Charlie Chan in The Shanghai Cobra
List Price:
Our Price: $7.25
You Save: $7.73 (52%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.44 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Benson Fong, James Cardwell, Joan Barclay, Mantan Moreland, Sidney TolerBrand: TOLER,SIDNEY
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 64 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-07-06
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Charlie Chan in The Shanghai Cobra
Movie Review: "No, U Turn Here!"
Summary: 5 Stars
Those Charlie Chan fans who only consider the topflight series at Fox worth watching, dismissing the "B" films made after Sidney Toler bought the rights to Earl Derr Biggers' famous detective and took him to Poverty Row, are truly missing out on some great fun. While it is true some of the films were marginal "B" yarns, a few were solid entries, and a couple were stellar efforts. The Shanghai Cobra is so good in fact, it easily ranks as one of the most enjoyable in the entire series.
The opening scene on a rainy night sets an atmospheric tone to this fun Chan entry, marked with humor, more action than usual, a pretty nifty little mystery, and some excellent sets which director Phil Karlson makes the most of. An interesting device of an unseen girl behind a diner jukebox occasionally gives the viewer a sense of watching an audience, watching a Charlie Chan film! It not only adds to the fun in the screenplay from George Callahan and George Wallace Sayre, but proves an integral part in solving the Cobra part of the mystery.
Nicely photographed by Vincent Farrar for Monogram, the opening sequence catches a woman following a man into a diner on a rainy night, and before it's over, the man will be the latest victim of a killer who dispatches his victims with cobra venom. The killings date all the way back to 1937 Shanghai, when Charlie brought in a suspect, only to lose him during Japanese bombings. Only Charlie, now working for the US Government, has ever seen him, so is quickly summoned to help. Adding fun to this quite serious task is Benson Fong as Charlie's son Tommy, and Mantan Moreland as Birmingham.
Chan is quite suspicious that all those murdered work for the same bank. Pretty Pauline Webster (Joan Barclay) works there too, and when the detective who was keeping an eye on her falls hard, Chan makes time to help things along. Charlie is also guarding some radium the government is keeping at the bank and searching above and beneath it for answers to the mystery. Chan's "sitting help" can't stay out of the mystery, of course, and Charlie ends up trapped below the bank trying to rescue them before uncovering the killer and his ingenious method of murder, and reuniting a family.
This atmospheric Charlie Chan "B" has charm and a fine mystery. While a few of the Poverty Row entries rate high as "B" entertainment, withinn that film context, The Shanghai Cobra actually rises above its origins to compete with the Fox "A" films; and gives them a run for their money. The film itself looks fabulous, a digital transfer nicely done. Those with only a dvd player will of course want that format. But if you have a combo player as I do, you can pick up a vhs version with the same transfer for very little. A terrific piece of "B" filmmaking and one of the most enjoyable Charlie Chan "B" entries in the entire series.
Summary of Charlie Chan in The Shanghai Cobra
No Description Available.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: NR
Release Date: 6-JUL-2004
Media Type: DVD
Similar DVD Movies
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. 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:
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 4 (Charlie Chan in Honolulu / Charlie Chan in Reno / Charlie Chan at Treasure Island / City in Darkness)Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2008-02-12; DVD
Best price: $26.31
Price in other shops:
Charlie Chan in The Scarlet ClueTOLER,SIDNEY; Release date: 2004-07-06; DVD
Best price: $38.00
Charlie Chan in The Chinese CatTOLER,SIDNEY; Release date: 2004-07-06; DVD
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops:
Charlie Chan in the Secret ServiceSony; Release date: 2004-07-06; DVD
Best price: $7.84
Price in other shops:
Black Magic (Enhanced) 1944 - Meeting at MidnightRelease date: 2009-01-01; DVD
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops:
Charlie Chan in The Jade MaskTOLER,SIDNEY; Release date: 2004-07-06; DVD
Best price: $6.98
TCM Spotlight: Charlie Chan Collection (Dark Alibi / Dangerous Money / The Trap / The Chinese Ring)WHV; Release date: 2010-06-08; DVD
Best price: $21.98
Price in other shops: