The film opens with Charlie Chan flying in a plane in a close-up. He soon lands in the ancient land of Egypt where he has been sent to see what is happening with a group of British archaeologists working for the museum paying him. It seems some of the rare finds from its digs are being sold around the world whilst everything has been promised to the museum. This film was made in 1935 and is definitely somewhat creaky. Warner Oland, as always, does an admirable job as Chan. The rest of the cast is rather lacklustre, however. Stepin Fetchit plays a servant that walks real slow and mumbles incoherently. His presence in the film, apart from surely being racist and stereotyped, is suppose to be funny but is almost painful to endure. The plot is slow going as well, with some long stretches of in-action(hard to believe for a film that is just a little over an hour). The film does have some wonderful set pieces and ably created a mood for a dark, foreboding world of mummies and the like. A young servant girl is played by then starlet Rita Hayworth. Not a bad film but for me definitely a lesser installment in the Chan series.
Review of Charlie Chan in Egypt
