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MovieMail's Review
12 films (1931-37) starring the softly-spoken Warner Oland as the Chinese-American detective. Satisfying fare crafted by Hollywood professionals at the top of their game, says James Oliver.
Dating from the golden age of uncomplicated entertainment and tooled by Hollywood craftsmen, these are fine examples of old-time moviemaking made by professionals at the top of their game.
They are also very much products of their time so it’s worth noting that the twenty three Charlie Chan films spread across these two sets date from an era that saw nothing wrong with hiring a white actor to ‘yellow up’ to play Chinese, then furnishing him with pidgin English dialogue and a ready supply of fortune-cookie aphorisms
But Confucius, he say ‘is bad idea to judge old movies by modern standards’. This series was, in its day, considered progressive. The films were especially popular with Chinese audiences, who loved seeing a smart, likeable Asian character as the hero. Indeed, so beloved was Chan in China that Chinese filmmakers actually started making their own Charlie Chan films, with Chinese actors imitating the Westerners who played Chan! (Sadly those films are beyond the remit of these sets, which only cover the films made by 20th Century Fox.) It wasn’t just the Chinese who were Chan fans. This series was popular with audiences around the world and it’s easy to see why: they are fantastically enjoyable films.
Originally created by the writer Earl Derr Biggers, Charlie Chan was, ostensibly, a detective in the Honolulu police force, whose duties took him far beyond Hawaii – to London! Monte Carlo! Egypt! – where he would encounter murder, mystery and misbehaviour, which he swiftly resolved.
The first Chan was Warner Oland, a Swedish actor (Sweden, China – it’s all ‘abroad’, right?) who established Chan as a sagacious sleuth whose deceptive modesty and unfailing politeness concealed a razor sharp mind. When Oland died, Sidney Toler (an American) adopted the mantle and the adventures continued much as before, albeit with a little more edge.
Yes, these films are products of their time, but that applies to more than just their casting choices. Those guys knew how to craft efficient, satisfying fare in a way that has been utterly forgotten by today’s tinsel town.
The first film featuring Charlie Chan, the silent film The House Without a Key, appeared in 1925. Forty-seven films and six Charlie Chans later, the series still delights audiences. Charlie Chan connoisseurs cite a variety of reasons for the honourable detective’s longevity and appeal, ranging from his wit and personality to the films’ fascinating casts, which often included future celebrities.
Although the softly spoken Swedish actor Warner Oland was not the first actor to portray Charlie Chan on the silver screen, it was he who gave Earl Derr Bigger's Chinese American detective its first distinctive star. He appeared in 16 Charlie Chan films in total, which it is claimed 'kept Fox afloat' during the 1930s. He died in 1938 with his final Charlie Chan film - Charlie Chan at the Ringside - unfinished. It was reshot with Peter Lorre taking Oland's scenes and released as Mr. Moto's Gamble.
This set contains: The Black Camel (1931), Charlie Chan ... In London (1934), In Paris, In Egypt, In Shanghai (1935), Charlie Chan’s Secret, At the Circus, At the Race Track, At the Opera (1936), At the Olympics, On Broadway and At Monte Carlo (1937).
