This film is part of Free

This film is certified

Contains descriminatory stereotypes

I accept this guidance

Title of error

See Help

The Call of Siva

In the dastardly clutches of evil Dr Fu-Manchu, Nayland Smith and Petrie are threatened with pythons, spiders and the ghastly ‘wire jacket’ torture

Crime 1923 27 mins Silent

Overview

This fast-paced caper, based on Sax Rohmer’s first Fu-Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr Fu-Manchu (1913), features precious location footage of the River Thames at Windsor, Cleopatra’s Needle and Waterloo Station. Aided by Fu-Manchu's long-suffering slave girl Karamaneh, Nayland Smith and Dr Petrie must unravel the eerie secret of the Call of Siva, a strange midnight cry that drives men to suicide.

Though the action in this episode supposedly takes place in the middle of the night, film stocks that would register low levels of light were not yet available - so the scenes were filmed in broad daylight. On original release prints, relevant sequences were often tinted with dark coloured dye to create a nocturnal effect.

Director

A.E. Coleby

Genres

Crime , Action and Adventure and Film serial

Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Subjects

Watch for free

The Woman from China The Woman from China

Crime 1931 76 mins Silent

A young woman is persuaded to help a Chinese businessman to kidnap a naval officer in this fun and outrageous British thriller.

Watch for free

Attack on a Mission Station Attack on a Mission Station

War 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Blackburn

Dramatised account of Chinese rebels' violent confrontation with Christian missionaries, made in the wake of the Boxer Rebellion.

Watch for free

A Bid for Fortune A Bid for Fortune

Drama 1917 84 mins Silent

Master criminal Dr Nikola seeks a Chinese curio that promises eternal life and world domination

Watch for free

Cosmopolitan London Cosmopolitan London

Interest film 1924 10 mins Location: Soho

An extraordinary tour of Soho's French cafés, Clerkenwell's Little Italy and the lesser-trodden streets of Limehouse in the 1920s.

Watch for free

Lieutenant Rose and the Chinese Pirates Lieutenant Rose and the Chinese Pirates

Drama 1910 12 mins Silent Location: Croydon

Lieutenant Rose is kidnapped by Chinese pirates in this action-packed early adventure series.

Watch for free

Lieutenant Lilly and the Sploge of Opium Lieutenant Lilly and the Sploge of Opium

Comedy 1913 11 mins Silent Location: Walton-on-Thames

The intrepid Lt Lilly is called upon to quell a Chinese Boxer rebellion in a spoof adventure serial.

Watch for free

New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine

Short documentary 2025 4 mins

Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.

Watch for free

Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A

Inside Film 2025 30 mins

The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.