For over a century, Asia has been a rich and enduring source of inspiration for fantasy and science fiction writers. Since James Hilton created the fantastic Himalayan utopia of Shangri La in the 1933 novel "Lost Horizon" -- which emerged as a Frank Capra blockbuster film four years later -- the pace has never slackened.
Throughout the 1930s, eccentric and despotic Asians were much in demand by Hollywood studios. "Ming the Merciless," who locked horns with Flash Gordon in matinee serials, probably inspired Darth Vader of "Star Wars," whose menacing costume is unmistakably tailored to resemble samurai armor.
Another work that made the transition from book to the silver screen was "The Circus of Dr. Lao," Charles G. Finney's classic 1935 fantasy that was released nearly three decades later as the film "7 Faces of Dr. Lao."