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Mr. Moto Collection, Vol. 1
Fox // Unrated // August 1, 2006
List Price: $59.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movies:
In the 1930's 20th Century Fox was having great success with their series of Charlie Chan B-pictures. The formulistic detective films were very popular and cheap to make which meant large profits for the studio. Naturally they went looking for a similar franchise that could be turned into money-making films. Eventually they stumbled upon a set of novels by John P. Marquand about an enigmatic Japanese spy named Mr. Moto. Fox bought up the rights and ended up making eight Mr. Moto films in all, with Peter Lorre playing the title role. Half of these popular and entertaining low-budget movies have now made their way onto DVD in the Mr. Moto Collection Volume One.
In the novels, Mr. Moto was a cold Japanese spy who would kill without remorse. The character was softened quite a bit for the movie series, though he was still rather ruthless. In these films he's no longer a spy for
The movies in this set have more in common with the James Bond series of films than typical 30's mysteries. Moto isn't really a detective. He doesn't look for clues and make deductions. He follows a trail and comes out on top through perseverance and trickery more than acute observations. Also like Bond he'll kill a man if that's the easiest solution to his problem and think nothing of it. In the first film, he fights an attacker aboard a luxury liner at sea and, after defeating the foe, throws the knocked out man overboard to drown. It's hard to imagine Charlie Chan or his Number One Son doing anything like that.
Other similarity to the Bond films include the exotic locations, often in the far east, an accent on action, and a lack of continuing characters. In the Mr. Moto series, only Peter Lorre has a reoccurring role which is very odd for a movie series. Even James Bond has M and Moneypenny who show up in most of the installments. In these films Mr. Moto doesn't have a right hand man or assistant to help him out. He has to rely on his wits alone. Like Bond, he's also very personable. You can't help but like the quiet oriental who speaks broken English but turns out to be much more than anyone expects.
As a character, Mr. Moto is an enigma for the most part. Viewers never really learn much about him, and part of the reason is that he's almost a supporting role in his own series. The plot doesn't revolve around Moto himself (with the exception of the last film in this set). The focus is on Americans traveling abroad who find themselves in the middle of a revolution or smuggling ring. Mr. Moto just drifts into the plot to advance it a bit and then disappears again for a while, showing at the end for the big conclusion of course. His motivations are hard to pin down also; viewers are never sure which side he's on. Is he a villain or a hero?
Though these were b-movies, the production values were quite high. Made at the Fox studios, the producer had the full might of the studio behind the films. Director Norman Foster could use the elaborate sets that were created for the A-list pictures, had access to all of the props and costumes on the Fox lot, and was working with very talented support staff. This makes these films look much more expensive than they really were and adds a lot to the viewing experience.
All of the films in this set were directed Norman Foster. He started out as an actor but wanted to move behind the camera. The first film he directed was also the last one that he stared in, I Cover Chinatown (1936). After that the executives at Fox let him cut his teeth on the Moto films. He does an excellent job, creating an appropriate atmosphere for the film and insisting on realistic looking Eastern settings. (Foster traveled through the orient as a young man and rewrote the scripts to make them more like the places they were describing. He also insisted that clips from Fox travelogues be intercut with the stage settings to give the movies an authentic feel.) Foster would direct some to the Charlie Chan films after the Moto series ended and then was a very prolific director for Disney, helping write and direct many of the early TV shows including Zorro and Davy Crockett.
Originally Foster had wanted to cast an oriental in the part, but when the Lorre was suggested as a lead he jumped on it. Lorre had come to fame five years earlier staring in the Fritz Lang movie M. Since coming to
Though someone of Japanese descent would have been better in the lead role, Lorre plays the part wonderfully. He is inscrutable and vague, and a man of apparent contradictions. Quite one moment and a killer the next, his strong performance is one of the reasons that this series is so fun.
This set contains the following films:
Think Fast Mr. Moto: In the premier film of the series Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre) ends up on a luxury liner bound for
This first movie was the best in this set. Mr. Moto was his most cold blooded and viewers are never sure just what game he's playing or whose side he's on. While the love story was a little too dramatic, there was enough mystery and action to overcome this defect. A very entertaining film.
