Re: Finally watched "Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen"---Aargh!!!
Dear Teil,
Sadly, "Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen" was not much more than a spoof. Maybe they were afraid to play it straight and make a true Chan adventure, as there were, by that time, PC rumblings from special interest groups. We have not seen any attempt at a Charlie Chan project since then - more than 30 tears ago. This illustrates, I feel, the sad situation that we see today where feelings speak much louder than words.
Re: Finally watched "Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen"---Aargh!!!
Dear Teil and Rush,
In my Charlie Chan DVD collection, I include the two titles mentioned in the above posting.
"CC & the Curse of the Dragon Queen" is a bit of a mess. The actors didn't know how to play their parts in this film because the writer and director didn't know which way to take the storyline. Do the actors play it straight? Is this film a parody of the old Chan films from the 1930s-1940s? I think the director was trying to do a Mel Brooks parody, but he didn't have the comic timing skills to make it happen. Good comedy is hard to do. Just watch TV episodes of "The Addams Family" or "Get Smart."
As a result, "CC& the Curse of the Dragon Queen" fails in both directions. It falls somewhere in between a straight mystery and a poor parody. Extra: What's the deal with Peter Ustinov, as Chan, growling? I don't get it.
"The Return of Charlie Chan," featuring Ross Martin as Chan, is a good film with a fine storyline. Martin does a good job as a retired Charlie Chan. In the storyline, there are referances to Chan's past worldwide mysteries. There are three or four Asian-American actors employed as members of the Chan clan.
As I stated in my review of the film (found in the library of this site), I think it is a fine little film. I recommend buying a copy of this minor gem and adding it to your Charlie Chan DVD collection.
