploge of Opium
Comedy 1913 11 mins Silent Location: Walton-on-Thames
The intrepid Lt Lilly is called upon to quell a Chinese Boxer rebellion in a spoof adventure serial.
Lieutenant Rose and the Chinese Pirates Lieutenant Rose and the Chinese Pirates
Drama 1910 12 mins Silent Location: Croydon
Lieutenant Rose is kidnapped by Chinese pirates in this action-packed early adventure series.
Stranger on the Shore: Dark Satanic Malls Stranger on the Shore: Dark Satanic Malls
Short documentary 2016 13 mins Location: Grays
The first in a cycle of films exploring Britain's coastal edgelands, this film looks specifically at the dockside desolation of the Thames Estuary in Essex, crossroads of global trade.
Ramsgate to Richmond Ramsgate to Richmond
Amateur film 1967 12 mins Silent Location: Ramsgate
Join the jolly crew aboard this cabin cruiser as it journeys from Ramsgate to Richmond in John Clague's fascinating maritime epic
Waverley at Whitstable Waverley at Whitstable
Amateur film 1982 21 mins Location: Whitstable
Come along for a unique journey on the Waverley - the last sea going paddle steamer in the world - and London is our destination
SS Oriana SS Oriana
Amateur film 1967 2 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Join the greeting party on Tilbury dock to wave home relatives disembarking from a trans-Atlantic cruise
The Essex Coast The Essex Coast
Travelogue 1977 19 mins Location: Tilbury
Tilbury to Fingringhoe, Leigh-on-Sea, to Burnham-on-Crouch.
The Stefan Batory The Stefan Batory
Amateur film 1970 1 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Wonderful, evocative scenes at Tilbury dock as family members wave goodbye to relatives aboard an ocean liner.
Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass) Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2011 33 mins
Over 30 years and 150 projects, the composer shares, with humour and passion, the intricacies of making film music.
Ian Neil (Masterclass) Ian Neil (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2012 74 mins
Neil selected soundtracks for 127 Hours, Shame, Kick Ass, Control and many more. He discusses the job and its complexities, referencing his own work.
Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan
Inside Film 2012 mins
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy's adapter reveals his quest for "the poem of the book" and the importance of simplicity: 'Drain the pond to find the fish'.
Gabriel Yared on composing for film Gabriel Yared on composing for film
Inside Film 2013 11 mins
Composer of The Lives of Others, The English Patient and Betty Blue on intimacy and experimentation.
Lois Burwell on movie makeup Lois Burwell on movie makeup
Inside Film 2013 17 mins
Lincoln, Braveheart and Magnolia make-up artist Lois Burwell explains how she created some of her most iconic looks, as part of a BAFTA Masterclass.
Barry Ackroyd (Masterclass) Barry Ackroyd (Masterclass)
2013 61 mins
British cinematographer of The Hurt Locker, Captain Phillips, Hillsborough and Riff Raff reviews the art of the moving image.