Review – The Mask of Fu Manchu

I’m actually a little astonished that this level of racism was considered acceptable even in 1931. Boris Karloff stars as the sinister Asian, with Myrna Loy backing him up as his equally-creepy daughter. Of course the stereotypical portrayal of the “heathen Chinee” is nothing new (nor is it all that out-dated, at least judging by its resurfacing as recently as the Trade Federation mandarins in The Phantom Menace). What makes this stand out from garden-variety bigotry is the constant emphasis on the Asian menace to white, Anglo-American society. Our buddy Fu is after the mask and sword from Genghis Khan’s tomb so he can use them to unite non-occidentals of all stripes (East Asians, Muslims, even Cossacks) behind his push to exterminate white men and steal their women (I’m not making this up or being sarcastic). He even has some black guys in his employ, used when a white captive is in need of a good flogging. I’d like to give this at least one point for exhibiting some fun special effects, but the offense is simply too great. Wish I’d skipped it