This film is part of Free
The Man with the Limp
When evil Dr Fu-Manchu is thought dead, his murderous secret Si-Fan society continues its awful work, using the dreaded Flower of Silence!
Overview
This action-packed episode features one of the Devil Doctor's most enjoyably silly schemes to do away with his nemesis Nayland Smith. When Smith goes missing, it's up to Dr Petrie to continue the hunt for the Si-Fan, Fu-Manchu's secret society. On the trail of a mysterious man with a limp, Petrie disguises himself as a rough bargee to investigate a smoky riverside drinking den, the Joy-Shop Club.
Behold the dreaded flower of silence – a poisoned flower fastened to a bedroom light fitting, lowered down from the ceiling on a length of electrical cable by a dacoit, on to the sleeping hero. Absurdly over-complicated machinations of this kind made Fu-Manchu a prime target for mickey-taking, as was still being demonstrated decades later in Peter Sellers' Goonish comedy spoof The Fiendish Plot of Fu-Manchu (1980).
Related
The Woman from China The Woman from China
Crime 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.
Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion
Short documentary 2026 22 mins
Filmmaker Andrea Luka Zimmerman and curator Matthew Barrington discuss Frederick Wiseman’s High School with Sandra Hebron.
Hard, Cracked the Wind Hard, Cracked the Wind
Horror 2019 17 mins
A haunting with words is the lure between life and death for a young Cornish poet.
A Last Resort A Last Resort
Comedy 2022 17 mins
Rose is desperate to celebrate her 60th birthday in style, but her daughter Genevieve is struggling to ignore some recent tragic news about her mum.
The Walk The Walk
Drama 2023 12 mins
Adeel Akhtar portrays a man on a weekly trek to his nearest JobCentre, entering a state of purgatory through barriers put in place by the system.
Seagull Seagull
Horror 2022 6 mins
Seagull is a recovering drug addict who is about to have a very strange night on The English Riviera.
Octopus Octopus
2021 13 mins
Upon returning to her home town for a funeral, a young woman reconnects with the friends she left behind.