Re: Sunday BONUS Chat/Film Viewing: "Charlie Chan in Egypt"
Thank you to everyone who participated in our unique "live" Sunday evening Chat! There was a good number (10) of us who gathered to view a TCM showing of "Charlie Chan in Egypt," and I believe that all of us had a good time. I would also like to thank TCM host Ben Mankiewicz for the most even-handed, matter-of-fact introduction to a Chan film since the Fox Movie Channel debacle back in 2003! Hopefully, there will be more such showings in the future at TCM.
There were good things and bad things I noticed during the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) broadcast of "Charlie Chan in Egypt" on Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012.
First, the film quality of the film was disappointing. From the opening 20th Century Fox (TCF) fanfare shaking back and fourth to the closing film credits, the film print was not a clean print. Because of the wonderful restoration work done by TCF for the Chan DVD collections, I am a spoiled viewer. At one piont, I saw a long, vertical scratch down the center of the image. I was expecting to see good quality to this Chan film. I was surprised by the poor quality of the film shown by TCM.
The Style of the Titles. The opening and closing titles we saw on TCM were not the original 1935 film titles because the titles were of a different type-style compared to other early Chan films. The titles were written in a flat, blocked type style. This is unlike the stylized format of the other early Chan films from the same period.
Jumps and Skips to Chan Soundtrack. The soundtrack playing under the opening titles did not match the action of the film. At one point, I thought I heard the sound of "waves crashing along the shoreline." Maybe I am wrong, but there wasn't an image that matched the sound of "crashing surf." At the end of the credits, there is no fade out. The image, and the soundtrack, both cut off and jumped to other images and sound.
Also, the closing credits do match the soundtrack.
Closing Comments by Ben Mankiewicz. I was extemely pleased by Mr. Mankiewicz's closing comments. He said some wonderful things about Chang Apana, the Honolulu detective who was the inspiration for author Earl Derr Biggers when he created his fictional detective Charlie Chan.
Bravo, Mr. Mankiewicz and TCM for showing a Charlie Chan classic.
P.S. Prior to Sept 30th, the last time TCM showed Charlie Chan movies on its channel was Tuesday, June 10, 2008. As part of its series "Race in Hollywood: Asian Images in Film," TCM played four Chan films on that date.
