User reviews

Early talkie bears no resemblance to the book on which it is supposedly based. Wong is lovely, rest of cast wooden in tale of Fu Manchu's daughter carrying out her father's vengeance. Early Hayakawa is interesting. Several scenes, especially last ten minutes, still pack a punch, such as Hayakawa's sacrificing himself to warn others. Oland, as Fu, shows opposite of later casting as Charlie Chan.

The third and final (and arguably the best) Paramount talkie with Warner Oland as Fu Manchu. Featuring Anna May Wong as the titular daughter (of Fu), an incredibly young Sessue Hayakawa as an investigator and Bramwell Fletcher as the type of effete, useless "hero" so popular in early 30's films. Fletcher may be best remembered as the young Egyptian explorer who inadvertently brought Boris Karloff back to life in "The Mummy" and was driven mad for his efforts. Anna May Wong is beautiful and gives a fine performance in this somewhat stagey film which has her seeking vengeance on Fu's mortal enemies, the Petrie family. Oland is killed off in the first reel and Wong pretty much carries the film. My "B" movie meter: 7* out of 10

First the negatives. Watching this film one would not have expected Warner Oland to have been such an excellent Charlie Chan. Keye Luke was perhaps correct when he defended the casting of Warner Oland as Charlie Chan, but watching his performance in this film, you would not have thought that possible. E. Alyn Warren, as another Chinese villain played by a Caucasian actor is also awful, and even worse.

Now the positives, two of the three top billed actors in this film are Asian, which for the time, was very unusual. SO for this reason, it is one of the reasons to see the film. Sessue Hayakawa is the hero of this film, and some may have a beef of having a Japanese actor playing a Chinese character, but for the time, and perhaps even today, it is remarkable.

Also, Harold Minjir as Rogers, who is in for comedy relief, is obvious meant to be a gay character, though their is no reference to his sexual preference. One of the positives of his character, is the ending, when he tells the young Petrie what is going on, and becomes one of the heroes of the film.

For the time, I'm sure it was a popular film, but does not entirely hold up today, but if one is interested in seeing films that were somewhat against the norm of the time, this might be an interesting film to see.

I had a really good time at Museum of Modern Art's January '04 showing of this rare Paramount '31 release. Potboiler par excellence with the stunning Anna May Wong giving star presence performance as daughter who swears revenge to her dying father Fu Manchu (Warner Olan). Sessue Hayakawa is the detective smitten with Ms. Wong and who `dies a hundred deaths'. Everything's in this mystery: sliding doors, heavy brocades, Eastern mysticism, London's Chinatown. Directed by Lloyd Corrigan in a most sophisticated manner

Warner Oland played the sinister Dr. Fu Manchu in a series of three pre-Code movies: The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929), The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (1930), and finally this one, Daughter of the Dragon (1931). It has the disadvantage that it's the sequel to the sequel, repeating the concept that Fu Manchu had actually not died in the previous film, but the advantage that it stars the lovely Anna May Wong. What a concept, an actual Asian actor in an Asian role, and a primary role at that - and not just her, but also a detective (Sessue Hayakawa). It was Wong's first talking picture, and the first time two major Asian stars appeared in the same movie.

Unfortunately, the plot is pretty contrived and the pace is creaky. Early on, Fu Manchu has a drug that allows him to both choke a person and control their mind, which is a little comical. However, after failing to complete his revenge on a wealthy family, he passes the torch to his daughter, Anna May Wong. Using secret passageways and her feminine wiles, she attempts to fulfill her promise, but things get complicated when she begins having feelings for both her target (Bramwell Fletcher) and the detective (Hayakawa).

There are some beautiful shots of Wong in the film, and mercifully the film is not blatantly racist. She oftentimes uses her character's name instead of the pronoun "I" in sentences, and where the idea an Asian person who otherwise speaks perfect English would do this is baffling. Otherwise, her character is strong, smart, and beautiful, though subject to the script's questionable character motivations, which have her swinging between love and murderous rage kind of oddly. As in other films, I'm not wild about Warner Oland in the role, but he turns in a decent enough performance. It was refreshing to see Fletcher have a romantic interest in Wong without recriminations, since miscegenation was so taboo then.

