The Lost City of Z (2016)

A true-life drama, centering on British explorer Col. Percival Fawcett, who disappeared whilst searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon in the 1920s.

Director:

James Gray

Writers:

James Gray (written for the screen by), David Grann (based on the book by)

Stars:

Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller

5 wins & 28 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlie Hunnam	...	Percy Fawcett
Robert Pattinson	...	Henry Costin
Sienna Miller	...	Nina Fawcett
Tom Holland	...	Jack Fawcett
Edward Ashley	...	Arthur Manley
Angus Macfadyen	...	James Murray
Ian McDiarmid	...	Sir George Goldie
Clive Francis	...	Sir John Scott Keltie
Pedro Coello	...	Tadjui
Matthew Sunderland	...	Dan
Johann Myers	...	Willis
Aleksandar Jovanovic	...	Urquhart
Elena Solovey	...	Madame Kumel
Bobby Smalldridge	...	Jack Fawcett (7 Yr Old)
Tom Mulheron	...	Jack Fawcett (3 Yr Old)

Storyline

The Lost City of Z tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett, who journeys into the Amazon at the dawn of the 20th century and discovers evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization that may have once inhabited the region. Despite being ridiculed by the scientific establishment who regard indigenous populations as "savages," the determined Fawcett - supported by his devoted wife, son and aide de camp returns time and again to his beloved jungle in an attempt to prove his case, culminating in his mysterious disappearance in 1925.

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Plot Keywords:

jungle | based on book | explorer | based on true story | amazonia | 

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Taglines:

In 1925, Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon in search of a myth. What he discovered became legendary.

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, brief strong language and some nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Portuguese Tupi Spanish German

Release Date:

21 April 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Lost City of Z

Filming Locations:

Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$112,633, 14 April 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$8,580,410

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,509,437

Company Credits

Production Co:

Keep Your Head,MICA Entertainment,MadRiver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min 104 min (Mainland China Cut Version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director James Gray wrote to Francis Ford Coppola, who directed Apocalypse Now (1979), asking for advice about shooting in the jungle. Coppola's two-word reply was "Don't go." When Coppola decided to make Apocalypse Now, he received the same advice from Roger Corman.

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Goofs

The closed captions are incorrect in a number of places, most egregiously at 1:21:08, when the typist says, "It looks like a war with Fritz [meaning Germany]", which is captioned as, "It looks like a war with France." France and England, of course, were allies during WWI.

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Quotes

James Murray: You don't care about us, you don't even care about going home. You only care about your lost city.

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Connections

Referenced in Talking with Chris Hardwick: Charlie Hunnam (2017)

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Soundtracks

Serenade Op. 8
Composed by George Case
Performed by William Wakker
Courtesy of William Wakker

User Reviews

Exploitation and exploration

Based on the true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett, who made several expeditions to the lost city of Z, believed to be the remains of El Dorado in the Brazilian jungle. The movie follows three of these expeditions and first picks up his life with a long introduction from his military career onwards. The movie becomes only interesting with the start of his first map making expedition on the border of Bolivia and Brazil in 1906. Based on documentary and field research (pottery finds), Fawcett became ever more convinced that a complex civilization had existed there. The movie then touches upon a second expedition initiated by the Royal Geographical Society that lead to controversy about his role in that expedition. The first World War comes in between before he makes his last expedition in 1925 with his son.

The script is based on the fascinating book by David Grann, who visited the region in 2005 and came back with interesting findings about Fawcett's expedition. By now, Fawcett has turned into an icon of exploring ancient civilizations, making its way into popular culture, Indiana Jones and The Lost World come to mind.

The movie and script is however too obvious for the story at hand. It is painting by numbers, going from phase A to B in Fawcett's life without any intelligent storytelling, ending up with a movie that I first thought was made for TV or online. Compare this to the classic Herzog movies Aguirre or Fitzcarraldo, and it is clear what went wrong here: Being about exploration, the movie itself shies away from exploring cinematic possibilities and just plays it safe. Wouldn't it for example not be far more interesting to just focus on that final expedition and make the multiple accounts into a movie? Why Pitt's Plan B saw anything in this is beyond me, as the company has by now a reputation of risk-taking (and often being awarded for that).

But don't get me wrong: The movie is still watchable and the story itself is enough to keep your attention. And it is very nice to see Darius Khondji popping up here as DoP, you can still see his groundbreaking work in Se7en shining through.