Chandu The Magician (1932)

Chandu (Edmund Lowe) is an occidental trained in the ways of the East Indian yogis and is able to bend wills to his own. But he does it for the good of mankind as when he does battle with the diabolical madman (Bela Lugosi) who kidnaps an inventor (Henry B, Walthall) in order to steal his "death ray" machine which will allow him to conquer the world. Based on the radio play of the same name and co-directed by William Cameron Menzies (INVADERS FROM MARS) which might explain the stylish look of the film and Marcel Varnel. This pleasurably absurd hokum benefits by the handsomely shot cinematography of the great James Wong Howe (PICNIC). It's all rather nutty really but wonderful fun. Lugosi is shameless here, hamming it up to the rafters but so amusing that one can't take his eyes off him. Herbert Mundin provides the comic relief and the drab Irene Ware as a dull Eygptian princess provides the romantic relief.