Lost Horizon (1937)

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Robert Riskin (screenplay)
James Hilton (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

1 September 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

Tagline:

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".

Plot:

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?

Plot Keywords:

Shangri La | Diplomat | Mountain | Paradise | Love

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 5 nominations

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Norman Ainsley	...	Embassy Club Steward (uncredited)
Chief John Big Tree	...	Porter (uncredited)
Wyrley Birch	...	Missionary (uncredited)
Beatrice Blinn	...	Passenger (uncredited)
Hugh Buckler	...	Lord Gainsford - Toaster at Embassy Club (uncredited)
Sonny Bupp	...	Boy Being Carried to Plane (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
John Burton	...	Wynant - Man at Club (uncredited)
Tom Campbell	...	Porter (uncredited)
Matthew Carlton	...	Pottery Maker (uncredited)
Eli Casey	...	Porter (uncredited)
David Cavendish	...	First Pilot (uncredited)
George Chan	...	Chinese Priest (uncredited)
Darby Clark	...	Radio Operator (uncredited)
David Clyde	...	Embassy Club Steward (uncredited)
Robert Cory	...	Englishman (uncredited)
Beatrice Curtis	...	Passenger (uncredited)
Jack Deery	...	Englishman (uncredited)
Mary Lou Dix	...	Passenger (uncredited)
Val Duran	...	Talu - Hijacking Pilot (uncredited)
Neil Fitzgerald	...	Radio Operator (uncredited)
Willie Fung	...	Bandit Leader at Fuel Stop-over (uncredited)
Moning Gonzales	...	Porter (uncredited)
Lawrence Grant	...	First Man (uncredited)
Antonion Herrera	...	Porter (uncredited)
Joe Herrera	...	Candle Maker (uncredited)
Glenn Howard	...	Porter (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin	...	Assistant Foreign Secretary (uncredited)
Noble Johnson	...	Leader of Porters on Return Journey (uncredited)
Manual Kalili	...	Servant (uncredited)
George Kaluna	...	Porter (uncredited)
Harold Lishman	...	Porter (uncredited)
Richard Loo	...	Shanghai Airport Official (uncredited)
Robert Lugo	...	Porter (uncredited)
Richard Master	...	Servant (uncredited)
Margaret McWade	...	Missionary (uncredited)
John Miltern	...	Carstairs - Man at Club (uncredited)
Ray Mitchell	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Joe Molina	...	Porter (uncredited)
Henry Mowbray	...	Englishman (uncredited)
Leonard Mudie	...	Foreign Secretary with Prime Minister (uncredited)
John T. Murray	...	Meeker - Man at Club (uncredited)
Wedgwood Nowell	...	Englishman (uncredited)
Milton Owen	...	Fenner - Hijacked Pilot (uncredited)
Max Rabinowitz	...	Seiveking - Pianist on Board Ship (uncredited)
Arthur Rankin	...	Passenger (uncredited)
Ruth Robinson	...	Missionary (uncredited)
Richard Robles	...	Porter (uncredited)
Alex Shoulder	...	Servant (uncredited)
Joe Shoulder	...	Porter (uncredited)
James Smith	...	Porter (uncredited)
Carl Stockdale	...	Missionary (uncredited)
John Tettener	...	Montaigne - Man at Club (uncredited)
Ed Thorpe	...	Porter (uncredited)
David Torrence	...	Prime Minister (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Englishman (uncredited)
Barry Winton	...	Englishman (uncredited)
Victor Wong	...	Bandit Leader (uncredited)
Ernesto Zambrano	...	Servant (uncredited)

Directed by
Frank Capra

Writing credits
Robert Riskin		(screenplay)
James Hilton		(novel)
Sidney Buchman		(contributor to screenplay) uncredited

Produced by
Frank Capra	....	producer (uncredited)
Harry Cohn	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
Joseph Walker		(photography)

Film Editing by
Gene Havlick
Gene Milford

Art Direction by
Stephen Goosson		(as Stephen Goossón)

Set Decoration by
Babs Johnstone		(interior decorator) (uncredited)

