THE RETURN OF CHANDU (1934)

 

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *metaphysical*

Pity poor Chandu the Magician. His radio series began in 1931, long before the rise of the majority of characters we call "superheroes" (albeit in the same year that the Shadow debuted). Born as American Frank Chandler, he traveled to assorted Oriental lands and gained a mastery of occult powers, such as hypnotism and astral soul-travel. Thus "Chandu"-- the nickname he'd acquired in foreign quarters-- was one of the few superhero-like figures who possesses actual super-powers, even if in appearance he was just another guy in regular suit-clothes. But in the U.S. the medium of Chandu's birth turned away from fictional productions, "super" or otherwise, and so most people know the character only from this serial and one 1932 feature film.

Ostensibly the film script for RETURN was based on a radio story, and this may have something to do with the serial's lack of visual flair. On the other hand, the majority of American serial from the early thirties often have a creaky look about them. Ironically, even though RETURN doesn't take full advantage of its subject matter under the direction of serial specialist Ray Taylor, Taylor would be instrumental (albeit uncredited) for his directorial duties on 1936's FLASH GORDON, the chapterplay that began the Golden Age of Serials.

Chandu (Bela Lugosi) returns to his home country, specifically to the California home of his mother, sister and brother. (Chandu's one of the rare serial heroes who has a family.) Accompanying Chandu is Nadji (Maria Alba), a "princess of Egypt," which perhaps means someone from the line of the Pharaohs. Chandu helped Nadji escape some danger in her native land, and he's brought her to America for safety. However, in the few chapters set in California, it becomes evident that assassins have followed Nadji, and only Chandu's powers foil their murderous attempts on the princess' life. 

Chandu, his two siblings and Nadji then depart the States, though I'm not sure if they have a definite destination or they're just trying to keep ahead of the killers, who belong to the Egyptian cult of Ubasti, the cat-goddess. At least one assassin boards the ocean liner on which the good guys are escaping, but Chandu foils him. The cult apparently has its own occult resources, for they're able to keep tabs on the fugitives, eventually bearing Nadji away to their island refuge. At this point the cultists decide that they no longer want to kill the princess right away; they want to sacrifice her life so that her death will revive the uncorrupted body of their long dead queen, who ruled the kingdom of Lemuria in some antediluvian era. Chandu and his siblings must pursue the cultists to their hideout and liberate Nadji.

I like the imaginative scope of RETURN's script. This may be one of the twentieth century's earliest uses of the trope in which an ancient mystical civilization threatens to rise against the modern world; even Robert E. Howard's "Hour of the Dragon" didn't appear until a year later. But even though this independent production piggybacked on many sets from earlier movies, not least the 1933 KING KONG, the visuals are not outstanding. Only the scenes in which Chandu employs his powers are somewhat intriguing, and part of their charm stems from the bravura performance of Bela Lugosi in a rare heroic role. He's perhaps a little long in the tooth to be romantically matched with Princess Nadji, but at least RETURN isn't shy about the topic of romance. Nadji and Chandu's siblings are portrayed credibly enough, but RETURN's biggest deficit is that it needs a single strong villain. Instead, two separate cult-leaders occupy different parts of the serial, which may be one reason that two separate compilations were made from this serial, each concentrating on separate sections of the story.

The most interesting thing about RETURN is that it gives one a snapshot of occult beliefs at this period in time. I've heard it said that some early European lodges started out the 20th century using Egyptian motifs, and then began incorporating more Hindu lore thanks to English writings on the subject. The Ubasti cult represents the Egyptian side of the European occult tradition, while it's implied that most of Chandu's instruction came from a yogi. In fact, in a few scenes Chandu communes with his master, whom he amusingly calls "Yogi" as if it's his personal name. 

I didn't mind that this was not a "blood and thunder" serial, but despite all of the abstruse concepts, RETURN OF CHANDU is a little too pedestrian to be much more than a curiosity.