Almost all the earliest Charlie Chan films have disappeared over time--probably the result of fires in storage facilities. Because of this, all that remains of the earliest Chan films is a Spanish language version of CHARLIE CHAN CARRIED ON (ERAN TRECE) and BEHIND THAT CURTAIN--films that only have Chan in the last portion of the film. He is truly a supporting character, not the star. The oldest true Charlie Chan film is THE BLACK CAMEL and fortunately it was released a couple years back in THE CHARLIE CHAN COLLECTION VOLUME 3. The film stars Charlie and has all the expected plot elements. Why they put this film in volume 3 is beyond me, but at least it's now available to the public once again.
While this one is very early, it at least fits the familiar formula. Of the plots I have read about earlier Chan films as well as ERAN TRECE, Chan was more of a minor character. Here, he is definitely the star and has settled into a role very familiar to die-hard fans. In addition, he has excellent supporting actors (especially Bela Lugosi) but there are no Chan children on hand to aid (or hinder) his investigation. Instead, there's a super-stupid and annoying Japanese-American sidekick who was best replaced in subsequent films! The plot involves a murdered starlet and the case is actually not too convoluted and makes more sense than many of the later entries. In fact, had #1 son been on hand instead of the Japanese-American idiot, the film would have probably earned a 9--it was THAT good compared to other films in the series. Good writing, acting and direction--this film is well worth seeking.
While this one is very early, it at least fits the familiar formula. Of the plots I have read about earlier Chan films as well as ERAN TRECE, Chan was more of a minor character. Here, he is definitely the star and has settled into a role very familiar to die-hard fans. In addition, he has excellent supporting actors (especially Bela Lugosi) but there are no Chan children on hand to aid (or hinder) his investigation. Instead, there's a super-stupid and annoying Japanese-American sidekick who was best replaced in subsequent films! The plot involves a murdered starlet and the case is actually not too convoluted and makes more sense than many of the later entries. In fact, had #1 son been on hand instead of the Japanese-American idiot, the film would have probably earned a 9--it was THAT good compared to other films in the series. Good writing, acting and direction--this film is well worth seeking.