The Castle of Fu Manchu, released in 1969, is the fifth and final Dr. Fu Manchu film with Christopher Lee portraying the title character. Directed by Jesús Franco, is an English-language co-production among various European countries including the UK, Spain, and West Germany. The film is also known as Assignment Istanbul.

Plot

Supercriminal Dr. Fu Manchu plots to freeze the world's oceans with a diabolical new device. With his beautiful but evil daughter, Lin Tang, his army of dacoits, and the help of the local crime organization led by Omar Pasha (whom Dr. Fu Manchu double-crosses), Dr. Fu Manchu takes over the governor's castle in Istanbul, which has a massive opium reserve, to control the largest opium port in Anatolia, since the drug is an important ingredient for the fuel for his machine. Dr. Fu Manchu needs the help of an intelligent scientist with an ailing heart whom he has imprisoned. In order to keep the scientist alive, he kidnaps a doctor and his wife to give the scientist a heart transplant from one of his obedient servants. Opposing him from Britain's branch of Interpol are his nemeses, Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie.

Cast

Uncredited:

Production

The film was shot in Istanbul and Barcelona.

Release

The Castle of Fu Manchu was released on May 30, 1969 in West Germany and on September 24, 1970 in Kingston, Jamaica. This was followed by screenings in the United Kingdom in December 1970, Barcelona on September 18, 1972 and Madrid on May 28, 1973 and Seville on July 6, 1974.

Home media

Blue Underground released the film on DVD under The Christopher Lee Collection in 2003.

Reception

The film is considered the worst of the Fu-Manchu series with Lee.

In popular culture

In 1992, The Castle of Fu Manchu was featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Season 3, Episode 23). Towards the end, Joel Robinson comments that Roger Ebert liked the movie; however, in 1993 Ebert stated he had "never seen it."

Sources