THE FACE OF FU MANCHU

GB / GER
1965
1hr 36mins
Dir: Don Sharp
Starring: Christopher Lee and Nigel Green

A London crime spree is linked to the world mastermind criminal Fu Manchu

This crime thriller was the first in a series of five films that saw Christopher Lee as the fictional Asian villain Fu Manchu, and it features a good railway scene. During a car chase through the streets of Dublin, which is supposedly set in London, there is a good shot of the cars passing a 5’ 3” gauge Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0ST hauling a rake of wagons. The location is the tramway that ran along St. John’s Road and linked the Guinness Brewery with Kingsbridge Goods Yard near Heuston station. The industrial locomotive was one of a pair of broad-gauge locos that belonged to the brewery.

During the car chase the pair of vehicles pass alongside a freight train, the wagons of which can be seen on the left
Just before the train passes over the level crossing Fu Manchu crosses in front, thus ending the chase from his pursuers. This sequence of events was filmed in St. John’s Road, Dublin, and gave us a very rare glimpse of a broad gauge Hudswell Clarke saddle tank.