The Land That Time Forgot (1975)

Director:

Kevin Connor

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (novel)
James Cawthorn (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

13 August 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

THE ADVENTURE YOU WILL NEVER FORGET!

Plot:

During World War I, a German U-boat sinks a British ship and takes the survivors on board. After it takes a wrong turn...

Plot Keywords:

German | Dinosaur | Submarine | Compass | Spotlight

Cast

Doug McClure	...	Bowen Tyler
John McEnery	...	Captain Von Schoenvorts
Susan Penhaligon	...	Lisa Clayton
Keith Barron	...	Bradley
Anthony Ainley	...	Dietz
Godfrey James	...	Borg
Bobby Parr	...	Ahm
Declan Mulholland	...	Olson
Colin Farrell	...	Whiteley
Ben Howard	...	Benson
Roy Holder	...	Plesser
Andrew McCulloch	...	Sinclair
Ron Pember	...	Jones
Grahame Mallard	...	Deusett
Andrew Lodge	...	Reuther
Brian Hall	...	Schwartz
Stanley McGeagh	...	Hiller
Peter Sproule	...	Hindle
Steve James	...	First Sto-Lu

Directed by
Kevin Connor

Writing credits
Edgar Rice Burroughs		(novel)
James Cawthorn		(screenplay) and
Michael Moorcock		(screenplay)

Produced by
John Dark	....	producer
Robert H. Greenberg	....	executive producer
John Peverall	....	associate producer
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	producer (uncredited)
Max Rosenberg	....	co-producer (uncredited)
Milton Subotsky	....	co-producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Douglas Gamley

Cinematography by
Alan Hume		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Ireland

Production Design by
Maurice Carter

Art Direction by
Bert Davey

Costume Design by
Julie Harris

Makeup Department
Joan Carpenter	....	hairdresser
Tom Smith	....	chief makeup

Production Management
Robert M. Hodes	....	executive in charge of production: Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc.

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Allan James	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Vic Simpson	....	construction manager
Simon Wakefield	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Bob Jones	....	dubbing mixer
Don Sharpe	....	sound editor
George Stephenson	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Roger Dicken	....	dinosaur sequences
Derek Meddings	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Charles Staffell	....	process photography (as Charles Staffel)

Camera and Electrical Department
Derek V. Browne	....	camera operator (as Derek Browne)
Mike Frift	....	camera focus
George Robinson	....	chief electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John Hilling	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Douglas Gamley	....	conductor

Other crew
Arthur Cleaver	....	production administrator
Doreen Soan	....	continuity
Anton Diffring	....	voice double: John McEnery (uncredited)
David Sheldon	....	production executive (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Amicus Productions (presents)
• Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc.
• Land Associates
• Lion International

Distributors

• British Lion Film Corporation (1975) (UK) (theatrical) (as British Lion)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Astral Films (1975) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Concorde Film (1976) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1977) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• GoodTimes Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS) (LP version)
• CMV Laservision (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Cinema Club (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Manga Films (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• Roadshow Home Video

Other Companies

• Cinema Productions Ltd.  services
• Technicolor  colour

Also Known As:

Runtime:

90 min | Japan:102 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 (1976) | Australia:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | UK:U (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

La Palma, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Company:

Amicus Productions

Trivia:

Doug McClure replaced Stuart Whitman.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the opening scene where the fisherman plucks the message bottle from the water, a 1960s-70s steel hulled trawler, complete with radar antenna is seen to pass him in the background.

Quotes:

[Over the speaker to the crew]
Captain Von Schoenvorts:This U-Boat is now under the control of our enemy, Mr. Tyler. You will obey his commands... for the time being.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Nightmare Theatre's Late Night Chill-o-Rama Horror Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V)

Hang on. This is better than today's dinosaur films.

The survivors of a doomed World War 1 ship manage to board and take over the German submarine which sunk them. After a lot of disputing, the sub becomes lost and before long the enigmatic island of Caprona is sighted. Due to desperately low supplies the two crews, who call an uneasy truce, are forced to land the sub and find themselves in a world where prehistoric animals still live.

This is a well-made and highly entertaining film. Doug McClure makes a good hero and the other characters are also interesting and believable, the story is well-paced and the music is suitably atmospheric. The special effects are not always as good as they might be (the giant pterodactyl and the plesiosaur that gets shot at look decidedly fake). But the film is a classic and I certainly found it a lot more memorable and enjoyable than any of the recent dinosaur films.