The Black Camel (1931)

"Death is a black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate.", 17 August 2007

On her way to Hawaii to make a movie, actress Shelah Fane meets and falls in love with a very wealthy man. She intends to marry him but something from her past is troubling her. After she is talked out of going through with the wedding by her psychic Tarneverro (Bela Lugosi), Shelah Fane is found dead in her ocean front bungalow. Unfortunately for the murderer, Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) is on the case.

I am a very unabashed Charlie Chan fan. So finally having the opportunity to watch the oldest known surviving Chan film (okay, I realize there are older films with the Chan character, but I do not consider them part of the official series) was a real treat. And if nothing else, The Black Camel is wonderful from a historical perspective. It's a fascinating look into the early developments of the Chan character. It's also a chance to see a very early example of sound used in a movie. And on the basis of these facts alone, the movie deserves to be seen and enjoyed.

But the movie is more than just a historical curiosity. It's an enjoyable murder mystery. It's by no means perfect, but I was nonetheless entertained throughout. The cast is surprisingly strong. In later films, Oland would play Chan more confidently, but here it's interesting to watch him get his feet wet with the character. Lugosi always excelled at playing these foreign mystic type roles and does so here. Also on hand are a very young Robert Taylor, Dwight Frye, and C. Henry Gordon who appeared in a number of Chan films. Overall, it's a nice cast.

The plot in The Black Camel is fairly interesting and director Hamilton MacFadden keeps things moving at a good pace. It's not the most compelling Chan mystery, but I did enjoy playing along. I must confess, however, that the ending does get a bit muddled as to the how's and why's of everything. As The Black Camel was released in 1931, there are a number of shortcomings in the movie common with many of the other early talkies. The movie suffers from the "stagey" feeling I sometimes notice. Also, a soundtrack would have gone a long way in creating even more interest in the film. But these weaknesses are easily forgivable.

Overall, Chan fans should rejoice that The Black Camel is finally available on a legit DVD release. I know it's made me very happy.

7/10