The film just squeaks by with an average rating, but I bumped it up a bit because of Wong and Hayakawa. If those actors don't appeal to you in any particular way, I'd probably advise skipping this one. If you're interested in a more entertaining and campy plot, where Fu Manchu is played by Boris Karloff and with Myrna Loy as his 'exotic' assistant, I would recommend 'The Mask of Fu Manchu' (1932), though that one does dial up the stereotypes and 'yellow fear'.

This Grade B film offers a rare opportunity to see the underused Anna May Wong in a lead role as a noted Chinese dancer on tour in London who also happens to be the daughter of the sinister Fu Manchu. Playing a Chinese detective is the Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa no less. One can see why Hayakawa would have been a successful silent film actor with his elegant physical presence and one can simultaneously hear why he didn't cut the mustard in talkies - the accent is so thick that one must strain to understand him. He never improved. Even in late films such as THREE CAME HOME and THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI the accent blunted the power of his performances to some extent. Warner Oland, the Swedish actor best known for playing Charlie Chan, is Fu Manchu. Finally, we also get a chance to see the fine actor Bramwell Fletcher in a rather substantial role as one of Fu Manchu's intended victims. He is probably best known as the archaeologist who screams so memorably well in THE MUMMY when the monster approaches him in a tomb. Otherwise, this film is just a passable crime melodrama with some colorful exotic touches of costuming and decor. Editing and continuity are noticeably clumsy. Wong makes a spectacular entrance dressed in a sparkling Chinese goddess gown with a huge Ziegfeld-style headdress. If this were a silent it would be worth watching just to look at her in an array of flattering outfits from scene to scene. Her emoting is as good as one could expect from the comic book-level material she is given. She had a beautiful, somewhat deep speaking voice similar to that of Claudette Colbert with just the slightest trace of an accent, making it all the more enchanting to the ear. Judged on its own terms, DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON is a reasonably diverting suspense offering with some real excitement in the final reel as the bad guys fight it out with the heroes as well as a beautiful and romantic closing shot which I won't give away.

Recently I saw Anna May Wong in Piccadilly, a stylish silent melodrama made in England in 1929. It has its flaws, but over all it struck me as quite interesting and unusual, and it did provide its fascinating star with a role she could sink her teeth into. Anna May Wong was virtually the only Chinese-American leading lady of her era, gorgeous in an unconventional way, with a magnetism rivaling that of Louise Brooks. I was eager to see more of her work, and knew that she'd made several silent films in Hollywood during the '20s and a number of talkies there in the '30s, after she'd returned from Europe.

One of Anna May's first vehicles upon her return to the U.S. was Daughter of the Dragon, which was also one of the first screen adaptations of a Fu Manchu story from Sax Rohmer's long-running series of books. Unfortunately, while Piccadilly exhibited the best technical qualities of the late silent era, including first-rate cinematography, fluid camera movement, and smooth editing, this film exhibits some of the weakest traits of early talkies: the dialog is awkward, the editing rhythm is lethargic, and the acting (with a couple of exceptions) is theatrical in the worst sense of the word. There are sporadic attempts by the director to infuse the movie with striking visuals, such as silhouettes cast on screens or quirky camera angles, but for the most part the presentation is as flat and dull as a school play. Aside from rare bursts of action we find ourselves staring at actors who strike attitudes and declaim purple prose against the harsh crackle of the soundtrack, with no background music to help smooth over the rough spots.

Anna May Wong's charisma is intact, but the material she was given to deliver in Daughter of the Dragon puts her dignity to a severe test. I never expected Political Correctness from a Fu Manchu movie, but it was nonetheless disheartening to observe the Yellow Peril stereotypes on parade here. Sinister Orientals spy on enemies through panels in the wall, and gongs are struck at key moments as Dr. Fu Manchu intones such lines as: "My flower daughter, the knife would wither your petal fingers." Fans of the Charlie Chan series might be surprised to find Warner Oland playing Fu, very much the opposite of his more benign Asian portrayals. Legendary Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa is on hand as a Chinese detective working for Scotland Yard, thus providing a positive Asian role model to balance the villainy of the others, but even in his case it's made clear in an early scene that he's a "special worker," not an official member of the force.

Hayakawa manages to retain his dignity in the midst of this hokum, and so does Anna May Wong, but the waste of these two extraordinary actors is frustrating to witness. This movie is as silly as the toy dragon breathing fire under the opening credits, and perhaps it can be enjoyed as such, but if you care about these actors as human beings it leaves a depressing aftertaste. One last thought: what's the deal with sinister Asians spying on people through sliding panels in the wall? What's up with that? I mean, did you ever see an old movie where sinister Lithuanians, Greeks or Eskimos spy on people through sliding panels? Oh well, I guess it's just one of those inscrutable mysteries of the Hollywood Orient.

