--- product_id: 5316332 title: "Chu Chin Chow" price: "NZ$57" currency: NZD in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/5316332-chu-chin-chow store_origin: NZ region: New Zealand --- # Chu Chin Chow **Price:** NZ$57 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Chu Chin Chow - **How much does it cost?** NZ$57 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/5316332-chu-chin-chow) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description VCI is pleased to present this very rare 1934 British classic, based on the original Oscar Asche stage production which set records during it's initial run of 2,238 performances at His Majesty's Theatre. Chu Chin Chow is entertainment on a generous scale, with an amazing story in the style of the Arabian Nights, an exceptional cast, a splendid musical score and a bright and richly mounted production. The movie is a musical retelling of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, complete with fantastic tortures and half clad slave girls. The production boasted lavish sets by Erne Metzner and cinematography by Max Greenbaum, both top artists from the German Expressionism era. The original film was 102 minutes long. It was then cut by both British and American Distributors to 93 minutes and finally to 78. VCI's release is a three-disc box set containing the restoration of the original 102 minute version, along with the American version titled Ali Baba Nights, and as a bonus, the very rare 1935 film Abdul the Damned starring Fritz Kortner, who played Abu Hassan in Chu Chin Chow. Review: Chu Chin Chow? Wow! - A British screen musical ... from the 1930s? Yes, and it stars Anna May Wong! VCI Entertainment has released an incredible 3 DVD collectors set containing restorations of the original (102 minute) version of the British film CHU CHIN CHOW (1934), along with the shorter 1953 American release of the same film (re-titled ALI BABA NIGHTS and targeting a "kiddie matinee" audience, it cuts out most of the spice--and the music). The set also features generous photo galleries, artist bios, an Arabian Nights-themed Popeye cartoon, loads of other extras and another British feature film of the 1930s, Karl Grune's ABDUL THE DAMNED, starring Fritz Kortner who plays the bandit chief, Abu Hassan, in CHU CHIN CHOW. Ace film restorer, Jay Allan Fenton, supervised the project and it is a welcome addition to the expanding digital library of historically and artistically important films available to anyone with access to a DVD player. (Sound and image on these films can be less than pristine, but still almost miraculous considering their age and rarity.) It is also a boon to aficionados of the sublime Anna May Wong. Novelist Evelyn Waugh once wrote that it seemed absurd "that plays of oriental setting should have to be manufactured" for Wong, but CHU CHIN CHOW was not hatched as a starring vehicle for the Chinese American actress. Combining elements of musical comedy and pantomime, CHU CHIN CHOW was a venerable British show biz institution by the time it reached the screen in 1934. With a story by Oscar Asche and music by Frederic Norton, the stage version was first produced at His Majesty's Theatre on August 3, 1916 and ran for five years and a (then record) total of 2238 performances. There was a silent version of the musical shot in 1925 (go figure!), so the 1934 film is theoretically a re-make. British illustrator and writer, Osbert Lancaster, recalled in his memoir, With An Eye To The Future, his mother's "slightly puritanical" attitudes toward playgoing. He notes "musical comedies and revues were regarded with marked disfavour as being certainly trivial and probably immoral," but that "exception was made in favour of CHU CHIN CHOW on account of its oriental setting." Bathed in exoticism and set in a far off place and time, it seems the play, and later, the film's "oriental setting" gave uptight "slightly puritanical" British audiences license to enjoy a bit of "immoral" fun. The Gainsborough Picture, filmed at Islington by Walter Forde, is a campy orientalist trifle, based on Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, distinguished by Hollywood style production numbers (rare for British films of this vintage), over-the-top costumes and characterizations, and the fantastic set design of Hungarian-born Erno Metzner (who also designed the sets for W.B. Pabst's German silent THE DIARY OF A LOST GIRL, starring the American actress Louise Brooks). Cinematography is by German Expressionist vet, Mutz Greenbaum (AKA Max Green), and the film seems at times more naturalistic in detail than American films of the same type and vintage, but at others far more theatrical and stylized. The ethnic portrayals (by an international cast) are strictly of the period. The