A magnificent Lugosi serial vehicle!
Patrick W. Crabtree | Lucasville, OH USA | 07/13/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the 1934 SERIAL (shown in its entirety, 12 chapters), broken down into two parts, available on two separate DVDs:
The Return of Chandu the Magician, Vol. 1
The Return of Chandu the Magician, Vol. 2
This Lugosi serial was later edited (cut) into this 1935 film:
Chandu on the Magic Island:Feature
The SERIAL version is terrific (the movie is pretty good too but I prefer viewing the uncut version of the film) with Lugosi playing Frank Chandler, aka Chandu the Magician, as he battles on with the evil High Priest Vindhyan on the South Seas Island of Lemuria.
It is on this island where Chandu's fiancée, the Egyptian Princess Nadji (played by the lovely Maria Alba) is being held captive until Chandu can rescue her. You'll love seeing the special effects as Chandu "vanishes" into thin air -- it really freaks out his adversaries too!
The film is, of course, shot in black-and-white and the aspect is full-screen. The total running time for both DVDs is 3 hours and 32 minutes (212 minutes). (The running time for the 1935 feature film, "Chandu on the magic Island," is only 65 minutes!)
For a full Saturday afternoon of old theater serial nostalgia, grab this one ASAP! Tons of fun -- my highest recommendation!"