Thank You, Mr. Moto: In China this time, Mr. Moto is searching for a set of seven ancient painted scrolls, artwork that tells of the legendary burial place of Genghis Khan. He's not the only person interested in the scrolls, a band of ruthless thieves also want the treasure and will stop at nothing to get them from the current owners, an exiled prince and his mother who have a sacred duty to protect the treasure.
This was another very good film. Lorre did another excellent job; whenever he was on the screen the film was very interesting. There was another romantic sub-plot that worked about as well as the first film, and plenty of action and suspense. The ending was particularly effective, with Mr. Moto thinking his way out of a sticky situation.
Mr. Moto Takes a Chance: Posing as an archeologist in
This is the fourth movie in the series; the set skips Mr. Moto's Gamble presumably since it wasn't directed by Norman Foster. The franchise is getting a bit tired at this point. There are still the exotic locals, hidden traps, mysterious events, and love interest that the previous films had, but this time they add a comic relief character (one of the cinematographers) that really harms the film. The plot is convoluted and is slowed down by its own weight. It was held up for several months after filming before it was released, and isn't easy to see why. The film just doesn't work as well as the others. Not a bad film, but one that doesn't live up to the earlier ones and the weakest in the set.
The Mysterious Mr. Moto: The fifth movie in the series picks up the pace a bit and is an improvement over its immediate predecessor. Mr. Moto has himself imprisoned on
This was another entertaining film. The scene in the bar where the British thugs torment Mr. Moto is very good and interesting since Americans are always shown to treat him with respect. One of Lorre's stronger performances in this series, he does an excellent job as both Moto and the houseboy Ito. Moto has a stronger presence in this film and plays a more prominent role in the plot.
The DVD:
These four short films (each one runs between 63-67 minutes) come on four single sided DVDs, each one in its own keepcase with a cover derived from the original one-sheet posters for the films. These four cases come in a thin pressboard slipcase. Each disc has an insert with the cover art on one side and a list of chapter stops of the reverse. While I like the design and look of the set, I wish they had released these in thinpak cases since they take up so much less room.
Audio:
These four films all come with the choice of the original mono soundtrack or a stereo mix. There wasn't a big difference between the two but they both sounded very good. The audio had been cleaned up quite a bit so there wasn't any hiss or background noise. Thought there isn't much in the way of dynamic range when compared to a recent feature, the dialog was easy to hear and the sound effects were adequate though they did lack that *umph* that modern films have. There are subtitles in Spanish and English
Video:
I was pleasantly surprised at how well these films looked. The full frame black and white image was excellent, especially for films that are nearly 70 years old. The picture was clean and clear and free of jitter. The contrast was very good, and the level of detail excellent. There were a very few spots on each film, but these were rare and unobtrusive. There were not any torn or missing frames either. A great looking set of films.
Extras:
I really enjoyed the extras included with this set. Each disc had the same restoration demo and a couple trailers to the films, and there was also a featurette on each disc. These four shorts ran around 15-20 minutes and each one looked at one of the people who were instrumental in bringing Mr. Moto to the screen. They profiled Peter Lorre, Director Norman Foster, stunt double Harvey Parry and the head of Fox's B unit, Sol Wurtzel. These were all very informative and well made, including interviews with their relatives and scholars as well as clips from their films.
Final Thoughts:
It's interesting to note that many of the quickly made B-movies of the 30's and 40's are more fondly remembered today than many of their A-list contemporaries. It is easy to see why with the films in this set. They are unpretentious and simple, yet have high production values and solid stories. This is a very enjoyable set. Peter Lorre does a fantastic job as the ambiguous oriental detective and he really makes the series. The audio and video quality of this set is excellent too, and there are some very good extras included. If you enjoy older films you'll be very pleased with this set. Hopefully a second set with the remaining four films will be released soon. Highly Recommended.
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