Eran trece (1931)

Worth seeing as a curiosity piece, but that's about the only reason., 26 June 2006

As a curiosity piece for fans of Charlie Chan, Eran Trece is rather interesting as it represents a peak at the lost film Charlie Chan Carries On. It gets bonus points from me for that fact alone. But without that connection and bit of trivia, Eran Trece is a weak film. My problems with the movie do not include most of the actors or technical aspects. Here, the film is comparable to any other Charlie Chan film. Instead, my problems with the movie rest with Chan's lack of involvement in most of the movie and the actor playing Chan. Chan only shows up in the final third of the film. And he doesn't really do much other than make a few wild guesses about the killer's identity. Chan seemed to be as in the dark as I as to who the killer was until he gave himself away. And Manuel Arbo's Chan leaves a lot to be desired. Instead of the intellectual, thinking detective, Arbo plays Chan as more of a fool who would rather wrestle over a clue than logically think things out. Maybe I'm just comfortable with Oland and Toler as Chan. But I sincerely think it's more than that. Arbo, with his lack of screen presence and overly animated acting style, isn't very good.

Even with the film's shortcomings, I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to see this film. I also appreciate Fox for putting Eran Trece on their new Charlie Chan Collection. Unfortunately, however, I doubt I'll be watching it very often.

5/10