“Lost Horizon” is a fantasy-drama movie telling the story of a group of plane crash survivors who land in the mythical Shangri-La in a valley deep within the Himalaya Mountains. They enjoy the paradise-like conditions, but soon suspect the crash was no accident, and the drama proceeds from there. Director Frank Capra (“Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” 1936) and screenwriter Robert Riskin made a big budget movie with great sets, beautiful costumes, marvelous cinematography, and famous stars, but suffering from a sluggish storyline, inconsistent plot points, and long-winded dialogue in parts of the movie. It was adapted from James Hilton’s 1933 novel of the same name.
The stars of the show are Ronald Colman as Robert Conway, the leader of the visiting group, and Sam Jaffe as the High Lama. Cracks appear in the film when the two engage in extended segments of boring dialogue. Some cuts could have been made here, especially considering the 132 minute running time. Co-stars include Jane Wyatt, H. B. Warner, Margo, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Everett Horton, John Howard, and Isabell Jewell.
“Lost Horizon” performed well at the box office, but it was not enough to recoup the losses incurred by huge budget overruns. It took five years of release and re-release for producer Frank Capra and Columbia Pictures studio head Harry Cohn to start making a profit. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning two: Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing.
Lost Horizon (1937)
cinema
My Review
“Lost Horizon” is a fantasy-drama movie telling the story of a group of plane crash survivors who land in the mythical Shangri-La in a valley deep within the Himalaya Mountains. They enjoy the paradise-like conditions, but soon suspect the crash was no accident, and the drama proceeds from there. Director Frank Capra (“Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” 1936) and screenwriter Robert Riskin made a big budget movie with great sets, beautiful costumes, marvelous cinematography, and famous stars, but suffering from a sluggish storyline, inconsistent plot points, and long-winded dialogue in parts of the movie. It was adapted from James Hilton’s 1933 novel of the same name.
The stars of the show are Ronald Colman as Robert Conway, the leader of the visiting group, and Sam Jaffe as the High Lama. Cracks appear in the film when the two engage in extended segments of boring dialogue. Some cuts could have been made here, especially considering the 132 minute running time. Co-stars include Jane Wyatt, H. B. Warner, Margo, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Everett Horton, John Howard, and Isabell Jewell.
“Lost Horizon” performed well at the box office, but it was not enough to recoup the losses incurred by huge budget overruns. It took five years of release and re-release for producer Frank Capra and Columbia Pictures studio head Harry Cohn to start making a profit. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning two: Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing.