Watch Charlie Chan in Paris For Free

The Worst Film Ever

Sadly Over-hyped

There are women in the film, but none has anything you could call a personality.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

I'm plowing through a boxed set of Fox's Charlie Chan movies with Warner Oland and maybe that's a mistake. Charlie Chan movies like banana splits. Best to have only once in while.Charlie Chan is supposed to be investigating some bank fraud and, inevitably, a couple of murders in Paris. Aside from some stock footage of the Champs and mostly French names you wouldn't know it was Paris. Of course I knew it wasn't Paris immediately. In a café, there is a close up of a man putting out his cigar in an ash tray -- and the ash tray doesn't say Cinzano.In this same café, I think, we get to see what the French call an Apache dance. Some low-life dancer with a Gaulois hanging on his lip gets to throw around a woman like a tiny blond doll. He flings her away. Kicks her a little. Lights a match by scratching it on her shoe. Yet she comes crawling back every time and clings to his leg. This is the way it should be, the way nature intended, with the man as master. It was certainly that way in my house, and a most harmonious arrangement it was. I made all the decisions. I decided to carry out every order my wife gave me. I even made a firm decision to have her kick me around once in a while after I found I'd gotten to like it.Okay, that's a little off the track but, really, what is there to say about this movie? Well, it introduces Enumerated Son Number One, Keye Luke. And then, umm, yes, the final scene takes place in a spooky Paris sewer where improbable bullfrogs congregate.Eric Rhodes is in this one. He's the dignified paid correspondent in Fred and Ginger's first starring feature, "The Gay Divorcée," where he's memorable as a not-too-bright Italian -- "Chance is the fool's word for Fate." Or, "Your wife is safe with Tonetti. He prefers spaghetti." Curious to see him lapse into sneering villainy here.It occurred to me that the many fans of Charlie Chan must really love his character and, especially, his aphorisms because, aside from that, there really isn't much substance to the movies. Take away Charlie and Number One Son and what you have is an ordinary B feature with inexpensive sets and stock studio players. Instead of Charlie, you could thrust Boston Blackie into the lead, or the Falcon, or Bulldog Drummond, or Mister Wong, or Mister Moto, or the Green Hornet, or one of the dozens of other B-level detectives that enthralled the kids on Saturday afternoons.

Charlie Chan in Paris (1935) *** (out of 4)Another good entry in the Fox series has Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) working in Paris trying to crack some fraudulent bonds. He receives a warning to leave town but of course he doesn't but the stakes rise when his undercover assistant is murdered.Up to this point in the series, CHARLIE CHAN IN Paris was without question the best. This is due in large part to the fine performances, a great little mystery and one of the most memorable murder sequences from this period of films. It's clear that the series kept making money for Fox or else they wouldn't have kept making them but it also shows that the studio was willing to treat the series with respect and that includes coming up with a very good screenplay.The story itself is one that works extremely well because all of the twists and turns are nicely done and help build up a very good mystery. The movie will certainly keep the viewer off guard as we get several suspects but the mystery of the killer is never given away early in the film, which just helps keep you more involved with the plot. Another major plus is that we're given one of the more effective murder scenes from any film around this time. We get a terrific shot of the murderer getting ready to throw a knife into the victim and then we get a terrific shot of the victim screaming as she knows what is about to happen. This sequence is extremely well-shot and highly effective.Of course, the performances are another major plus with Oland once again doing a terrific job in the lead. He certainly had everything from the walk to the talk down cold and there's no doubt that he could have done this film in his sleep. He manages to bring the character to life and his line delivery, especially on the comedy, is remarkable. The strong supporting cast includes nice work from the likes of Mary Brian, Erik Rhodes, John Wualen and of course Keye Luke who makes his appearance as the #1 son. CHARLIE CHAN IN Paris really succeeds on all levels making it one of the more memorable films of the series.

Charlie Chan in Paris is another solid entry in the Charlie Chan series. In this one, Chan is hot on the heels of a gang of bond forgers. The criminals' trail takes him from the night clubs of Paris to the cities famous sewers. And the sewers in Charlie Chan in Paris are as uninviting a place as Chan ever visited. There's a real sense of menace and danger in these scenes. Warner Oland is as good as ever. Ably assisting Chan is son Lee played by Keye Luke. He may not have been the only son to come to his father's aid in the series, but Luke was by far the best, least annoying of the bunch. Unlike later Charlie Chan films where the offspring are there for little more than comic relief, Lee actually helps his father and saves his life on more than one occasion. The rest of the cast is good, but nothing outstanding. The mystery elements of the story are enjoyable. The criminals' identities will keep you guessing up to the very end.I suppose that this is as good a time as any to write about my feelings on the racial aspects and controversy surrounding the Charlie Chan films in recent years. Growing up, I'm not sure if I realized Warner Oland wasn't Asian or not, but it didn't matter. Through Chan, Oland taught honesty, self respect, and the importance of education. He taught this young fan of the importance of accepting all people, regardless of race, including Asians. I think these are good important lessons to learn regardless of Oland's ethnic origins. There's an unfortunate scene in Charlie Chan in Paris where one of the characters attempts to make a joke at Chan's expense by speaking to him in pigeon English. Chan quickly turns the table on him with class and grace and makes the would-be jokester the butt of his own joke. Good going Charlie!

It's the first movie that I see in the Charlie Chan's series. I must say that I liked it. It's a pretty good mystery taking place in Paris. Like other films of this genre, the answer to the puzzle is not known until the end. Like good old Charlie says in the movie: «Must turn many stones to find hiding place of snake»! The dance scene at the Singe Bleu is quite compelling.Out of 100, I gave it 78.