film is further distinguished by the luminous presence of Anna May Wong, who plays the shimmering Zahrat. The role is reminiscent of her turn as the Mongol spy in THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD (1925), and she brings to it the same dance-like grace and willowy bearing. In CHU CHIN CHOW Wong is given opportunity to flaunt her exoticism and parade her potent sexuality. She seems somehow utterly natural and unselfconscious in the part--no matter how flagrantly over-the-top the character of Zahrat. In this pantomime-based role, we're acutely aware of the actress' mastery of controlled gesture, expression and attitude. As always, Wong is so adept at projecting herself, and creating a vivid visual image of character, that we cannot keep our eyes off of her when she's on screen. Once again, Wong steals the show-and undoubtedly some hearts-without even trying. It has been reported that British audiences were appalled by her harsh L.A. accent, yet as early as 1930, Evelyn Waugh wrote, "We have learned from her 'talky' that she has an excellent speaking voice" and goes on to praise her "balance of modesty and refinement." She sounds fine here, speaking in the low, British inflected theatrical voice she employed for the remainder of her career. Thanks to Jay Allan Fenton, and the folks at VCI Entertainment for making these films available to the public. Accessibility of Wong materials has been meager, but now it seems we're witnessing the opening of a treasure trove of long unseen films (another superior British film featuring Wong, PICCADILLY, was recently released by Milestone Collection). It is fortunate that these films are finally coming to light again after being buried in the vaults for so long. This release is truly an embarrassment of riches for fans of Wong, and anyone interested in world cinema. Review: Chu Chin Chow - Our daughter really didn't understand it, but for us, it was magnificent. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B00096S2LO | | Actors | Anna May Wong, Fritz Kortner, George Robey, John Garrick, Pearl Argyle | | Aspect Ratio | 1.33:1 | | Best Sellers Rank | #120,104 in Movies & TV ( See Top 100 in Movies & TV ) #1,332 in Fantasy DVDs #1,374 in Musicals (Movies & TV) #3,082 in Music Videos & Concerts (Movies & TV) | | Customer Reviews | 3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars (35) | | Director | Karl Grune, Walter Forde | | Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No | | Item model number | 2234430 | | MPAA rating | Unrated (Not Rated) | | Media Format | Black & White, Box set, Collector's Edition, Dolby, Full Screen, Multiple Formats, NTSC, Special Edition | | Number of discs | 3 | | Product Dimensions | 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 8.8 ounces | | Release date | June 21, 2005 | | Run time | 1 hour and 42 minutes | | Studio | Vci Video | | Writers | Ashley Dukes, Curt Siodmak, Edward Knoblock, Emeric Pressburger, L. du Garde Peach | ## Images ![Chu Chin Chow - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Xrg6oQGOL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Chu Chin Chow? Wow! *by D***. on June 23, 2005* A British screen musical ... from the 1930s? Yes, and it stars Anna May Wong! VCI Entertainment has released an incredible 3 DVD collectors set containing restorations of the original (102 minute) version of the British film CHU CHIN CHOW (1934), along with the shorter 1953 American release of the same film (re-titled ALI BABA NIGHTS and targeting a "kiddie matinee" audience, it cuts out most of the spice--and the music). The set also features generous photo galleries, artist bios, an Arabian Nights-themed Popeye cartoon, loads of other extras and another British feature film of the 1930s, Karl Grune's ABDUL THE DAMNED, starring Fritz Kortner who plays the bandit chief, Abu Hassan, in CHU CHIN CHOW. Ace film restorer, Jay Allan Fenton, supervised the project and it is a welcome addition to the expanding digital library of historically and artistically important films available to anyone with access to a DVD player. (Sound and image on these films can be less than pristine, but still almost miraculous considering their age and rarity.) It is also a boon to aficionados of the sublime Anna May Wong. Novelist Evelyn Waugh once wrote that it seemed absurd "that plays of oriental setting should have to be manufactured" for Wong, but CHU CHIN CHOW was not hatched as a starring vehicle for the Chinese American actress. Combining elements of musical comedy and pantomime, CHU CHIN CHOW was a venerable British show biz institution by the time it reached the screen in 1934. With a story by Oscar Asche and music by Frederic Norton, the stage version was first produced at His Majesty's Theatre on August 3, 