William Austin Archives

The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929)

Rating: ★★

Apr 19, 2023Super-Villain

The first film appearance of one of the great super-villains of pulp fiction. This was a silent film version with Warner Oland cast in the title role, making a rolypoly Fu Mancu in contrast to some of the other great actors in the part

Director: Rowland V. Lee

Actors: Warner Oland, Neil Hamilton, O.P. Heggie, Jean Arthur, …

Category: Fantasy

19 April 20237 October 2025 by Roog

The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (1930)

Rating: ★★★

Oct 7, 2025Super-Villain

The second of the films made about the Chinese super-villain Fu Manchu, the first made in sound. This is where the film series started to find itself, turning in some superlative thrills and a wonderful battle of wits between hero and villain. Pulp thrills at their best

Director: Rowland V. Lee

Actors: Warner Oland, O.P. Heggie, Jean Arthur, Neil Hamilton, …

Category: Science Fiction

7 October 202513 November 2025 by Roog

Batman (1943)

Rating: ★

Nov 26, 2000Comic-Book Superhero/Serial

Batman's first screen appearance in a fifteen-chapter serial. This is a dull, impoverished adaptation, which sees Batman and Robin rewritten in the service of the US government fighting a Japanese invasion force

Director: Lambert Hillyer

Actors: Lewis Wilson, Douglas Croft, J. Carrol Naish, William Austin

Category: Fantasy, Science Fiction

26 November 200012 March 2026 by Roog