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Summary: A great addition to any video library.
Review: I'm looking for a copy to the 1973 version as well. Anyone out there know how I can go about getting it? Any help would be appreciated...
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Summary: Among the most impressive films of the 30's!
Review: Really a three-and-a-half star rating. The most expensive film ever made at the time, (and also among the most decisive failures at the box-office for it's day) "Lost Horizon" succeeds in transporting us into a world borne of vibrant cinematic imaginations and magic; but finally lets us off the hook by failing to fully amount to it's lofty aims. The early sequences, however--the chaos of panicked thousands fleeing the revolutionaries; Conway's desperate escape by airplane with a gallery of amusing characters; the passengers' realization of their abduction by a mysterious pilot; the crash in the Himilayas; the meeting of the passengers and the column from Shangri-La; and the breathtaking first glimpses of the utopian paradise--are so magnificent that you can only marvel at Frank Capra's skill at drawing us in so triumphantly right from the outset. Unfortunately, the entire point of the story--the shock and disillusionment of man with the outside world after prolonged assimilation into a utopian society--is blunted by the treating of it almost as an afterthought. Shangri-La, land of idyllic existence and very expensive sets, is shown off nearly to the point of redundancy; Conway's treacherous trek back to civilization is recreated with generous attention; but then, the pivotal crisis of conscience that persuades Conway to risk a hazardous return to Shangri-La is relegated to almost a bookend, as a table of old English society peers of his hastily recount his recent experiences to the audience. This uneven approach disappointingly muffles the level of viewer satisfaction. Additionally, John Howard is more than a little irritating as Conway's suspicious brother. For all that, casting, direction, and music are hard to fault. Ronald Colman is here, along with "Prisoner of Zenda," given perhaps his best tailored role ever. Veteran character actors Thomas Mitchell and Edward Everett Horton keep the laughs coming with their friendly rivalry. Sam Jaffe's utterly persuasive portrayal of the old, old, old lama put him on the Hollywood map. And H.B. Warner's performance as the enigmatic Chang can serve as an object lesson to today's actors on how to steal a picture through fiercely controlled understatement. Frank Capra, here at his cinematic zentith, should probably have won the Academy Award for Best Direction for 1937. And Dimitri Tiomkin's beautiful musical score was perhaps the best ever written for any movie up until that time. In the final run of things, though, "Lost Horizon" seems more impressive than great. As a viewing experience, however, it is unforgettable.
Rating:
Summary: awesome production!
Review: I am actually looking for the 1973 version of this classic picture. This one I have see but once and really enjoyed it. Can anyone help to steer me on how to procure a copy of the 1973 version?
Rating:
Summary: One of the 10 best...
Review: This is a great story, better than the book (my opinion, and I liked the book). It is for that dreamer in all of us.... The one looking for "that place." The humor is subtle (?sp), the dream, the reason for Shangra-La is worth the length of the movie. The scene when the High Lama (Sam Jaffee) tells the reason why Ronald Coleman was "brought" to Shangra-La is probably the best telling of a story (for lack of a better word) is almost what God's vision was for this world (again my opinion}. A great value, especially if you can see the version with the "lost footage". But if you can't the way they handled this footage and the existing audio track is also a case of the "master's hand."Five stars ***** because that is all they allow.
Rating:
Summary: A must see for anyone who is searching for lifes meaning.
Review: An incredibly uplifting and inspiring motion picture. This film gives life a little more hope, and injects a little more perspective into our otherwise hectic and self-absorbed lives. Incredible special effects for it's day, and outstanding performances abound in this classic Capra motion picture. Highly recommended!!
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Summary: Shangrila
Review: "The Lost Horizon" remains a flawed Capra film . Unfortunately it still is not complete as stills are added for the missing footage that Columbia butchered before the original release. Coleman is terific as Conway..and the film has a striking cast including; H.B. Warner, Thomas Mitchell, John Howard, E.E. Horton , Sam Jaffe as the head llama..and the mysterious " Margo" on hand to display graphically the reality of Shangrila... Final cliche..: They dont make films like this anymore.
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Summary: ONE OF THE FIVE BEST FILMS EVER PRODUCED
Review: Ronald Colman is gives on of his best performences as Conway, to me this films ranks up there with the Prisoner of Zenda (original version) and Gone With the Wind. Something about Shangrila and finding ones place in life is appealing. The story is well written and the film is very well directed. The message of the film may be missed by the kids of today but to me the film is well worth seeing.
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Summary: A sweet, enduring classic
Review: I was surprised how much this classic touched me. Afterwards, it reminded me of John Lennon's lyrics: "Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans." For example, one stranded traveller, who is initially bequiled by the gold he found at Shangri-La, gradually has his heart opened wide by the children of Shangr-La, and he sees/feels the real riches around him. The old sage's only rule, "Be kind" was simple and great. I didn't balk at the fact that the two "Hollywood nymphets" (as referred to by another Amazon.com reviewer) were not Asian; because the old sage, himself, was a Belgian missionary and many of Shangri-La's inhabitants were supposed to have been lost foreign travellers who had been rescued. The idea of Shangri-La as a sanctuary for the meek who shall inherit the earth after the strong destroy the strong mysteriously forebode World War II's horrors that happened not too many years after this 1937 film was released. With today's Global Positioning Satellite technology, a hidden, physical Shangri-La could probably never be in the cards. However, it can dwell where it most should--inside us. (No, they don't make 'em like they use to.)
Rating: 
Summary: Frank Capra's Masterful, Fanciful Paradise of Lost Worlds
Review: Based on the novel by James Hilton, "Lost Horizon" is a metaphor for everyone's desire to live a simple, honest and meaningful life. When an American diplomat and his brother crash land their plane somewhere in the frozen mountains they, and their entourage, are rescued by a mysterious crew of mountain people and taken to the mythical village of Shangra-La - a magical, timeless kingdom presided over by a Dali Lama (Sam Jaffe). It must have taken all the courage executives at Columbia Pictures could muster up to hire Ronald Colman for the lead and then alot the film the biggest budget ever for a movie until that time. The gamble paid off, though it was not the super hit that the studio was hoping for. Still, there is something decidely unsettling and moving about the movie and its story that continues to compel a new generation to journey to a land where fear and poverty do not exist.
Unfortunately, several intervening factors have ensured that Frank Capra's masterpiece is given a disappointing treatment on DVD. First, the film was heavily cut several years after its initial release so that it might play better for a post WWII audience. The excised footage has presumably been lost for all time. Inserted into this DVD are still photographs and voice overs to fill in for those missing story elements. Also, no original camera negative exists for this movie. The resulting footage assembled here is a mix of various generations of film stock that unfortunately show the excessive ravages of age. There's a lot of film and digital grain to muddle through on the way to Shangra-La. Oh well, who said getting to your own private Utopia was going to be easy. The soundtrack is not bad but it is strident and very unnatural sounding. Extras include a little comparative analysis of the film, then and now, that illustrates just how bad the original negative looked before the Library of Congress got a hold of it in the mid-eighties and did considerable work. Still, this film needs much, much more. As a movie I highly recommend this release. As a DVD I can not in fair conscience say that it's worth the money.
Rating:
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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