Charlie Chan - Death is a black camel

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Movie
German title Charlie Chan - Death is a black camel
Original title The Black Camel
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1931
length 71 minutes
Rod
Director Hamilton MacFadden
script Barry Conners ,
Philip Klein ,
Dudley Nichols ,
Hugh Stange
production Hamilton MacFadden,
Walter Sistrom
music Samuel Kaylin
camera Joseph H. August ,
Daniel B. Clark
cut Alfred DeGaetano
occupation

Charlie Chan - Death is a black camel (Original title: The Black Camel ) is one of Hamilton MacFadden staged thriller from 1931, which in the 1929 by Earl Derr Biggers written novel The Black Camel on the ethnic Chinese policeman Charlie Chan is based. After three film adaptations of Biggers novels with changing actors, this was the second film adaptation by Fox Film Corporation with Warner Oland in the role of Charlie Chan and is also the oldest Charlie Chan film still in existence. Bela Lugosi , who also played the role of the vampire from Bram Stoker 's novel of the same name for the first time in 1931 in the horror film Dracula, can be seen in another leading role .

action

Actress Shelah Fane meets wealthy Alan Jaynes on a film set in Hawaii , who wants to marry her. But Shelah does not want to marry him until she has consulted the fortune teller Tanaverro. He confronts her with the unsolved murder of actor Denny Mayo three years earlier. Shelah then rejects Alan Jaynes' marriage proposal.

When Shelah is found stabbed to death at her Honolulu beach house , Honolulu Police Department Inspector Charlie Chan begins investigations, which are presented by a number of suspects.

background

Warner Oland played the role of the Chinese-born detective for the second time after the 1931, albeit lost, film Charlie Chan Carries On . While the film was based on one of the six Charlie Chan novels by Earl Derr Biggers, later films in the successful series were based on other templates. The film is not only the oldest Charlie Chan film still in existence, but the only one that was based on one of these novel templates. Director MacFadden shot the film on location in Hawaii between April and May 1931. While filming, Biggers visited the film crew and gave a copy of his novel to the Hawaiian police officer Chang Apana, who inspired him to the character of Charlie Chan.

Unlike in later films, Chan is not assisted by one of his sons, but by the Japanese-born police officer Kashimo, played by Otto Yamaoka.

In addition to Oland, Bela Lugosi, who first played Count Dracula in the film adaptation of Tod Browning in 1931 , took on one of the leading roles. Dwight Frye can also be seen in a supporting role as butler Jessop , who played the role of Renfield in Dracula .

In his first film role as Jimmy Bradshaw, Robert Young can also be seen, who enjoyed success in the late 1960s on the television series Dr. med. Marcus Welby celebrated.

Among other things, Dolly Tree was responsible for the costumes , who later worked under the direction of Gilbert Adrian in the costume department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the 1930s and 1940s to set up around 180 films. Art director was from France dating Ben Carré , the 1915-1936 as a costume and set designers and art director in the production of over sixty films such as The Last of the Mohicans collaborated (1920). The film includes the song Na Lei O Hawaii by the Hawaiian composer Charles E. King .

The three subsequent films Charlie Chan's Chance (1932), Charlie Chan's Greatest Chance (1933) and Charlie Chan's Courage (1934) have also been lost, so that Charlie Chan in London (1934) is only the next film in the series.

Quotes

As in the other films in the series, Charlie Chan emphasizes his work with quotes that are reminiscent of Chinese proverbs . The title of the novel and film comes from the saying:

“An old proverb says 'Death is a black camel that kneels in front of every gate without being asked'. Tonight the camel kneels here. "
'There is old saying,' Death is a black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate. ' Tonight black camel knelt here. '

The always polite and calm-looking Chan thanks him as usual with a "Thank you so much", even when one of the suspects says to him: "If I were a dose of poison, I would give myself to you" ('If I were a dose of poison, I'd give myself to you.').

After all, he did not let himself be disturbed during his detective investigations when another suspect countered him: “Your theory is full of holes. It won't hold water! ”('Your theory's full of holes. It won't hold water!'). Instead, he replies: “A sponge is full of holes. A sponge holds water. ”('Sponge is full of holes. Sponge holds water').

Chan's numerous other sayings in this film include:

  • "It is always harder to keep a murder a secret than an egg bouncing on the sidewalk" ('Always harder to keep murder secret than for egg to bounce on sidewalk')
  • “The way to find rabbit's residence is to turn rabbit loose and watch” is to let go of the rabbit and watch.
  • "Oh, a mouse cannot cast a shadow like an elephant" ('Alas, mouse cannot cast shadow like elephant')
  • “The secret of this case is harder to determine than the grandfather of a stray cat” ('Secret of this case harder to determine than alley cat's grandfather')
  • "Learn from the hen: Don't boast about an egg until after the egg is born" ('Learn from hen - Never boast about egg until after egg's birthday')
  • “You quench fire of my curiosity with handful of straw!”

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