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Summary: Everyone's Secret Wish
Review: Lost Horizon is a most unusual film. Ronald Colman stars as a British diplomat whose plane is hijacked and later crashes in the mountains of Tibet. He and his fellow passengers are rescued and brought to a land of paradise hidden and sheltered in a valley between the mountains. This magical land is known as Shangri-La, a place where peace reigns, life is simple and perfect, people do not age, and natural beauty abounds. Colman needs to decide if he can leave behind his old life and settle into his new life. The performances are alright, although characterization isn't the focus of this film. Dialogue isn't a real priority either, as lofty ideals and the meaning of life are discussed repeatedly. The strength of this film is the atmosphere it creates, as the viewer actually comes to wish that a place such as Shangri-La really could exist. The photography is excellent and director Frank Capra captures a feeling and mood that is quite remarkable. The use of photographic stills to replace footage lost over the years does not interfere with the enjoyment of the movie. There are a number of memorable shots and scenes and there's something about this film that makes it linger in your mind, long after it is over.
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Summary: COLMAN AND CAPRA CLASSIC
Review: LOST HORIZON was Capra's most ambitious film of the thirties - a masterpiece of technique. Based by upon the novel by James Hilton and exquisitely photographed by Joseph Walker, it opens in Baskul, China on March 1, 1935. The opening sequences are extraordinary: the evocation of a swarming mob, flare path lights illuminating contorted faces, hysterical Europeans gathered in an airport building, plane after plane roaring out into the night...... Escaping form a revolution, four people are kidnapped by a plane and taken to an idyllic civilization in a Tibetian valley, a Utopia by the name of Shangri-La where people are peacefully kind and time seems to stand still. This Columbia production cost $2,500,000 which was a gargantuan amount for the most successful of the so-called "poverty row studios". A very unusual film for director Capra, it became one of his top masterpieces. H. B. Warner is memorable as the spiritual and refined Chang as are Sam Jaffe as the High Lama, and Isabel Jewell as the little tubercular tramp. Colman is in his element as Robert Conway (and speaks in his charmingly cadenced mannner). The then unknown Jane Wyatt is cleverly cast as Sondra. Only John Howard as Conway's brother seems unable to handle an awkwardly written role. Fundamentally absurd though its entire concept is, the film still has the power to move an audience. Graham Greene once pointed out that Capra's vison of Shangri-La - the genteel Himalayan utopia of peace, health and eternal - resembled a film star's luxurious estate in Beverly Hills! Audiences relished this film in 1937 and the famous aging scene with Margo still haunts viewers today!
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Summary: Enduring Masterpiece & Calming Movie Escape
Review: If you enjoy movies similar to Seven Years in Tibet or any movie featuring faraway fantasy escapes where mankind seeks peace, then this movie might interest you. Lost Horizon is not the lavish classic it once was. Strangely enough, a movie about people who lived for 200 years was not protected or preserved properly and Robert Gitt's restored version is an extraordinary accomplishment. Robert Gitt worked for over 25 years to find enough footage to restore missing scenes. The dramatic start and the confusion of the first few scenes draw you into the movie and then a surprisingly leisurely-paced plot keeps your attention to the last second. As a plane takes off by the light of the burning hangers, a few lives have been saved while the fate of those left behind is not really discussed. Once aboard, they realize this plane is flying in the wrong direction. To make matters worse, the plane crashes in the mountains and leaves the passengers stranded in the bitter cold. Robert Conway (Ronald Colman) is almost unnaturally calm in the face of certain death and throughout the movie he displays the qualities of a hero who is faced with difficult choices. At first he is a captive of Shangri-La's choices and then later he puts his life at risk to follow his destiny. I did love when Conway said: "Not knowing where you are going is exciting..." Conway wastes no time anguishing over the unpredictability of life and is a great example of how we can stay calm in the adventure of life itself. I saw this movie as a metaphor for everyone who is seeking an escape from the conflicts of our planetary existence. In a way, the message in Lost Horizon reminded me of the messages in the movie Camelot. The ideas of how we are killing ourselves with "indirect suicide" are still very relevant for today. Walking for 30 minutes and then practicing yoga for 70 minutes is sure to dissolve mountains of stress. If you do that before watching this movie, it can only help to dissolve even more stress. Yoga (a meditation of the body and not a religion) definitely makes you feel and look younger than your age. The romance in this movie is quite mild and I actually preferred the alternate and more dramatic ending. There are a few flaws in the Shangri-La philosophy of life. How could anyone be happy giving away the woman they loved? While the heart may want peace, the heart may prefer conflict in such cases. It does seem that at times we humans thrive on inner conflicts and external controversy. We are born for the struggle, but Shangri-La definitely sounds like an interesting vacation escape, just don't make me live there without computers. ;) There are ways to find inner peace and I assume that if everyone did yoga, no one would have any time to start wars because they would be floating in some blissful state that is difficult to explain, but very real. More peaceful escapes: Sarah Swersey's Nightingale CD. ~TheRebeccaReview.com
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Summary: Welcome to "Shangri-La" the Fantasy Classic. Now on DVD!
