The Land That Time Forgot (1974)

During World War I, a German U-boat sinks a British ship and takes the survivors on board. After it takes a wrong turn, the submarine takes them to the unknown land of Caprona, where they find dinosaurs and neanderthals.

Director:

Kevin Connor

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (novel), James Cawthorn (screenplay)

Stars:

Doug McClure, John McEnery, Susan Penhaligon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

After a German U-Boat sinks their ship, several survivors manage to take control of the boat. Bowen Tyler is the son of an American shipbuilder and Captain Bradley an experienced seaman. After several tussles with the German crew, they find themselves on a strange island. There they find a place where several stages of Earth's evolution co-exist at the same time. As a result several types of humans are found as well as prehistoric dinosaurs. There are also active volcanoes which all add up to a challenge to survive.

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Plot Keywords:

gun | sinking | uniform | captain | enemies become allies | 

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Taglines:

Prepare for a trip into the unknown with a screen epic packed with monsters and thrills!

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The real U-33 of World War One served in the Mediterranean and survived the war.

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Goofs

The German crewmen all carry the "Artillery Model" P-08 Luger pistol with a tangent rear sight mounted on a 200 mm (7.9 in) barrel. This model was used by Army troops and not Navy sailors, who should be carrying the Navy P-04 with a 150 mm (5.9 in) barrel and a two-position rear sight on the toggle.

The producers may have been forced to use incorrect pistols because the Navy P-04 is considerably more rare, ironically because many were sent to the bottom of the ocean together with the U-boat crewmen carrying them.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bowen Tyler: [narrating] I do not expect anyone to believe the story that I am about to relate. It even seems incredible to me that all that I have passed through, all those weird and terrifying experiences, should have been encompassed within as short a span as three brief months. It must have been a little after 3 o'clock in the afternoon that it began - the afternoon of June 3rd, 1916.

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Connections

Featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return: The Land Time Forgot (2017)

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Soundtracks

Radetzky March
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauss Sr.

User Reviews

One of my all time favorites.

I love this movie! It proves that it is not special effects that carry a movie, but a good believable story. That is proved because most of the effects used in the film are not good. However the acting is and so is the story! None of the characters appear "cartoonish" with maybe the exception of the pre historic man. But heck, we don't know what pre historic men were like so it doesn't hamper the story. Doug McClure is a very solid lead with the submarine captain in a superb supporting role. The other German officer makes a great villain. This is one of my favorites of all time! Even it's sequel, "The People Time Forgot" wasn't bad. **** out of 5.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

13 August 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Land That Time Forgot

Filming Locations:

La Palma, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amicus Productions, Lion International, Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1