Charlie Chan in London (1934)

the audience applauded

Amateur movie with Big budget

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Charlie Chan in London (1934) *** (out of 4) Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) is about to leave London and return home when Pamela Gray (Drue Leyton) asks him to take a look at a case involving her brother who is sitting on death row and about to be hung in three days. Chan agrees to take the case when he stumbles on a bit of evidence that puts his own life at risk.CHARLIE CHAN IN London is yet another winner in the series from Fox who were clearly treating this series with the highest bit of respects and especially in regards to writers. This film certainly isn't a masterpiece but there are enough interesting plot points to keep the viewer interested and there's no doubt that we're also given a great supporting cast of characters to help Oland along.The best thing in the film is its screenplay, which has a pretty interesting mystery that keeps you guessing throughout. As you'd expect, there are several suspects that end up popping up but the film manages to make you guess one person one second and then another the next. The mystery really plays itself out in a very good manor and manages to make for a fun ride. Another plus is that director Eugene Forde helps keep the film moving at a very fast pace without any slow spots or moments where you just slip off not caring about what's going on.The performances are another major plus with Oland perfect as usual in the role of Chan. Everything from his line delivery to the way he walks is just perfectly nailed and there's never a single second where you believe you're watching an actor in a role. The supporting cast is also very good with strong support from Leyton as well as Alan Mowbray, Douglas Walton and Ray Milland. E.E. Clive plays a dimwitted Detective and the comedy is a tad bit too forced.CHARLIE CHAN IN London is the second earliest surviving Oland-Chan film and there's no doubt that it's a winner. While not quite as good as THE BLACK CAMEL, there's no question that it contained one of the best screenplays.

Although primitive in some ways, this is one of the better Charlie Chan mysteries for many reasons--the main one, perhaps, is that this viewer did not easily deduce the identity of the murderer until late in the film. It also presents Chan as a figure of no little dignity, especially when confronted with a slammed door, or a racial slur, or assumptions that he is ignorant. "Excuse, please," says Charlie Chan, and through methodical thinking and quiet assurance, proves himself completely able to do what others cannot. Another reason I enjoyed this film is the absence of stupid humor crammed into the later films, gag stuff that plays down to the audience or featuring funny characters that are not funny, such as Harold Huber in City of Darkness, on screen far too long and insufferable. For Chan fans, this one is a keeper

Eugene J. Forde directs this Charlie Chan crime thriller. What seems to be too much evidence puts a young Englishman behind bars and with three days before being hanged, his sister and her fiancé convince the renown oriental detective Chan(Warner Oland)to find the real killer. Charlie works with a Scotland Yard counterpart Sgt. Thacker(E.E. Clive),who for some reason keeps referring to "Mr. Chang" throughout the movie. Kind hearted Chan overlooks this as real clues are mysterious and he himself is almost killed. Needless to say the weekend at a fabulous country estate is quite eventful. Supporting cast features: Drue Leyton, Ray Milland, Alan Mowbray, Mona Barrie, George Barraud and Douglas Walton.

The 1930s and 40s saw huge numbers of B-movies about detectives which included two different Sherlock Holmes series (one American and one British), the Falcon, the Saint, Crime Doctor, Boston Blackie and several others. However, of all these series, one of the very best was probably the Charlie Chan films. However, since they were made over a twenty year period and starred several different actors as Chan, they varied considerably in quality. In general, the early ones are the best and this is one of the earliest ones still in existence (at least two earlier films have simply disappeared or degraded beyond hope).While this Warner Oland effort is plagued by not having an Asian actor in the lead (typical of all the Chan films of the 30s and 40s), it is one of the best written. Unlike some of the later films, Chan's thinking and deducting are actually very sound and he seems more like a master detective than just a lucky guy who stumbles upon the solution to a crime (this happened a lot in the later Sidney Toler films). In almost every way this is a superior film compared to later versions except that I did miss the inclusion of a bit of humor. Using #1 Son and the other Chan children actually helped many of the later films--especially in such grand films as CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA.Still, this is well written, well acted and a good genuine mystery. The end result is a film that is a standout for the genre and is worth a look--especially if you like this style of film.