Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 4 (Charlie Chan in Honolulu / Charlie Chan in Reno / Charlie Chan at Treasure Island / City in Darkness)
List Price:
Our Price: $26.31
You Save: $23.67 (47%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $22.34 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Sidney Toler, Victor Sen YoungBrand: Twentieth Century Fox
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Restored, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 287 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-02-12
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 4 (Charlie Chan in Honolulu / Charlie Chan in Reno / Charlie Chan at Treasure Island / City in Darkness)
Movie Review: Four Memorable Titles In The Chan Series
Summary: 5 Stars
Charlie Chan was originally created by novelist Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933), who very loosely based the character on Hawaii's legendary police officer Chang Apana (1887-1933.) Biggers wrote six novels in all, and after several false starts 20th Century Fox (then simply known as Fox) hit on the right combination of actors, mystery, and comedy. The result was perhaps the single most popular film series Hollywood ever created.
Between 1931 and 1938 Chan was played by noted character actor Warner Oland. When Oland died, 20th Century Fox scrambled to find a new actor for the role--and ultimately assigned the part to Sidney Toler, who was well-regarded on stage but little known through films. In Toler's hands the character became less formal and the films began to emphasize comedy to a degree not previously seen. Some fans rebelled at the change, and even today fans continue to argue the merits of Oland vs. Toler. Even so, most fans would agree they enjoy both actors in the role.
The fourth installment in Chan film releases to DVD, this particular includes the first four films made by Toler: CHARLIE CHAN IN HONOLULU (1938), CHARLIE CHAN IN RENO, CHARLIE CHAN AT TREASURE ISLAND, and CHARLIE CHAN IN THE CITY OF DARKNESS (1939.) Fans will find all of them enjoyable, and two of the four easily rank among the finest films in the series.
Producers felt it would be wise to "ground" the newly cast Toler by having his first film set in Hawaii. Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, who had done several of Warner Oland's most successful films, this entry finds Chan sent aboard a ship to unravel theft and murder among the likes of George Zucco and Phyllis Brooks--while coping with the unhelpful aid of newly cast Victor Sen Yung as son Jimmy. Although enjoyable, this film has a faintly cautious feel, and certainly Humberstone adds little of his famous touch to the efforts. With RENO, however, Toler hit his stride, and the result is a fascinating, witty, and clever murder mystery set in what was then the "divorce capitol of the world," with actress Pauline Moore suspected of murdering romantic rival Louise Henry. Actors Slim Summerville and Eddie Collins provide memorable comic relief!
TREASURE ISLAND is generally regarded as the best of Toler's Chan films, and with much good reason. Although the plot has quite a few holes, it is quite fascinating in its tale of a phoney psychic who blackmails clients to suicide; unlike many Chan films it has impressive production values, particularly re lighting; and the cast is superlative, with Cesar Romero and Pauline Moore standouts. In terms of plot, CITY OF DARKNESS is somewhat routine--but in terms of context it is astonishing, one of the first Hollywood films to take an open stance against Nazi Germany in this tale of espionage and murder on the eve of a possible German invasion of France.
As in previous DVD releases, the remastering of the films is quite good, if not entirely pristine, and the various DVDs come with numerous bonus features. Unfortunately, however, these are not always as interesting as they have been in the past, with the audio commentary re TREASURE ISLAND tiresome at best and the audio reconstruction of CHARLIE CHAN'S COURAGE (a lost film) little better than what you might expect of Ed Wood. Even so, there are numerous items of interest: a brief bio of Toler and of actress-writer Kay Linaker; items on Reno; and items on the real Treasure Island of San Francisco, among others.
Contemporary audiences tend to view the films as politically incorrect, but the fact remains that Chan and his family--most often personified by Keye Luke as son Lee and Victor Sen Yung as son Jimmy--were among the very few positive Asian characters on American movie screens at the time; as such they were particularly popular with Asian-American audiences of their day. Like all other films, Chan movies must be seen within the context of their times, and as such offer a frequently entertaining and often fascinating window in time. Recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
More Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 4 (Charlie Chan in Honolulu / Charlie Chan in Reno / Charlie Chan at Treasure Island / City in Darkness) reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Summary of Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 4 (Charlie Chan in Honolulu / Charlie Chan in Reno / Charlie Chan at Treasure Island / City in Darkness)
Volume four of the Charlie Chan Collection series includes the feature-length films CHARLIE CHAN IN HONOLULU CHARLIE CHAN IN RENO CHARLIE CHAN AT TREASURE ISLAND and CHARLIE CHAN IN CITY IN DARKNESS.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/CLASSICS UPC: 024543475224 Manufacturer No: 2247522Similar DVD Movies
The Complete Sherlock Holmes CollectionMPI; Release date: 2006-06-27; DVD
Best price: $41.99
Price in other shops:
Charlie Chan 5 Movie Gift Box Set (Limited Series)DVD
Best price: $13.99
Price in other shops:
Charlie Chan 3 Movie Gift Box Set (In the Secret Service, The Chinese Cat, The Jade Mask)Release date: 2011-12-13; DVD
Best price: $10.59
Price in other shops:
Mr. Moto Collection: Volume 2 (Mr. Moto's Gamble / Mr. Moto in Danger Island / Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation / Mr. Moto's Last Warning)Fox; Release date: 2007-02-13; DVD
Best price: $30.33
Price in other shops:
Mr. Moto Collection, Vol. 1 (Mr. Moto Takes A Chance / Mysterious Mr. Moto / Thank You Mr. Moto / Think Fast Mr. Moto)Fox; Release date: 2006-08-01; DVD
Best price: $25.78
Price in other shops:
Charlie Chan Collection, Volume 3 (Charlie Chan's Secret / Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo / Charlie Chan on Broadway / The Black Camel)CHAN,CHARLIE; Release date: 2007-08-14; DVD
Best price: $26.31
Price in other shops:
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 1 (Charlie Chan in London / Charlie Chan in Paris / Charlie Chan in Egypt / Charlie Chan in Shanghai / Eran Trece)FOX Home Entertainment; Release date: 2006-06-20; DVD
Best price: $26.31
Price in other shops:
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2 (Charlie Chan at the Circus / Charlie Chan at the Olympics / Charlie Chan at the Opera / Charlie Chan at the Race Track)FOX Home Entertainment; Release date: 2006-12-05; DVD
Best price: $26.28
Price in other shops:
TCM Spotlight: Charlie Chan Collection (Dark Alibi / Dangerous Money / The Trap / The Chinese Ring)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2010-06-08; DVD
Best price: $19.77
Price in other shops:
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 5 (Charlie Chan At The Wax Museum/ Murder Over New York/ Dead Men Tell/ Charlie Chan In Rio/ Charlie Chan In Panama/ Murder Cruise/ Castle in the Desert)Fox; Release date: 2008-09-16; DVD
Best price: $26.31
Price in other shops: