The Return of Chandu main backdrop
The Return of Chandu main poster

The Return of Chandu

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4.5/10 • 20

1934-10-013h 23m

ActionFantasyRomanceAdventureHorror

Chandu consults his crystal ball and sees that Nadji, Princess of Egypt, is in danger. She is about to be sacrificed by the black magic cult of Ubasti. Headed for the magic island of Lemuria, he is shipwrecked , washed ashore and captured. He becomes invisible, escapes and after numerous detours is able to rescue the princess.

Directors
Ray Taylor
Writters
Harry A. Earnshaw, R.R. Morgan, Vera M. Oldham
Editors
Harry A. Earnshaw, R.R. Morgan, Vera M. Oldham, Louis Sackin

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Bela Lugosi

    Bela Lugosi

    Frank Chandler (Chandu)

  2. Maria Alba

    Maria Alba

    Nadji - Princess of Egypt

  3. Murdock MacQuarrie

    Murdock MacQuarrie

    The Supreme Voice of Ubasti [Chs. 4-12]

  4. Clara Kimball Young

    Clara Kimball Young

    Dorothy Regent

  5. Dean Benton

    Dean Benton

    Bob Regent (as Deane Benton)

  6. Phyllis Ludwig

    Phyllis Ludwig

    Betty Regent

  7. Lucien Prival

    Lucien Prival

    Vindhyan, High Priest [Chs. 1-4]

  8. Cyril Armbrister

    Cyril Armbrister

    Henchman Sutra [Chs.1-4]

  9. Wilfred Lucas

    Wilfred Lucas

    Capt. Wilson [Chs. 4-12]

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Dec 26, 2024

5/10

This might have worked better as a silent feature as it mixes up it's mythologies to allow Bela Lugosi's eponymous character (aka. "Chandler") to race to the rescue of the imperilled Egyptian princess "Nadji"(Maria Alba). Why? Well it seems that some Pharaonic cult from ages past has decided that she's the reincarnation of a goddess. What's slightly confusing is that they seem to want to sacrifice her so the goddess ("Ossana") can, well, reincarnate! Anyway, never let the plot get in the way of a rather pointlessly abridged version of the serialisation as it takes us through approximately one third of the story before we run out of reels and must search for him on his "Magic Island" film which doesn't come along til next year. To be fair, I like the genre and they do try a little with the score to create some sense of mystical peril and hypnotics, but Lugosi is at his most wooden here as he fears "grave danger" for the princess as if he were buttering his toast and Alba goes into dramatic overdrive as the damsel in distress. The "Yogi" says have faith, but somehow I fear this ought to have just stayed as a weekly serial with the odd cliffhanger and the slightest sense of jeopardy which is distinctly lacking here.

Media

  • The Return of Chandu poster
  • The Return of Chandu poster
  • The Return of Chandu poster
  • The Return of Chandu poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
cultmovie serialmagician