1916 and ran for five years and a (then record) total of 2238 performances. There was a silent version of the musical shot in 1925 (go figure!), so the 1934 film is theoretically a re-make. British illustrator and writer, Osbert Lancaster, recalled in his memoir, With An Eye To The Future, his mother's "slightly puritanical" attitudes toward playgoing. He notes "musical comedies and revues were regarded with marked disfavour as being certainly trivial and probably immoral," but that "exception was made in favour of CHU CHIN CHOW on account of its oriental setting." Bathed in exoticism and set in a far off place and time, it seems the play, and later, the film's "oriental setting" gave uptight "slightly puritanical" British audiences license to enjoy a bit of "immoral" fun. The Gainsborough Picture, filmed at Islington by Walter Forde, is a campy orientalist trifle, based on Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, distinguished by Hollywood style production numbers (rare for British films of this vintage), over-the-top costumes and characterizations, and the fantastic set design of Hungarian-born Erno Metzner (who also designed the sets for W.B. Pabst's German silent THE DIARY OF A LOST GIRL, starring the American actress Louise Brooks). Cinematography is by German Expressionist vet, Mutz Greenbaum (AKA Max Green), and the film seems at times more naturalistic in detail than American films of the same type and vintage, but at others far more theatrical and stylized. The ethnic portrayals (by an international cast) are strictly of the period. The film is further distinguished by the luminous presence of Anna May Wong, who plays the shimmering Zahrat. The role is reminiscent of her turn as the Mongol spy in THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD (1925), and she brings to it the same dance-like grace and willowy bearing. In CHU CHIN CHOW Wong is given opportunity to flaunt her exoticism and parade her potent sexuality. She seems somehow utterly natural and unselfconscious in the part--no matter how flagrantly over-the-top the character of Zahrat. In this pantomime-based role, we're acutely aware of the actress' mastery of controlled gesture, expression and attitude. As always, Wong is so adept at projecting herself, and creating a vivid visual image of character, that we cannot keep our eyes off of her when she's on screen. Once again, Wong steals the show-and undoubtedly some hearts-without even trying. It has been reported that British audiences were appalled by her harsh L.A. accent, yet as early as 1930, Evelyn Waugh wrote, "We have learned from her 'talky' that she has an excellent speaking voice" and goes on to praise her "balance of modesty and refinement." She sounds fine here, speaking in the low, British inflected theatrical voice she employed for the remainder of her career. Thanks to Jay Allan Fenton, and the folks at VCI Entertainment for making these films available to the public. Accessibility of Wong materials has been meager, but now it seems we're witnessing the opening of a treasure trove of long unseen films (another superior British film featuring Wong, PICCADILLY, was recently released by Milestone Collection). It is fortunate that these films are finally coming to light again after being buried in the vaults for so long. This release is truly an embarrassment of riches for fans of Wong, and anyone interested in world cinema. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Chu Chin Chow *by A***E on February 1, 2026* Our daughter really didn't understand it, but for us, it was magnificent. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Not the best movie, but Anna May Wong is in it. *by J***N on May 29, 2012* It boasts a 3 disc special edition, but it's exactly special features. It's 3 movies. It has "Chu Chin Chow" and the American cut down version (with less singing) called "Ali Baba Nights" and the last disc is a Fritz Kortner movie called "Abdul the Damned." I had really hoped it was just "Chu Chin Chow" (with maybe the Americanized version) and a lot of fun extras on the production or on Anna May Wong. Like many Wong movies, she's not the main character, but she still does enough to make it a fun movie. Fritz Kortner's performances are rather hammy and silly and he talks very slowly (Capra would have fired him). All in all, you could do worse. I should have gotten the "Bombs Over Burma"/"Lady from Chungking" combo pack instead. What I'm really waiting for is an American DVD of "Shanghai Express." --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nz/products/5316332-chu-chin-chow](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/5316332-chu-chin-chow) --- *Product available on Desertcart New Zealand* *Store origin: NZ* *Last updated: 2026-04-28*