This film continues the saga of Fu Manchu, whose wife and son were killed by a member of the Petrie family. After killing two of the four males in the family, he was not seen or heard of for 20 years and presumed dead. He returns, kills Sir John Petrie, but is shot before he could kill the last one. Anna May Wong plays exotic dancer Ling Moy who finds out Fu Manchu is her father and vows to kill the last member of the Petrie family. The film goes from there, as you see whether the revenge will be carried out. This film is a bit campy and very dramatic but it boasts the talents of two major Asian actors in the early years of cinema. Sessue Hayakawa plays officer Ah Kee, and you may remember him for his Oscar winning work in "The Bridge On The River Kwai" decades later. He was a star before this film also. Anna May Wong was an accomplished actress and later stage performer in China and Europe, even though she was born in the United States. An uncommonly beautiful lady, every film I've seen her in is worth watching. So is this one, its a good drama. It is actually not 79 minutes, the version I watched is 69 minutes. Its a good afternoon film, moving along at a good pace. The cable television station TCM recently did a tribute to Asian actors and featured Mr. Hayakawa and Ms. Wong. If they decide to repeat any of their films, they are all good. You can enjoy this one also.

Dr. Fu Manchu (Warner Oland) terrorized London looking for undeserved revenge against the Petrie family. With his supposed death twenty years before, the terror is over. Unaware of her own origins, his daughter Princess Ling Moy (Anna May Wong) lives next to the Petries. At Scotland Yard, Sir Basil Courtney is warned by Ah Kee of the return of Fu Manchu.

There is a case of racism especially with Fu Manchu. It's a modern criticism of old Hollywood with a white actor playing a cartoon Chinese villain. At least, this does have Chinese actress Anna May Wong. She's very appealing. There is too much standing and talking for my modern tastes. For its era, this is more good than not good. The use of Asian actors as leads is commendable.

Watch this entertaining Anna May Wong vehicle and swallow hard; some of the plot devices may be tough to handle. Once you struggle to suspend your disbelief it is an easy going 70 minutes to watch the great Anna May follow in her father's (Warner Oland's) footsteps to uphold the family honor.

It is fast-paced and great fun, and at 70 minutes just long enough so that it doesn't overstay it's welcome. Those inscrutable Chinese baddies try to match wits with a Chinese detective (Sessue Hayakawa, who was Japanese) as he tries to foil their murderous plans, and are led by Anna May herself. Hollywood racism of the time prevented her from getting meatier parts, so you have to watch her and wonder what might have been. She was a beautiful and talented actress who was shortchanged. I put my star rating in the heading as the website no longer prints mine.

Anna May Wong ( Ling May ) & Sessue Hayakawa ( Ah Kee ) both star in this film about the daughter of Fu Manchu ( appearance by Warner Orland ) in a very well acted film ( by these 3 legendary actors ). This is a moving drama & thriller, as unfortunately the script does have a few too many holes in it however the main three acting performances ( mentioned above ) carry the storyline that mostly makes sense really well & make this a 7 out of 10 film.

The film loses a scoring star for me as some of the supporting cast don't quite hit the mark, then loses another scoring star as mentioned above as the script is not quite as logical as it needed to be. Finally the last star is lost as the film does drag a little so a bit more character development with the emotions of the love interests in the film could have made the film much more interesting, dramatic & ultimately made the film more logical as well.

Overall a very good effort & you end up with a good film you can enjoy.

In London, pretty dancer Anna May Wong (as Ling Moy) discovers she is the daughter of wicked Chinese warlord Warner Oland (as Fu Manchu). Naturally, Ms. Wong is compelled to continue her father's murderous ways; mainly, she wants to torture and kill members of the British Petrie family (as in previous Fu films). Meanwhile, good detective Sessue Hayakawa (as Ah Kee) has tracked the Gang of Fu to London. The triumph of good over evil hits the expected snag when Mr. Hayakawa becomes attracted to his prey. Will the hunter get captured by the game?

