The Return of Chandu (1934)

Directed by

Ray Taylor

Genre

adventure film

Country

United States

Runtime

3h 23m

Rating

4.8 of 10 from 21 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A magician named Chandu uses his mystical powers to fight evil. This 12-part serial follows his adventures across exotic locations. Bela Lugosi plays the hero instead of his usual villain role.

fast-pacedcliffhanger-filleddatedpulp-stylefantasticalnostalgicepisodiclight-hearted-adventure

What happens

The Return of Chandu is a 1934 American 12-episode fantasy film serial based on the radio series Chandu the Magician. It was produced by Sol Lesser and directed by Ray Taylor, and starred Bela Lugosi as Frank Chandler (aka Chandu the Magician). The serial was originally released to be booked by theaters in any one of three ways: as a conventional serial of twelve weekly chapters of equal running times; as a 60-minute feature film comprising the first four episodes, to be followed by the remaining 8 episodes in weekly serial format; or as a stand-alone feature comprising the first four chapters (the fourth episode ending not with a cliffhanger, but with an apparent resolution to the story). In 1935, the remaining 8 episodes of the serial were also edited into a second feature film, 65 minutes long, released as Chandu on the Magic Island. This serial marked one of the few times that Lugosi played a protagonist rather than an antagonist: in fact, Lugosi had played Roxor, the main villain, in the 1932 film Chandu the Magician. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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