IMDb user comments for
Castle in the Desert (1942)

advertisement

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 2:

[1] [2]

Index

14 comments in total

---

7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Well done!, 2 June 2001
Author: LeRoyMarko from Toronto, Canada

Good movie set in the Mojave desert. One of the best Chan movie with Sidney Toler. The ambiance for suspense is nicely set in a castle in the middle of nowhere. And there's always that famous phrase: «One of us is a murderer». I just love it when they say that!

The acting is good. Victor Sen Yung is funny as Number 2 son and I also liked the fortune teller lady. She was adding some fun to the movie.

One quote: «What I'd like now is the relaxation of a good murder case»! (Jimmy Chan to his father)

In all, an entertaining movie.

Out of 100, I gave it 78. That's good for **½ on a **** star rating system. Seen at home in Welland, June 2nd, 2001. Marko Roy.

---

8 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
positive comments on this film, 22 April 2000
Author: logan2445 from greensburg,pa

My opinion is this is one of the best in the Chan series. It has a good story that is written well. The cast is great with some wonderful character actors. I think the production quality is a little better than other Chan films. One thing that stands out are lighting and camera angles. They create an ambiance of suspense.

---

4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
"Man who fears death die a thousand times.", 6 September 2004

Author: classicsoncall from United States

Lucy Manderley is the obvious suspect when two guests are seemingly murdered at Manderley Castle, located in the Mojave Desert. Her husband Paul is a mysterious recluse who stands to lose his $20 million dollar estate if it can be proved he is mentally unfit.

Charlie Chan has a lot to piece together in this brisk mystery. Number Two Son Jimmy Chan is on leave from the army to help out his "Pop". If at all possible, try to view the Chan films in the order that they were released, the continuity is amazing. It was in the prior "Charlie Chan in Rio" film that Jimmy received his military papers.

Ethel Griffies and Milton Parsons are on hand from "Dead Men Tell" and perform admirably, particularly Ms. Griffies as the amazingly accurate psychic Madame Saturna - "The stars never lie".

The funniest line in the film comes from Sidney Toler's Chan character, responding to son Jimmy's choice of a suit of armor for a disguise - "What has canned outpost observed?" My compliments to the writer of that line, I can't get it out of my head!

Keep an eye out at the hotel stop where Charlie boards his ride for Manderley Castle, the sign overhead states "Rooms 50 cents". Better get an early reservation!

This is an enjoyable film with a fine cast, and well worth your time. Give it a try.

---

3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
`He'll die a violent death, he will, and his murderer shall go unpunished', 11 August 2002

Author: Jim Tritten from Corrales, NM

Final Fox Chan film leaves us somewhat dissatisfied despite a complicated but enjoyable plot. There is a body within the first few minutes, sufficient suspects, ties to the Borgia family, lots of misdirection and clues, and Chan once again dodging arrows. The characters are marooned in an eerie reconstructed medieval castle (complete with a dungeon in the basement) located in the Mojave Desert. For a change, it is possible to figure out the ending ahead of or along with Chan. $20M is a great incentive for crime.

Sidney Toler does good job at discovering a mystery and solving murder but fails to perform his usual wrap up at the end clarifying all of the loose ends. Son Jimmy (on leave from the Army) assists Pop without resorting to too much comedy. Pop takes US Army Carrier Pigeon No. 13576 with him to the desert but alas, the pigeon succumbs to the poison nightshade. `Man without enemies like dog without fleas.'

Good supporting cast. Ethel Griffies and Milton Parsons return to play small but effective roles. Only a few (unnecessary) racial slurs. Some interesting camera work with the use of shadows to convey danger. By the way, there is a real castle in the desert, Scotty's Castle, now part of Death Valley National Park. And I suspect that hotels in the region now rent rooms for more than $2/night! Recommended.

---

5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Entertaining Murder Mystery, 21 September 2003
Author: Derrick Ferguson from Brooklyn, New York

I caught this movie on the FOX MOVIE CHANNEL which had pulled it's CHARLIE CHAN month long marathon due to protests from Asian Americans. FMC resumed showing the Chan movies in September, bookending the movies with discussions by prominent Asian-Americans inluding George (Mr. Sulu)Takei who explored the racial issues of the movies.

I respect the discomfort and resentment the CHARLIE CHAN movies cause Asian Americans and there are some blatantly racial comments in this movie. There's a part where Charlie enters a hotel to await a car and the hotel manager takes one look at him and says; "Chop Suey salesman, eh? I hate the stuff!" that frankly made me cringe. But these movies have a historical value beyond simple entertainment. They remind us of how we once acted and thought of other races and other people. Even though Charlie Chan is a respected and internationally famous detective, he is still based on his appearance and skin color. Maybe we haven't come so far since this movie was made.

