Charlie Chan carries on 1931 - A very enjoyable entry in the series

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021733/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,7

Director: Hamilton MacFadden
Main Cast: Warner Oland, John Garrick, Marguerite Churchill, William Holden, George Brent, Jason Robards Sr.

"Warner Oland made his first appearance in the role of Earl Derr Biggers' sagacious, aphorism-spouting oriental detective Charlie Chan in the 1931 Fox production Charlie Chan Carries On. It all begins when Chan, on vacation from his job with the Honolulu police, tries to solve the murder of a wealthy American in a London hotel. The trail of clues leads Chan on a not-so-merry chase through Nice, San Remo, Hong Kong and Hawaii. The solution to the mystery lies in the words spoken by a temporarily blinded witness - or at least that's what she seems to be. According to contemporary reviews, the film was enlivened by the dumb-blonde dialogue delivered by Marjorie White and by the bumbling villainy of Warren Hymer." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/charlie-chan-carries-on-v86997

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(avi, 746 MB)

http://www.filefactory.com/file/3fyt6sxoww2d/

Dishonored 1931 - Dietrich as a fascinating spy

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021800/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
IMDB rating: 7,4

Director: Josef von Sternberg
Main Cast: Marlene Dietrich, Victor McLaglen, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Warner Oland

"Contemporary viewers who go into Dishonored expecting a musty, dated espionage melodrama will be in for a surprise. Marlene Dietrich delivers a subtle and witty performance as a Viennese prostitute who offers her services as a spy during WWI. Though far from a classic, Dishonored is an immensely enjoyable vehicle for Marlene Dietrich, and a treat for fans of the screen goddess. Those who know Dietrich primarily as an icy, world weary siren, the personality with which she is often unfairly associated, will be in for a surprise here. 'I'm not afraid of living or of dying', she announces early on, and she certainly demonstrates her capacity for living in here in a performance which moves from joyousness, strength and vitality to a doomed resignation born of doomed love - and is always believable. A highlight is Dietrich's richly comic (and mostly silent) turn as fresh-off-the-farm scullery maid, a disguise which allows the actress to demonstrate a surprising talent for broad comedy. Aside from Dietrich, Dishonored has some problems. The script, though serviceable, is a bit short on inspiration and surprise; it gets to where it needs to go, but it doesn't take the viewer on a particularly interesting ride along the way. Director Josef von Sternberg does wonderfully with Dietrich and gets a good performance from Warner Oland, but he can't help Victor McLaglen get a handle on his character, leaving him to do little more than strut and stick an annoying leer on his face for extended periods of time. Von Sternberg does provide some beautiful visuals, of course, especially during one of his trademark party scenes; but he also overindulges a penchant for lengthy cross-fades." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/dishonored-v13959/

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The black camel 1931 - The earliest surviving film of the Charlie Chan series

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021668/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,3

Director: Hamilton MacFadden
Main Cast: Warner Oland, Sally Eilers, Bela Lugosi, Dorothy Revier, Robert Young

"The Black Camel is one of the more watchable mystery films from the early 1930s, despite the fact that it suffers from many of the usual difficulties that one encounters in movies of this vintage. It is the earliest circulating (and perhaps existing) of Fox's Charlie Chan films and only the second movie to star Warner Oland as Chan. It does offer the treat of seeing Chan operating on his home turf, where he is a highly respected member of the police department rather than an interloper, and also of taking in Warner Oland's fresh, lively self-effacing performance as the police inspector - even the aphorisms, including the one referred to obliquely in the title ('Death is a black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate'), sound fresh, and in place of his Number One and Number Two sons, the comic relief is provided by a well-meaning but overly enthusiastic assistant (Otto Yamaoka) from the police force. It does have the drawbacks of many movies made in the early sound era, including a relatively immobile camera and shots that linger just a little too long for their own good, some stretches of dialogue (not involving the leads) that is enunciated just a little too carefully to let a scene flow smoothly, and a complete absence of background music except for source music (in this case, all Hawaiian). The main reason for the movie's lingering appeal today lies in the quality of the acting on the part of Oland and Bela Lugosi, and supporting players Murray Kinnell, Victor Varconi, and Sally Eilers - they're animated and interesting enough to keep the film moving, and it's fascinating to see Oland and Lugosi in such relatively youthful and unmannered performances, early in their careers. Because of the combination of the mystery - which is rooted in an unsolved Hollywood murder of the late '20s, and resounds with then-contemporary sensationalism about the dark side of the movie capital - and the extensive location shooting in Hawaii, this is a fun film to watch for a lot of reasons beyond what one would expect from a basic Charlie Chan movie. It also includes a very important scene depicting Chan's unofficial side, as an exasperated but loving family man, which distinguished the screen character from other sleuths of the period, and helped to make Chan a much more fully drawn character than critics usually acknowledge." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-black-camel-v85166/

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(Sorry, this time I couldn't embed the video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn-VkUp18Dw

The return of Dr. Fu Manchu 1930 - A good atmosphere, a snappy ending and a few chills along the way

Jean Arthur in The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (1930)

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021297/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,1

Director: Rowland V. Lee
Main Cast: Warner Oland, O. P. Heggie, Jean Arthur, Neil Hamilton, Evelyn Hall

"In his pre-Charlie Chan days, Warner Oland returned as Dr. Fu Manchu for this sequel to The Mysterious Doctor Fu Manchu (1929). Supposedly the victim of a suicide at the end of the first film, Fu Manchu has actually injected himself with a toxin that will make him only appear dead. Escaping through a trap door in his coffin, Fu Manchu travels to England to seek revenge on the two men he holds responsible for the deaths of his wife and child: Dr. Jack Petrie (Neil Hamilton) and Inspector Nayland Smith (O.P. Heggie). A murderous game of cat and mouse ensues." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-return-of-dr-fu-manchu-v107670

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Bulldog Drummond strikes back 1934 - Simply the best Bulldog Drummond movie

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024932/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB ratings: 7,4

Director: Roy Del Ruth
Main Cast: Ronald Colman, Loretta Young, Warner Oland, C. Aubrey Smith

"This second and final 'Bulldog Drummond' film to star Ronald Colman, finds the famed sleuth in the midst of a sinister plan orchestrated by Warner Oland. Damsel in distress Loretta Young reports that her wealthy and influential uncle is missing, but all those concerned insist that the uncle never existed, and that Young is out of her mind. Drummond suspects that she's telling the truth, and that the uncle's disappearance is tied into political intrigue of some sort or other. Before the rousing climax, Drummond, the heroine, and Drummond's pal Algy (Charles Butterworth) are repeatedly kidnapped, imprisoned, and threatened with certain death. Counterpointing the film's plot twists (a bit too convoluted to relate in full here) is a comic subplot involving the continually interrupted honeymoon of Algy and his frustrated bride (Una Merkel)." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/bulldog-drummond-strikes-back-v86218

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