Jim-455 Review of The Black Camel

The Black Camel (1931)

One of the best Chans and the earliest extant

[10/10 · 3 October 2000]

This film, taken from one of Earl Der Biggers original novels is one of the very best of the Chans. It is the second of the series, and the first, third, fourth and fifth are lost films. We can see the early Chan only through this film, and we see a very human Chan, rather than the more restrained Chan in the later films.

It also features a near tour-de-force scene by Bela Lugosi in which he, as the fortune teller to the stars Tarnaverro, forces a confession from Shela Fane, a movie star making a film in Honolulu. A confession that he witholds from Charlie Chan...