MovieChat Forums > The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980) Discussion > Alternative Ending?

Alternative Ending?

posted 9 years ago by elmadman_99
4 replies | jump to latest

Hi there,

I saw this movie on TV in the UK in the 1980's and I could have SWORN that it had a different ending to the one that I saw recently.

The one that I saw recently has Fu Manchu return the assorted valuables to the waiting audience, and then come on stage an do a rock number in the style of an Asian Elvis Presley character.

However...

I could have SWORN that the version that I saw on TV as a kid was different.

Nayland Smith tracks Fu Manchu to his lair at the end of the movie and comes on Fu Manchu just as the latter is about to drink the elixir vitae. Smith then makes a lengthy and impassioned speech about how he has used up years of his life in tracking Fu Manchu and that his efforts have been for nothing.

Fu Manchu then offers the elixir vitae to Smith, in order that they can both begin again, be young men once again, and that the chase can begin anew etc...

As such the movie ends with both Nayland Smith and Fu Manchu laughing and drinking the elixir together.

Would anyone care to comment on the above? Or is is simply a matter of me being crazy and imagining the ending I have mentioned?

Any comments would be gratefully appreciated.

Cheers and respect.

[–] allenblank 9 years ago

To be honest I saw this film when it was released and it ended with the Rock a Fu ending. That's the ending I got on DVD.

[–] elmadman_99 9 years ago

Thanks for the response allenblank, what you have said is interesting and leads me to think that I am either:

a) Crazy and dreamed the ending up (which I doubt) or
b) Have confused the ending I mentioned with another film (which is more likely)

I appreciate the response. Is there anyone else out there who would like to comment on an alternative ending (as mentioned in the original post) or on the fact that I might have mixed it up with a different movie entirely?

Any suggestions or comments would be welcome. Thanks for posting.

Cheers and respect.

[–] sjculb3 8 years ago

I have the dvd and watched it recently. The ending does have Fu giving Neyland the drink and doing the elvis thing...but not drinking it. However I do remember from the Theater version the speech you mention where Neyland talks about it all being for nothing. This speech was NOT on this dvd. I never saw the other part you mention where they drink together. My guess is there really is a version you mention.

[–] elmadman_99 8 years ago

I have the DVD and watched it recently. The ending does have Fu giving Neyland the drink and doing the Elvis thing...but not drinking it. However I do remember from the Theater version the speech you mention where Neyland talks about it all being for nothing. This speech was NOT on this DVD. I never saw the other part you mention where they drink together. My guess is there really is a version you mention.

Thanks for the above post 'sjculb3.'

I appreciate what you have written, as it proves my original theory that there very well could be an alternative ending as I have indicated.

I have to say that I find it very difficult to believe that I dreamed the entire thing up, and what you have said strongly suggests that there is more than one print of the movie available.

My guess is there really is a version you mention.

Personally, I couldn't agree more!

Cheers and respect.