The Lost World (1925)

The first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam.

Director:

Harry O. Hoyt

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (based upon the novel by), Marion Fairfax (screenplay)

Stars:

Bessie Love, Lewis Stone, Wallace Beery

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bessie Love	...	Paula White (as Miss Bessie Love)
Lewis Stone	...	Sir John Roxton (as Mr. Lewis Stone)
Wallace Beery	...	Professor Challenger (as Mr. Wallace Beery)
Lloyd Hughes	...	Ed Malone (as Mr. Lloyd Hughes)
Alma Bennett	...	Gladys Hungerford (as Miss Alma Bennett)
Arthur Hoyt	...	Professor Summerlee (as Mr. Arthur Hoyt)
Margaret McWade	...	Mrs. Challenger (as Miss Margaret McWade)
Bull Montana	...	Ape-man (as Mr. Bull Montana)
Frank Finch Smiles	...	Austin (as Mr. Finch Smiles)
Jules Cowles	...	Zambo (as Mr. Jules Cowles)
George Bunny	...	Colin McArdle (as Mr. George Bunny)
Charles Wellesley	...	Major Hibbard (as Mr. Charles Wellsley)
Jocko the Monkey	...	Himself (as Jocko)
Arthur Conan Doyle	...	Himself

Storyline

Explorer Professor Challenger is taking quite a beating in the London press thanks to his claim that living dinosaurs exist in the far reaches of the Amazon. Newspaper reporter Edward Malone learns that this claim originates from a diary given to him by fellow explorer Maple White's daughter, Paula. Malone's paper funds an expedition to rescue Maple White, who has been marooned at the top of a high plateau. Joined by renowned hunter John Roxton, and others, the group goes to South America, where they do indeed find a plateau inhabited by pre-historic creatures, one of which they even manage to bring back to London with them.

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Plot Keywords:

reporter | expedition | professor | diary | dinosaur | 

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Taglines:

Mighty prehistoric monsters clash with modern lovers!

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

22 June 1925 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die verlorene Welt

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 64 min (1991 alternate) 93 min (2000 alternate) 64 min (Kodascope Version) 106 min (original) 100 min (1998 George Eastman House Restoration)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White Color (hand-colored) Color (tinted and toned)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

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Goofs

The Plateau in the film has been described as a world that is "cut off from evolutionary development." If that were true then dinosaurs from different eras would not be in the same place, nor would there be any ape-men or humanoids.

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Quotes

Prof. Challenger: [title card] And I'm not here tonight to defend my statements - - but to demand that a committee be formed to go back to the Lost World with me -...

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Connections

Version of The Lost World (1999)

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Soundtracks

"The Lost World"
(1925) (uncredited)
Music by Rudolf Friml
Lyrics by Harry B. Smith
Published in connection with the movie

User Reviews

Old-Fashioned But Still Very Entertaining

Although the existing versions all have missing portions, and although the film is obviously old-fashioned in several respects, the original "The Lost World" is still a fine film and very entertaining. It has an exciting and interesting story with some good characters and acting, and the dinosaur action, terrific for its time, is still quite watchable.

Besides the adventure story about dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, there is also some decent human drama with a few interesting characters. The earnest young journalist out to prove himself, the bad-tempered but brilliant scientist, the devoted daughter searching for her missing father, and the rest, are all slightly exaggerated, but most also contain some real substance. There is a good cast to bring these characters to life.

Naturally, the animals are the big stars, and although the special effects do not compare with what is done today, the dinosaur action is still creative, entertaining and worth watching. There are also some good shots of live animals living in the Amazon area where the expedition takes place.

This is certainly recommended for those who enjoy silent films. It would also be interesting viewing for those who are more used to modern films of the genre - you'll see a lot of the ideas that were later used in films that are more familiar today.