Movie-a-Day, days 32-33
Let's see if I can barnstorm through two reviews without staying up until 3AM...
32: Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938;USA) D: Norman Foster W: Norman Foster & Philip McDonald
The fifth Moto film gets right down to business as Moto (in disguise as a murderer) helps notorious criminal Brissac (Leon Ames, Charlie Chan On Broadway, The Thin Man Goes Home) escape from Devil's Island. Soon, the two are in London, and "Ito" is hired on to be Brissac's houseboy. (It's odd how when Moto is being himself, he's got Lorre's usual accent, but whenever he's disguised as a different Asian he goes with the pidgin. Maybe it's to lull his enemies into a false sense of superiority.) Moto's real goal is to let Brissac lead him to the organization known as the League of Assassins, so he can learn the identity of it's leader (no, not Ra's al Ghul.) He has the aid of a Scotland Yard inspector (Lester Matthews, Werewolf of London and Thank You, Jeeves!), a beautiful Chinese undercover assistant ("Karen Sorrel" aka Lotus Long from Think Fast, Mr. Moto) and a pair of rather dull Americans, but it's up to Moto himself to stop a cunning murder and bump off the bad guys. Another winner from director Foster, who always brings out the best in our ultra-polite, utterly ruthless hero (you gotta see how he gets the head assassin in this one... just cold, man.) Good looking sets, especially the seedy Limehouse bar and the big clock tower finale, and some really nifty stuntwork from Lorre's stunt double. I want more!
Oddly, lovely Lotus Long is here credited as Karen Sorrel, as she was in only one other film. Her birth name was Lotus Pearl Shibata, and her husband's last name was Knott, so I really don't get this. She was back to Lotus Long for her next film (The Mystery of Mr. Wong). Her character here is Lotus Liu, and her character in Think Fast, Mr. Moto was Lela Liu, so I'll just pretend she's the same character with a new nickname. (DVD rental)
33: The Black Castle (1952;USA) D: Nathan Juran W: Jerry Sackheim
The last of "The Boris Karloff Collection," this is a second-string swashbuckler starring Richard Greene (the 1939 Hound of the Baskervilles) as an English nobleman investigating a castle near the Black Forest whose Lord, a Bavarian Count (Stephen McNally, Up Goes Maisie), he suspects of murdering some friends of his. Infiltrating incognito, our hero runs into the Count's brutish mute servant Gargan (Lon Chaney Jr., High Noon), shifty physician (Boris Karloff, in a too-small role) and beautiful, unhappy wife (Rita Corday, aka Paula Corday, from DIck Tracy Vs. Cueball and six! films from the "Falcon" series, as six different characters!!!). There's some sneaking about, a lot of polite lying, and more than enough suspicion to go around. The Count invites his new guest on a Leopard hunt (he had it specially imported). Naturally, our hero falls for the beautiful wife, just in time to raise the stakes considerably.
he story is OK, though not really memorable, but it all looks real nice while it's going on, and has some nice atmosphere. Director Juran went on to direct a lot of FX oriented movies, from the ridiculous (Attack of the 50 foot Woman) to the sublime (7th Voyage of Sinbad). (purchased DVD)
32: Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938;USA) D: Norman Foster W: Norman Foster & Philip McDonald
The fifth Moto film gets right down to business as Moto (in disguise as a murderer) helps notorious criminal Brissac (Leon Ames, Charlie Chan On Broadway, The Thin Man Goes Home) escape from Devil's Island. Soon, the two are in London, and "Ito" is hired on to be Brissac's houseboy. (It's odd how when Moto is being himself, he's got Lorre's usual accent, but whenever he's disguised as a different Asian he goes with the pidgin. Maybe it's to lull his enemies into a false sense of superiority.) Moto's real goal is to let Brissac lead him to the organization known as the League of Assassins, so he can learn the identity of it's leader (no, not Ra's al Ghul.) He has the aid of a Scotland Yard inspector (Lester Matthews, Werewolf of London and Thank You, Jeeves!), a beautiful Chinese undercover assistant ("Karen Sorrel" aka Lotus Long from Think Fast, Mr. Moto) and a pair of rather dull Americans, but it's up to Moto himself to stop a cunning murder and bump off the bad guys. Another winner from director Foster, who always brings out the best in our ultra-polite, utterly ruthless hero (you gotta see how he gets the head assassin in this one... just cold, man.) Good looking sets, especially the seedy Limehouse bar and the big clock tower finale, and some really nifty stuntwork from Lorre's stunt double. I want more!
Oddly, lovely Lotus Long is here credited as Karen Sorrel, as she was in only one other film. Her birth name was Lotus Pearl Shibata, and her husband's last name was Knott, so I really don't get this. She was back to Lotus Long for her next film (The Mystery of Mr. Wong). Her character here is Lotus Liu, and her character in Think Fast, Mr. Moto was Lela Liu, so I'll just pretend she's the same character with a new nickname. (DVD rental)
33: The Black Castle (1952;USA) D: Nathan Juran W: Jerry Sackheim
The last of "The Boris Karloff Collection," this is a second-string swashbuckler starring Richard Greene (the 1939 Hound of the Baskervilles) as an English nobleman investigating a castle near the Black Forest whose Lord, a Bavarian Count (Stephen McNally, Up Goes Maisie), he suspects of murdering some friends of his. Infiltrating incognito, our hero runs into the Count's brutish mute servant Gargan (Lon Chaney Jr., High Noon), shifty physician (Boris Karloff, in a too-small role) and beautiful, unhappy wife (Rita Corday, aka Paula Corday, from DIck Tracy Vs. Cueball and six! films from the "Falcon" series, as six different characters!!!). There's some sneaking about, a lot of polite lying, and more than enough suspicion to go around. The Count invites his new guest on a Leopard hunt (he had it specially imported). Naturally, our hero falls for the beautiful wife, just in time to raise the stakes considerably.
he story is OK, though not really memorable, but it all looks real nice while it's going on, and has some nice atmosphere. Director Juran went on to direct a lot of FX oriented movies, from the ridiculous (Attack of the 50 foot Woman) to the sublime (7th Voyage of Sinbad). (purchased DVD)