Review: James Hiltons novel "Lost Horizon" has been beautifully transferred into a Classic 1930's Fantasy film under the Direction of Frank Capra and Columbia Pictures. This film was almost lost forever due to film deterioration and studio neglect. After years of gathering every known bit of film and audio tracks we have a digitally restored "Directors Cut" 132 minute film. With all the best prints & audio available we have a wonderful film presentation to enjoy forever. This is a collectors DVD! Hollywood film at its best! Summary: English hero and popular Diplomat Robert Conway (Ronald Coleman)is due to return to England from China for a very important diplomatic appointment. A revolt occurs and Conway must make a hasty departure to Shanghai by airplane before being captured. Surprisingly he & his fellow passengers are high jacked & kidnapped to Tibet. The aircraft crash lands in the snow ravaged Himilayan mountains. Mysteriously they are rescued almost immediately in a blizzard. They are dressed warmly and escorted to this utopian valley of "Shangri-La". A place where time is almost frozen and the aging process is slowed drastically. Conway finds that he was intentionally brought here. Why? A very curious situation. The the story of "Shangri-La begins. This tale is a Classic one which even today stands the test of time. Now digitally restored to the Directors Cut of 132 minutes. The extras are informative & loaded with historical information about the film. A family film classic to enjoy for generations thanks to the dedication of film restoration teams & the American Film Institute (AFI). Enjoy.
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Summary: "Welcome...to Shangri-La"
Review: With those calmly spoken words, we and Ronald Colman are ushered into the remarkable fantasy world where no one grows old in real time and everyone seems supremely happy--except for the brooding Maria, that is. A menacing Mongolian hijacks Colman's plane and its passengers on a mysterious flight to a snowy mountain region beyond Tibet. What for? That's what the High Lama, played by Sam Jaffee has to impart to Colman. The other passengers are chomping at the bit to leave Shangri-La, but slowly get drawn into the life they have found there. Colman's feeling no pain either, as he begins a romance with Jane Wyatt, a pixie-ish lass he pursues to a romantic waterfall. But ultimately, he faces a difficult challenge: should he remain in this land, selfishly enjoying himself, or should he brave the blizzard conditions with his malcontent brother and Maria, his brother's girlfriend, to return to the frantic life he left behind? The film has wonderful atmosphere and even the archival footage worked into the video as still shots with the original soundtrack over them works well--it just makes you realize how great the actors' speaking voices were in the age of radio. My personal favorite scene is a prolonged conversation between Colman and the exceptional HB Warner as Chang, when Chang explains to Colman how Shangri-La was founded, while he and Colman are evidently cracking walnuts. The rapport between these two pros is excellent; you really don't want the scene to end, it's so well executed. I heartily recommend "Lost Horizon" as a simply enchanting movie.
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Summary: They don't make them like this anymore!
Review: I bought this DVD skeptically - never been a fan of thirties films, but have played this movie at least 5 times the last month. The screenplay is engaging and as relevant today as the day it was written. At first, the characters seem a little two dimensional, but as the story line plays out, Ronald Colman, Thomas Mitchell, and Sam Jaffe will capture your heart. The story is deep with an ending that has almost moved me to tears every time I see the film. It is more than a fantastic adventure, a romance, or a mere story of enchantment. The concept of a Shangri-la has spiritual and political overtones that seem more relevant to our generation than when it was first released. Gets you thinking about what is really important in life. Then there is the restoration. That is a story unto itself, and it is covered in detail. There are approximately seven minutes of the DVD where the audio exists with no footage, so they use still photos and let you hear the movie as it was meant to be seen (after the initial Santa Barbara premiere but before the World War II cuts). After experiencing this DVD you'll certainly know why they went to the trouble. I can't wait to experience more of Frank Capra.
