hwg1957-102-265704
Directed by Anthony Bushell who was more noted as an actor 'The Terror of the Tongs'is a lively story set in Hong Kong about a sea captain who goes against The Red Dragon Tong after his daughter is killed by the tong searching for an incriminating document. There is torture, murder, scantily clad girls and British actors trying unsuccessfully to be Chinese. What's not to like? The colourful sets and good photography add to the charm of it all.Christopher Lee plays Chung King (not Pe King?) and is actually much better than when he plays Dr. Fu Manchu. His demise is rather poignant. Geoffrey Toone is colourless as the hero Captain Sale. Support is given by always good to see actors like Marne Maitland (Beggar), Ewen Solon (Tang How), Roger Delgado (Tang Hao) and Richard Leech (Inspector Bob Dean.) The unmistakable Milton Reid plays a sadistic torturer. There are some suitable ethnic actors like the great Burt Kwouk and E(R)ic Young, the latter whom unimaginatively is called Confucious. Yvonne Monlaur (apparently born Yvonne Thérèse Marie Camille Bedat de Monlaur!) pretends to be Chinese by using the walking around in gorgeous silk dresses split up the side method. A little distracting.Not a waste of time by any means though it is a throwback to pulp fiction and Sax Rohmer, which is fine if you like that kind of thing.
Richard Chatten
This deservedly obscure warm-up for Christopher Lee for the role of Fu Manchu, set in Hong Kong in 1910, marked the first time he received top billing on a Hammer production, and follows in the footsteps of 'The Stranglers of Bombay' in detailing with relish the sadistic activities of a ruthless foreign cult able to act with impunity until a representative of the British Empire steps in to put a stop to it all.'Stranglers' had been made in black & white to lessen the impact of the bloodletting, but 'The Terror of the Tongs' was (in Britain at least) permitted glorious early 60's Eastmancolor, thus heightening the visual impact of The Red Dragon Tong's penchant for cutting off fingers and killing people with axes, while also looking a treat as photographed by Arthur Grant, designed by Bernard Robinson and costumed by Molly Arbuthnot; as do the various exotic young women slinking about the margins of the action in slit-sided qipaos, or less.The film's makers presumably knew what an authentic Chinaman looked like, because early in the film a young Burt Kwouk shares an important scene with hero Geoffrey Toone before being promptly killed off and replaced with British film regulars like dear old Charles Lloyd Pack and Harold Goodwin in the oriental speaking parts. (Where was Michael Ripper when they were shooting this?) The Calcutta-born Marne Maitland brings his usual polish to the role of an urbanely spoken beggar on crutches who proves to be more than he seems. Someone however must have drawn the line at attempting to pass Yvonne Monlaur (who died just a couple of weeks ago) as Chinese, since she's given a line explaining that she's "an 'alf-caste". Elsewhere, Jimmy Sangster's script juggles occasionally intelligent dialogue with frequently clumsy plotting.Director Anthony Bushell, after a long career as an actor (he had recently played Col. Breen in the original TV version of 'Quatermass and the Pit'), was at the time concentrating mainly on directing, but seems a strange choice for such a lurid subject. He certainly doesn't show any flair for staging action, and this proved his last feature film, after which he worked in television for a couple of more years.
malcolmgsw
I fondly remember this film as it was the first X certificate film I ever saw.I was 14 at the time and I saw it in a double bill with Forgo at the ABC Golders Green.This is a Hammer film but not a horror film.It is set in a very studio bound Hong Kong.Nearly all of the main oriental characters are played by European actors.Christopher Lee plays the black hearted tong leader.He has a secret ally in the Hong Kong establishment.There is some violence,a torture scene which seems as if the torturer is an expert in acupuncture.There is also a great deal of Axe throwing.It is difficult at this distance in time to understand why the film was awarded an X certificate.The writer,the ubiquitous Jimmy Sangster,seems to included many plot elements from Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu films.
preppy-3
In 1910 Hong Kong Christopher Lee plays Chung King, an evil leader of tongs who will kill anyone who stands in their way of their slave and opium trade.A sea captain (Geoffrey Toone) battles them when his daughter is murdered. Violence follows and then bodies begin piling up.Unusual Hammer film--not really a horror movie--more like a violent action film. Lee is having a whale of a time playing King and Toone is OK in his role. Everyone else is pretty terrible--especially pretty Yvonne Monlaur and all the Asian actors. The low budget does show and the script is sort of scattershot.I'm giving it a 7 because it's no longer than it needs to be (79 minutes), Lee is very good, there's some beautiful color photography and some pretty strong bloody violence for 1961--but then this IS a Hammer film.Worth seeing on a slow day.
AD