Lloyd Corrigan's "Daughter of the Dragon" is far from the best "Fu". It is the last appearance of Mr. Oland as the famous villain; and, he is most effective, in his abbreviated appearance. The idea to cast Wong and Hayakawa was a good one; however, their portrayals are clownish. Hayakawa, an otherwise fine actor, is obviously working on articulation. Victor Milner's photography is the film's main strength. Harold Minjir's comic relief role, as the nearsighted "Rogers", is also quite good. The story moves along briskly enough to overcome some absurdities.

***** Daughter of the Dragon (1931) Lloyd Corrigan ~ Anna May Wong, Sessue Hayakawa, Warner Oland

Anna may wong is ling moy. Glad to see they actually hired an asian actor to play the part of a chinese lady! Keep an eye out for warner oland, who played charlie chan so many times. Here, he's fu manchu. After fu manchu had sworn revenge on petrie and his family, ah kee is putting together a plan to try andwill trap him. But the scotland yard inspector is sure that fu manchu is already deceased. Is he dead or not? Revenge, twists and turns. It's okay. Full of customs and symbols, which were probably only partly authentic. 74 minute drama from paramount. The history of the actors in this is even more interesting than the story we see! Check out the careers of wong, oland, and hayakawa, even bram fletcher.. they had all started in silent films.

The third of Paramount's Fu Manchu films - unfortunately, none of them are worth watching. This one is stiff, stuffy, stilted, and very boring. The cast is so bland that I was hoping Fu's daughter would kill them all, but that is far from being the case. * out of 4.

I watched the whole movie and kept hoping it would get better, but it only got worse and worse. It was one of the most depressing movies I've ever seen. Warner Oland appears briefly as Fu Manchu, but most of the movie is about a young Chinese girl obsessed with killing people who have incurred the wrath of Fu Manchu. One of these is a guy she seems to go back and forth with, she loves him, she doesn't love him, she loves him, she wants to kill him. Eventually she decides to kill him. At this point the entire movie becomes insanely confusing, with police running around, people in the house running around, and the girl trying to kill the guy. I won't spoil it by telling you how it ends, but when if finally ended I was hugely relieved that it was over, but so depressed that I had to watch a couple of episodes of The Simpsons in an effort to cheer myself up.

Daughter of the Dragon (1931)

** (out of 4)

Third film in Paramount's series, this film follows The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu and The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu. This time out, the evil Fu Manchu (Warner Oland) goes to kill another enemy but ends up getting killed himself. Before he dies however, he gives his evil reign to his daughter, Princess Ling Moy (Ana May Wong). Soon the daughter is carrying out her father's evil deeds but a police detective (Sessue Hayakawa) is closing in on her. This is the first film from the series that I've seen and I've been told this is the weakest entry and I wouldn't be too shocked by that. One thing going for the film is that it goes by incredibly fast but sadly the direction is very flat, which makes the film rather lifeless throughout. There's no energy, no drama and certainly no suspense, which are things needed to make these type of films work. Oland only appears very briefly and the future Charlie Chan doesn't come off too well here. Oland comes off very bored as does Hayakawa. Most people only know Hayakawa from The Bridge on the River Kwai and they don't know he was a pretty big silent film star. He was certainly on the bottom of his career having to take a supporting role in this B film and you can tell he doesn't seem too thrilled in playing the part. Anna May Wong comes off very good in one of her only starring roles. Things pick up in the final ten minutes when we get some torture sequences.

Paramount pulls no punches in demonizing the Chinese with its take on honor and revenge by way of tradition in Daughter of the Dragon. Featuring the ultra exotic rare Asian lead, Anna May Wong and iconic "yellow peril" heavy before going Charlie Chan, Warner Oland (of Swedish descent), director ( mostly known for character actor portrayals) and writers infuse them with an unquenchable desire for vengeance.

Seems Fu Manchu never got along with the occidental Petrie's but after offing a couple Fu supposedly ended up the same way. Turns out though he's actually alive and his daughter, showstopper May Ling is charged with taking up with Petrie whacks after Manchu is once again offed. May Ling swears revenge for her father but finds herself conflicted about following throuh. Meanwhile detective Ah Kee ( played by Japanese native, Sessue Hyakawa) falls for May as well.

Made with typical sultry Paramount ambience Dragon's exotic undertones are not enough to make up for its far fetched coincidences and secret doors. Wong is alluring but the rest of the cast not very convincing with the exception of E. Allyn Warren (another westerner) who oozes his nothing but venom for the West and women. Daughter of the Dragon offers a fair share of interesting, esoteric compositions but not enough to overcome its silly haunted house improbabilities.