The Mask of Fu Manchu

The Mask of Fu Manchu is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Charles Brabin. Written by Irene Kuhn, Edgar Allan Woolf and John Willard, it was based on the 1932 novel of the same name by Sax Rohmer. The film, featuring Boris Karloff as Fu Manchu and Myrna Loy as his daughter, revolves around Fu Manchu's quest for the golden sword and mask of Genghis Khan. Lewis Stone played his nemesis. The film was made following Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's box office failure of Freaks (1932). Karloff, who was fresh off his role in Frankenstein (1931) for Universal, found the film did not have a completed script and was given his lines during and after his daily preparation in the makeup chair. Following a difficult production, it was a financial success for the studio despite generally negative reviews. On the film's theatrical re-release in 1972, the Japanese American Citizens League requested that the film be removed from circulation due to its negative portrayal of Asian people.