The Shadow's Transformation

One thing that has always mystified me about the 1994 The Shadow movie concerns Lamont Cranston's transformation into The Shadow.  The first time we see The Shadow, it's like what we see on the covers of his pulp magazines - hawk-like nose, black slouch hat, black cloak, etc.  

Then we see him as a disheveled Lamont Cranston in the back seat of Moe's cab (after dropping Dr. Tam off at home) and orders Moe to take him to the Cobalt Club.  Gone is the hawk-like nose!

Why does Lamont Cranston transform into The Shadow?  I have been reading through the official movie magazine and other articles on the background of the movie to find something definitive but to no avail.  So here is my working theory on why Cranston transforms into The Shadow.  My theory goes to the time Cranston is taken captive and meets the Tulku, the mystic teacher who dwells in the Temple of the Cobra.  There the Tulku tells Cranston, "I also know that for as long as you can remember, you struggled against your own black heart and always lost. You watched your spirit, your very face change as the beast claws its way out from within you. You are in great pain, aren't you?  You know what evil lurks in the hearts of men, for you have seen that evil in your own...I will teach you to use your black shadow to fight evil." (Emphasis added)

Based on what the Tulku says, it is Cranston's struggle with his own evil, his own black heart, that causes a physical transformation.  In the past, that transformation led to evil acts.  But in his years of training with the Tulku, Cranston still goes through that physical transformation, but now he harnesses it for good!

That's my theory on why Lamont Cranston transforms into The Shadow.  On a side note, the movie comes very close to how The Shadow is portrayed in the 1960's Belmont Book Shadow series.  In that series, Lamont Cranston must put on the slouch hat, cloak, and girasol ring to become The Shadow and have full use of all the powers of the mind that he learned from a mystic teacher in the Orient.  I wonder if the Belmont Books had any influence on this part of the movie!?!?

A description of The Shadow from Belmont Books "The Shadow Strikes"

While I will always prefer The Shadow of the pulp stories, I really like the different shades and tones of his character in the 1994 movie.  My theory could be completely wrong but it was fun trying to piece it together.  If you have your own theory on why Cranston transforms into The Shadow, I'd love to hear it!