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 1912 novel by), Marion Fairfax (screenplay)

Stars:

Wallace Beery, Bessie Love, Lloyd Hughes

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bessie Love	...	Paula White (as Miss Bessie Love)
Lewis Stone	...	Sir John Roxton (as Mr. Lewis Stone)
Wallace Beery	...	Prof. Challenger (as Mr. Wallace Beery)
Lloyd Hughes	...	Ed Malone (as Mr. Lloyd Hughes)
Alma Bennett	...	Gladys Hungerford (as Miss Alma Bennett)
Arthur Hoyt	...	Prof. 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	...	Maj. Hibbard (as Mr. Charles Wellsley)
Jocko the Monkey	...	Jocko - the Monkey (as Jocko)
Arthur Conan Doyle	...	Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Storyline

s expedition to rescue Maple White, who has been marooned at the top of a high plateau. Joined by 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:

national film registry | plateau | england | united kingdom | europe | 

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Taglines:

See the mighty prehistoric monsters clash with modern lovers in a most remarkable story of love, romance and amazing adventure.

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Release Date:

22 June 1925 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die verlorene Welt

Filming Locations:

Brunton Studios, 5300 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,194,450, 31 December 1925

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,834,000, 31 December 1925

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

64 min (1991 alternate) 93 min (2000 alternate) 64 min (Kodascope Version) 106 min (original) 100 min (1998 George Eastman House Restoration) 103 min (2016 Serge Bromberg's Lobster Films restoration)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

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

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While filming one of the stop-motion scenes, the cameraman spotted a pair of pliers in the picture. So as not to draw attention to them by having them suddenly disappear, he moved them a little at a time until they were out of the shot.

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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

Title Card: [last title card] That's Sir John Roxton - sportsman.

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Alternate Versions

A new 2K restoration was released on Blu-ray Disc in 2017. This is the most complete version of the film available since the movie's original release.

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Connections

Referenced in Decoys 2: Alien Seduction (2007)

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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.