Taken strictly as entertainment, though, CASTLE IN THE DESERT is a nifty murder mystery with an eccentric cast of characters trapped in a remote location with a murderer running around loose. One character is a descendant of Lucrezia Borgia. Another is a fortune teller whose predictions actually DO come true. Charlie Chan and Number 2 son do a great job of finding the true murderer and putting things aright. The plot is perhaps more complicated than it needs to be but that's the great thing about those 30's/40's murder mysteries: it wasn't that easy to guess who was the killer. Despite the unplesant racial remarks, CASTLE IN THE DESERT is a fine entry in the CHARLIE CHAN series. I enjoyed it a lot. Lots of humor and sharp, witty dialog and great atmospheric sets.

---

2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the more entertaining Chans, 18 March 2002
Author: Jeff (Inthegoodlife@Aol.com) from Jacksonville, FL

Castle in the Desert is a very entertaining entry in the Charlie Chan series with one of the top settings and some interesting characters. Chan is called to the aptly named castle in the desert to solve the murder of a man by poison. Another murder occurs and Charlie goes about his business. Jimmy also arrives and provides some interesting comic relief. The cast is very good with Douglas Dumbrille and Henry Daniell in supporting roles. There are some fun moments, a great atmosphere in the spooky old house and some good humor. One of the better Chan entries.

6.7/10

---

2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
The last of the Fox Chans and one of the best!, 16 April 2000

Author: admjtk1701 from New York, NY

This was, sorry to say, the last Chan film made by 20th Century Fox. It is also one of the most fun and atmospheric. It is set in a castle in the Mojave Desert owned by a descendant of the Borgias, played by Douglass Dumbrille. This is creepy and funny with Jimmy Chan (Sen Yung)sneaking around the castle amid the suits of armor. Henry Danielle is also on hand as a guest of the house. A nutty fortune teller also adds to the fun! Another one to watch over and over.

---

3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
A desert delight, 29 June 2000

Author: pbalos from Panama City, Panama

by far one of the better Chan films with Sidney Toler.It's filled with some nice surprises, a touch of chamber music, and familiar faces.Good acting for this type of film, the direction stood out (as opposed to Chan movies that would follow), but a flawed script that left some questions unresolved. Overall a good movie!

---

No phone! No lights! No motor cars!, 1 August 2008

Author: bensonmum2 from Tennessee

While I admit that the Chan films of Warner Oland are, as a group, superior to those of Sidney Toler, that doesn't mean that some of the Toler films aren't rock solid and as good individually as anything Oland made. Three that immediately come to mind are Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum, and this film, Castle in the Desert. (By the way, why isn't the title Charlie Chan and the Castle in the Desert? It would have made sense to me.) In Castle in the Desert, Charlie is summoned to a strange, isolated castle in the middle of the Mojave Desert. But no one in the house will admit to having sent of Chan. His presence is, however, quickly needed when in not time at all Charlie finds himself up to his elbows in murder, poison, deadly arrows, red herrings, and suspects galore. What could be more fun!

I've seen someone use this phrase before to describe a Charlie Chan film and I think it fits Castle in the Desert – "It's a crackling good mystery". As I've indicated, all of the necessary ingredients for a fun outing with Chan are here. In fact, Castle in the Desert is really more like two mysteries in one. While the solution to the first is fairly obvious, it's still a lot of fun and just an appetizer for the more difficult and dangerous mystery to come. This was Toler's last Chan film for Fox and, by the time this one was made, Toler could have played the role in his sleep. He seems so at ease with the character. The rest of the cast is enjoyable with Henry Daniell and, one of my favorites, Douglass Dumbrille standing out in support. Another bonus for Castle in the Desert is that Victor Sen Yung as #2 son Jimmy Chan isn't anywhere near as annoying as he is in some of the other Chan films.

Overall, Castle in the Desert is a nice finale to the Chan films at Fox. Nothing that would come later at Monogram is anywhere close to matching it. I've got no problem rating this one a strong 7/10 verging on an 8/10.

---

1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
The very best Charlie Chan film.... ever., 28 January 2008

Author: Ospidillo from McDermott, Ohio

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Not ONE of the other Charlie Chan films can touch this one! The casting is brilliant, the acting is superior, the cinematography is dramatic and, the location is PERFECT. Imagine that! A castle in the desert!

This is a poisoning case, (sort of), and Charlie is summoned to help solve it. He's warned from going from the moment he's invited and, of course, one of his numerous sons (not quite so goofy as some others we've seen), tags along to watch out for his dear dad. Dark characters are everywhere and the sub-plots are above average.

Fans of Charlie Chan films will drool over this one but the average viewer can enjoy this light mystery as well. The desert town, old vehicles, the landscapes, the castle, (and it's creepy accoutrements) are all about the coolest things you'll ever view in a black and white old-timey mystery film.

---

---

Page 1 of 2:

[1] [2]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Ratings	Newsgroup reviews
External reviews	Plot keywords	Main details
Your user comments	Your vote history