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Summary: A "Lost Horizon" Which Was Almost Lost Itself
Review: I have loved this film and the James Hilton novel upon which it is based since I was a child. "Lost Horizon" is one of the truly great moviegoing experiences. I think we all want to believe in Shangri-La, a paradise which brings out the best in mortals, offering a chance of redemption. The film has a great cast: Ronald Colman (what a voice!), lovely Jane Wyatt, Thomas Mitchell, H.B. Warner, Edward Everett Horton, Sam Jaffe and the almost forgotten (but very good) Isabel Jewell - she also appeared with Colman in "A Tale of Two Cities." The set design has to be seen to be truly appreciated. Shangri-La is a prime example of Art Deco at it's most beautiful. The film, as it exists today, is a bit like Frankenstein's monster, stitched together from a wide variety of sources, some of them in better condition than others. The story of the quarter-century restoration of the film is a fascinating example of the dedication to see a project through to it's completion. The only complaint I have about the film, and it's a minor one, is about the number of expository sequences in the film. It seems that one character or another is always talking about what has gone on or what is going on. H.B. Warner's character, in particular, seems to exist for the most part to explain the backstory of Shangri-La. But that's, as I said, a minor complaint. This is a superb motion picture.
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Summary: Worst Adaptation Ever
Review: This film should have been left to the ravages of age and studio neglect. Why anyone would want to restore this abortion of an adaptation is beyond me. Although the story line is largely intact, many of the characters have been changed. The Chinese girl ... I don't have the book before me so can't remember the name ... is replaced by a Hollywood nymphet with a supposedly nude bathing scene. I defy anyone to suspend disbelief when confronted with this sort of baggage in deepest Tibet or wherever. Another problem is the rather hysterical acting although some of the actors are credible and sympathetic. This book has not fared well in Hollywood ... this adaptation is the worse of any film I have seen ... the later musical [!!] adaptation is the next worst.
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Summary: a timeless classic
Review: One of the earliest movies I remembered enjoying was "Lost Horizon". I remember watching it on a Sunday afternoon on TV and finding myself engrossed in this story of a planeful of assorted refugees who are flown to a remote paradise in the Himalayas. Dinner was ready before the movie was over but, some years later, I was finally able to see the end. There is a very real poetic beauty to this film (as there also is to the book which I felt compelled to read). For years, in my adolesence, I held out hope that explorers would eventually discover a real Shangri-la. Such is the rapture that can engulf you with this movie. There is a great deal going for this movie starting with great acting from Ronald Colman through the supporting cast of Sam Jaffe, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Everett Horton, etc. The directing is great as well. Could anyone other than Frank Capra have made this movie? There is action right from the beginning as the characters are hijacked and when the group is led through the mountains to the secret location. There is comedy, romance, and drama as well. But most of all there is hope. This is a movie that came out at a time the world was about to go crazy and we were reminded that if we could get away from all the craziness we could still find peace and sanity. In time the movie has come to symbolize the Shangri-la that exists for all of us. As we are caught up in the stresses and strains of modern living, we dream of an escape to serenity. For many the struggle to find it is difficult, for others it may seem to find them, while others find it but fail to recognize it. Well, if you're having trouble finding your peace, you might just discover it in this movie.
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Summary: THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST FANTASY FILMS EVER FILMED.
Review: "Lost Horizon" is a Fantasy and a Fable at the same time. Directed by the legendary Frank Capra, this movie belongs in the classic films category, and in its particular genre (fantasy), "Lost Horizon" ranks in the top, with movies like "It's A Wonderful Life", "The Wizard Of Oz" and "E.T.". "Lost Horizon" tells the story of a group of five people that escape from a Chinese airfield on a plane, eventually they realize that the pilot of the plane is actually kidnapping them. The plane crash-lands in the snowy Tibetan interior, and after a while the group is taken to Shangri-La, a beautiful and mysterious land. Months later, the group feels like they were in home in Shangri-La, and they realize that this is a magic place, where the time seems to stand still, and there is nothing to worry about. So the question is: are they going to stay in Shangri-La, or are they going to return home? "Lost Horizon" presents spectacular landscapes, good performances, an excellent story and philosophical subjects. The first half of the movie seems to go nowhere, but after a while all the Frank Capra's magic begin to appear on screen, because the second half of "Lost Horizon" is just fantastic, and the essence of the story is revealed in front of our eyes. If you like fantasy films, if you like Frank Capra's work, or if you are looking a special movie, then this movie is for you. Recommendable.
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