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Rhoda Donaldson	....	hairdresser (uncredited)
Charles Huber	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
John Wallace	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Sidney W. Pink	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur S. Black Jr.	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Milton Carter	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Charles C. Coleman	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Robert Farfan	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Andrew Marton	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Fay Babcock	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Lionel Banks	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Ted Dickson	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Paul Murphy	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Cary Odell	....	set sketcher (uncredited)
Jim Pratt	....	construction foreman (uncredited)
Jack Wrenn	....	property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Edward Bernds	....	sound engineer (uncredited)
Irving 'Buster' Libbott	....	microphone operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ganahl Carson	....	special camera effects
Roy Davidson	....	special camera effects (as E. Roy Davidson)
Harry Redmond Jr.	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Buddy Roosevelt	....	stunt double: Ronald Colman (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Elmer Dyer	....	aerial photography
Roy Babbitt	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Schuyler Crail	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Henry Freulich	....	additional photography (uncredited)
George Hager	....	gaffer (uncredited)
William Jolley	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Alfred S. Keller	....	camera operator (uncredited)
George F. Kelley	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Irving Klein	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Al Layter	....	best boy (uncredited)
Irving Lippman	....	still photographer (uncredited)
James Lloyd	....	key grip (uncredited)
Sam Rosen	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Victor Scheurich	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Rod Tolmie	....	assistant camera: aerial unit (uncredited)
Alfredo Valente	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ernest Dryden	....	costumes (as Ernst Dryden)
William Bridgehouse	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Dan Grossbeck	....	costume illustrator (uncredited)
Daisy Jefferson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Max Steiner	....	musical director
Robert Russell Bennett	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Peter Brunelli	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Jester Hairston	....	choral director (uncredited)
Herman Hand	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Howard Jackson	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Hall Johnson	....	choral arranger (uncredited)
Bernhard Kaun	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Charles Maxwell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Max Rabinowitz	....	music consultant (uncredited)
Max Reese	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
William Grant Still	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director (uncredited)
John Tettener	....	music consultant (uncredited)

Other crew
Hall Johnson Choir	....	voices
Harry Cohn	....	president: Columbia Pictures Corp. of Calif. Ltd.
Harrison Forman	....	technical adviser
Archie Beckingsale	....	bird trainer (uncredited)
Hyatt Daab	....	press representative (uncredited)
Charles J. DeSoria	....	dog trainer (uncredited)
Regis Gubser	....	engineer: ice house (uncredited)
Al 'Doc' Guyer	....	first aid (uncredited)
Eleanor Hall	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Rennie Renfro	....	dog trainer (uncredited)
Buddy Roosevelt	....	double: Ronald Colman (uncredited)
Mary Wiggins	....	double: Jane Wyatt (uncredited)
Harold Winston	....	dialogue director (uncredited)

Thanks
Jeanine Basinger	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Frank Capra	....	special thanks (1985 restoration) (as Mr. Frank Capra)
Irwin Danels	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Dennis Doph	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Joseph G. Empsucha	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Stephen Gong	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Felipe Herba	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Lawrence F. Karr	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Audrey E. Kupferberg	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
David Parker	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Robert Rosen	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Irwin Rosenfeld	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Ralph Sargent	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Anne G. Schlosser	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Paul C. Spehr	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)
Nick Vasu	....	special thanks (1985 restoration)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1937) (USA) (theatrical) (as Columbia Pictures Corp. of Cal. Ltd.)
• Columbia Pictures of Argentina (1937) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Star-Film (1937) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Les Films Osso (1937) (France) (theatrical)
• Loet C. Barnstijn's Standaard Films (1937) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Columbia International Films (1946) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Columbia Pictures (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (reissue)
• Columbia Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Columbus-Film (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Union-Film (1951) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Société Belge des Films Osso (1937) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• British Film Institute (BFI)  acknowledgement: The National Center for Film and Video Preservation greatly acknowledges the cooperation and assistance of (1985 restoration) (as The British Film Institute)
• Columbia Classics  acknowledgement: The National Center for Film and Video Preservation greatly acknowledges the cooperation and assistance of (1985 restoration)
• Film Technology Company  special thanks (1985 restoration) (as Film Technology Inc.)
• Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, The  acknowledgement: The National Center for Film and Video Preservation greatly acknowledges the cooperation and assistance of (1985 restoration)
• UCLA Film, Television and Radio Archives  acknowledgement: The National Center for Film and Video Preservation greatly acknowledges the cooperation and assistance of (1985 restoration)
• Wesleyan University  special thanks: Frank Capra Archives (1985 restoration)
• YCM Laboratories  special thanks (1985 restoration)

Also Known As:

"Lost Horizon of Shangri-La" - USA (reissue title)

Runtime:

132 min (original version) | USA:95 min (TV version) | USA:118 min (general release version) | West Germany:97 min | 132 min (restored version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/12 | UK:U (original rating) (passed with cuts) | USA:Approved (PCA #2061) | Norway:7 (original rating) | Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | West Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:U (video rating) (1989) (2000) | UK:U (tv rating) | Netherlands:14 (original rating) (1937) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Frank Capra hated screen tests; scripts were developed with specific actors in mind. Ronald Colman was first choice to play Conway from the very beginning. It was only over who should play the High Lama that he had problems and had to resort to screen tests.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Conway is stumbling down the mountain and approaching the native village, his hair and clothing don't match in closeup and distant shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Book Pages:In these days of wars and rumors of wars - haven't you ever dreamed of a place where there was peace and security, where living was not a struggle but a lasting delight? / Of course you have. So has every man since time began. Always the same dream. Sometimes he calls it Utopia - Sometimes the Fountain of Youth - Sometimes merely "that little chicken farm." / One man had such a dream and saw it come true...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Cooler (2003)

Soundtrack:

Wiegenlied (Brahms' Lullaby), Op. 49, No. 4

Another Capra gem

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