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Lost Horizon (1937)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
1 September 1937 (USA) moreTagline:
Millions to make it ! . . . Two years in production ! . . . The best seller that set a new style in romance floods the screen with splendor and drama surpassing Frank Capra's greatest past achievements. "Mr Deeds" and "It Happened One Night". morePlot:
A plane crash delivers a group of people to the secluded land of Shangri-La -- but is it the miraculous utopia it appears to be? full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 5 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Tibetan Film Speaks for Itself (From PasteMagazine. 14 April 2009, 1:46 PM, PDT)
Actress Jane Wyatt Dies at 96
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 23 October 2006)
User Comments:
Another Capra gem moreCast
(Complete credited cast)| Ronald Colman | ... | Robert Conway | |
| Jane Wyatt | ... | Sondra | |
| Edward Everett Horton | ... | Lovett | |
| John Howard | ... | George Conway | |
| Thomas Mitchell | ... | Barnard | |
| Margo | ... | Maria | |
| Isabel Jewell | ... | Gloria | |
| H.B. Warner | ... | Chang | |
| Sam Jaffe | ... | High Lama |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
132 min (original version) | Finland:128 min (restored version) | USA:95 min (TV version) | USA:118 min (general release version) | West Germany:97 minCountry:
USAColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)Certification:
Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-16 | Germany:6 | Portugal:M/12 | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #2061) | Norway:7 (original rating) | Australia:PGFilming Locations:
Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA moreFun Stuff
Trivia:
Designing the numerous elaborate sets took over a year. moreGoofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Bob is entering Shangri-La, he is going down a mountain "upon which no man has ever set foot" but there are footprints in the snow in the foreground of the shot. moreQuotes:
High Lama: It is the entire meaning and purpose of Shangri-La. It came to me in a vision, long, long ago. I saw all the nations strengthening, not in wisdom, but in the vulgar passions and the will to destroy. I saw the machine power multiplying, until a single weaponed man might match a whole army...[...]
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Soundtrack:
Here We Go Gathering Nuts in May moreFAQ
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This is not another of Frank Capra's sophisticated, stylish comedies of the era. That might explain the reason that "Lost Horizon" takes a back seat today to "It Happened One Night" and "Mr Deeds Goes to Town", the immensely critically acclaimed comedies of the time. With the theme of the small man triumphing over the big, good over evil, perhaps here Capra was trying to explain idealism over humanity. He believed in the book. In his own words, "It held a mirror up to the thoughts of every human being on earth".
Ronald Colman is perfect in his role of Robert, an English diplomat and a leader of the people. Edward Everett Horton was again great in a seemingly bubbling, comic role and Sam Jaffe, later the professor in "The Day the Earth Stood Still" gives a memorable performance as the High Lama, establisher of Shangri-La, the perfect world high above in the Himalayas.
Some of the cinematography was absolutely amazing. It was a shame that the film was cut to the extent that footage was lost and stills had to be used in the missing sound track places. The imagery that Capra stirs up for the viewer has certainly fulfilled his vision. The film is a bit long in some parts, but it certainly does not fail to entertain, it merely takes its time to tell a great story.
Is there another film from the period that sums up the great human ideal, a perfect world, a better one than the one we already exist in? "Lost Horizon" with its ideals is the film for the thinking person. It thrives on its themes for humanity, of kindness and moderation, stripping away the pretense of our lives. The message is as clear as anything, but maybe we all don't want to realise it, or perhaps we can't.
I hope that this movie is never remade for a third time. It is a story that could only be preserved in its own time, for this version has the message that still rings clear today, unspoilt, endearing, so simple. Hollywood will never again be able to recapture what has been already crafted. Capra's neglected movie could scarcely have been more effectively filmed.
Rating: 10/10