Dear Chan Fans:

I have received some exciting news about the apparent existence of a Charlie Chan film made in China in 1939.

Back in 2007, I posted here about six Chinese-made Charlie Chan films. A few days ago, I was contacted about these postings by John Williams, a professor of English at Yale University. (Coincidentally, I am also a professor in an English Department. I'm a linguist at George Mason University.) I sent him all the other information I had gathered about these films. With his permission, I am posting what he has written back to me.

He wrote, “So I've already been able to track down one Chinese film scholar who has seen "Murder at the Taiwan National University Radio Station" (1939) at the Chinese film archive center, which confirms, at least, that it exists somewhere. ... The question now, however, is how to get a copy of it ... .”

Later, he wrote to me, “Unfortunately, I've also discovered a bit of bad news on the possibility of actually getting a copy of the film(s). Apparently the Beijing archive doesn't allow entire films to be reproduced for patrons, and even getting snippets of them is prohibitively expensive ($500 per minute!).”

My suggestion, a suggestion that he also agrees is a good one, is to get in contact with the companies that have released the Fox and Monogram Chan films to DVD to see if they might obtain the rights to releasing this film (and other Chinese Chan films that may exist) to DVD.

He added: “I'm not sure of what the politics are exactly that are keeping them under lock and key, but I imagine that any release of them would involve, as you were already intimating, an investment that only a larger corporation could manage. I'm not sure if MGM (owned by Sony), 20C-Fox (Newscorp), or TCM (Time/Warner) would be interested in pursuing them. Foreign-language films in general are a notoriously "niche" market in the U.S. But my guess is that TCM is our best bet, since they seem more generally willing to pursue smaller market DVD sales. Certainly in subtitled versions, one could expect a relatively sizable market of Chan enthusiasts, academics, and libraries. I wonder how the recent TCM volume has been doing sales-wise. In any case, it's possible I'll be heading to China in the next year, so I might be able to do some sleuthing on that front with those in charge of the archive, and perhaps even see some of the films while I'm there. But that wouldn't be for a while."

Exciting news, eh?

Doug Wulf
Manassas, VA

YES!!

And in China, no less!!

Virginia

Dear Douglas,

VERY exciting news, yes! Thank you for sharing your communications with Professor Williams.

I think that he is correct in his suggesting that the best way to ever get this film, and other possible Chinese Charlie Chan movies, released would be through a company such as 20th Century-Fox or Warner Brothers/TCM. As Warner/TCM would be in the process of hopefully releasing the final seven of their Chan holdings, it would be as an "extra" on a future release that would offer the most promising possibility. Of course, time would be a huge factor, and, should it take years to gain permission, this would probably sink any possibility. Also, the quality of the print would be another question. If any restoration is necessary, that would add to the cost, which, if the movie in question runs, say, 70 minutes, would, at $500/minute, already cost $35,000.

Another item that I think would be great to have as an extra on any future Charlie Chan release would be the trailer for "Charlie Chan Carries On," which, housed at the National Archives, as I recall, faces similar restrictions and costs as does "Murder at the Taiwan National University Radio Station." Years ago when Fox was putting together their box sets of Chan movies, I suggested this one, but, sadly, nothing ever came of it.

Again, great work, and, who knows, perhaps, one day, we will be able to watch a subtitled version of "Murder at the Taiwan National University Radio Station"!

Sincerely,
Rush Glick

Dear Doug,

Interesting news indeed, but exactly where are these Chinese-produced films located? Who has viewed these films? Have you seen them?

In your message you refer to the China Film Archive Center. There is no such place. There is the Beijing Film Academy, which was established in 1950. There is the China Film Archives, which was founded in 1995. Which organization has 35mm prints of these films?

American home video companies such as 20th Century-Fox and Warner Brothers aren't going to go chasing after films that are rumored to exist. Do you have a contact with the archives in China?

Recently I spoke with a director who produces "extra features" attached to DVDs. The over-all sales of home-video DVDs for the consumer are down. Since 1999, NetFlix has been offering subscribers a collection of 100,000 titles on DVD. Currently, they have over 10 million subscribers and 25 Chan DVDs in their collection.

According to the director, the sales of DVDs are down big-time. Since consumers are buying fewer DVDs, the future of DVD releases is in question. In the next few years, DVDs may go the way of VHS tapes.

Steve Fredrick
The Film Detective at Work

Dear Steve,

Now THAT is sad. We may one day come full circle where commercial releases of movies, etc. end due to such outlets as NetFlicks. We will then need to rely on these outlets to see what we wish to see. Now, if, due to this, there would not be enough viable demand for, say, Charlie Chan films, among other material, eventually that, too, will dry up. We will all be back to recording material aired by TCM, etc., should they still exist! Also, we will be back to the "grey market" sellers providing what cannot be found anywhere else.

Sincerely,
Rush

DVDs may die off? That may very well be true. But I'm not so sure it will mean the end of movies being available for sale to the public. I think perhaps digital copies will replace them. It could very well mean the end of jewel cases and a physical purchase. Like the demise of vinyl records and their cardboard covers. But the replacement could very well be a more virtual digetal product. Just a thought. a possibility.

Steve:

According to the information I detail in my update posted here, a print of one of the six Chinese-produced Chan films indeed exists at a film archives in Beijing. It seems beyond the rumor stage at this point. However, I will need to ask John Williams in which film archive in Beijing his graduate student contact confirmed that a print exists.

I'm sorry to hear about the predicted demise of the DVD format. I love DVDs. Well, in whatever format, it would be great to find a way to get this long-lost Chinese-made Chan film seen in the United States!

Doug

Folks:

Here is an update from John Williams. From his message, it would appear that one Chinese-made Charlie Chan film does indeed exist in the Beijing archives.

While we were at it, I mentioned to him the idea that China might at one time have had copies of the lost Oland Chan films and (as a long shot) they might still be in China somewhere. (Why not ask while we are looking into the Chinese-made Chan films?)

He writes as follows ...

"My graduate student contact went down to the archive yesterday in Beijing, and it turns out that, according to at least what they have, "Murder at the Taiwan..." is the only extant film of the Chinese-language Chans. And not only that, but they were telling him the reproduction costs were more like $1500 a minute (and the film is apparently 90-100 minutes long).

I'll write to him about the lost Chan films too and see what he can turn up. I'm not very optimistic that 20C-Fox films would have survived the Cultural Revolution, and in fact we're probably lucky that there's even one Chinese-language Chan film to hope for, but it's worth a try."

Well, it would appear that a print of "Murder at the Taiwan National University Radio Station" (1939) does indeed exist in Beijing, but the question is whether it will every be viewable in the United States!

Doug Wulf

well you never know, maybe somewhere in China are the lost Warner Oland Chans. There may be something around, just never hurts to inquire. :) Speaking of old films (and not to distract the topic), an old film reel for the original King Kong 1933 movie was discovered recently overseas. Many are wondering if this old film reel will show if the lost footage of the spider canyon and the lizard scene may be on it. We won't know until later.

So I am going to be optimistic that somewhere and somehow, more Chan films will emerge.