Ronald Colman finds "Lost Horizon," the 1937 film beautifully and masterfully directed by Frank Capra and also starring Jane Wyman, John Howard, Edward Everett Horton, Thomas Mitchell, Margo, H.B. Warner, Isabell Jewell, and Sam Jaffe.
Growing up I have two vivid memories - one is the horrific musical version of this film (remember "The World is a Circle"?) - which I saw in a theater, God help me. The other is a takeoff of the original film on the Danny Kaye Show where Kaye, as Colman, kept saying in an arch British voice: "But I must get back to civilization."
Based on James Hilton's famous novel, Ronald Colman plays Robert Conway, most probably modeled on D.H. Lawrence. Conway is a diplomat who has just helped people escape via plane from a violent situation in China. The group includes a consumptive woman (Jewell), Conway and his brother (Howard), a mysterious man (Mitchell) and a teacher (Horton). While traveling, they realize the plane has been hijacked. It finally crash lands in the treacherous, snowy mountains, and the party is picked up and brought to Shangri-la, a magnificent paradise bordered by mountains, somewhere around Tibet, where the air is perfect, the people live by a rule of kindness, age very slowly, and want for nothing. It's kind of like communism but without the oppression and with heavy emphasis on metaphysics. The travelers are met and hosted by Chang (H.B. Warner), and Conway gets an opportunity to meet the founder of Shangri-la some 200+ years ago, the High Lama (Sam Jaffe). He knows by then that it was no mistake that he was brought to Shangri-la, but he wonders why. Knowing that the world is growing more insane by the minute, the High Lama wishes to have all the great knowledge and beauty protected in his paradise and wants Conway to be his successor. Conway later learns that a lovely resident of Shangri-la (Wyman) had read his books and requested that he be brought there.
His brother George is anxious to leave and falls in love with a young woman, Maria, (Margo) who is equally desperate to get out. She makes Conway doubt what the High Lama and Chang have told him, so Conway agrees to accompany George and Maria and forsake Shangri-la.
This is a fascinating film, absolutely enormous in scope, that has been restored to 132 minutes with some difficulty. Seven more minutes of the soundtrack remain than there is of film, so occasionally one is treated to a frozen screen or stills. There are many thrilling scenes: the opening of the movie, the refueling scene, the walk to Shangri-la, and the trek away from Shangri-la just to mention a few - as well as scenes of great beauty and poignancy, particularly the scene when a heartbroken Conway leaves the paradise on an evening when the citizens, carrying candles, have a procession (this might be part of the High Lama's funeral, which was cut from the film). The music crescendos, and outside the branches that signify the entrance to Shangri-la, the wind whips the snow into a frenzy. Conway turns and takes in the beauty one last time. A gorgeous moment.
Ronald Colman is wonderful as Conway, a man who finds the peace and love in Shangri-la that he has searched for his entire life. Sam Jaffe, though the producer insisted he be replaced, is very good as the fragile High Lama, and H.B. Warner brings suitable gentleness to Chan. Isabel Jewell's major moments are in the airplane at the beginning of the film, and by today's standards, she's a bit over the top. Horton and Mitchell provide their usual solid and sometimes amusing support. Jane Wyman, who died only recently at 96, is lovely as Sondra. Howard, best remembered as Katharine Hepburn's fiancée George in "The Philadelphia Story" is appropriately bombastic; and Margo, who would marry Eddie Albert and have a daughter named daughter Maria, is effective in her role as an unhappy citizen. The question remains - why was she so anxious to leave Shangri-la? And what was with George anyway, that unlike the others, he could not embrace the peace and happiness of the place? We are never told. Perhaps in Capra's original, long disastrous version, we get more of an idea.
70 years later, "Lost Horizon" is a sad reminder that a) they don't make movies like this anymore; b) the world hasn't changed much and is still in the sorry state it was in 1937; and c) there isn't any lost horizon - because we never found one.
Growing up I have two vivid memories - one is the horrific musical version of this film (remember "The World is a Circle"?) - which I saw in a theater, God help me. The other is a takeoff of the original film on the Danny Kaye Show where Kaye, as Colman, kept saying in an arch British voice: "But I must get back to civilization."
Based on James Hilton's famous novel, Ronald Colman plays Robert Conway, most probably modeled on D.H. Lawrence. Conway is a diplomat who has just helped people escape via plane from a violent situation in China. The group includes a consumptive woman (Jewell), Conway and his brother (Howard), a mysterious man (Mitchell) and a teacher (Horton). While traveling, they realize the plane has been hijacked. It finally crash lands in the treacherous, snowy mountains, and the party is picked up and brought to Shangri-la, a magnificent paradise bordered by mountains, somewhere around Tibet, where the air is perfect, the people live by a rule of kindness, age very slowly, and want for nothing. It's kind of like communism but without the oppression and with heavy emphasis on metaphysics. The travelers are met and hosted by Chang (H.B. Warner), and Conway gets an opportunity to meet the founder of Shangri-la some 200+ years ago, the High Lama (Sam Jaffe). He knows by then that it was no mistake that he was brought to Shangri-la, but he wonders why. Knowing that the world is growing more insane by the minute, the High Lama wishes to have all the great knowledge and beauty protected in his paradise and wants Conway to be his successor. Conway later learns that a lovely resident of Shangri-la (Wyman) had read his books and requested that he be brought there.
His brother George is anxious to leave and falls in love with a young woman, Maria, (Margo) who is equally desperate to get out. She makes Conway doubt what the High Lama and Chang have told him, so Conway agrees to accompany George and Maria and forsake Shangri-la.
This is a fascinating film, absolutely enormous in scope, that has been restored to 132 minutes with some difficulty. Seven more minutes of the soundtrack remain than there is of film, so occasionally one is treated to a frozen screen or stills. There are many thrilling scenes: the opening of the movie, the refueling scene, the walk to Shangri-la, and the trek away from Shangri-la just to mention a few - as well as scenes of great beauty and poignancy, particularly the scene when a heartbroken Conway leaves the paradise on an evening when the citizens, carrying candles, have a procession (this might be part of the High Lama's funeral, which was cut from the film). The music crescendos, and outside the branches that signify the entrance to Shangri-la, the wind whips the snow into a frenzy. Conway turns and takes in the beauty one last time. A gorgeous moment.
Ronald Colman is wonderful as Conway, a man who finds the peace and love in Shangri-la that he has searched for his entire life. Sam Jaffe, though the producer insisted he be replaced, is very good as the fragile High Lama, and H.B. Warner brings suitable gentleness to Chan. Isabel Jewell's major moments are in the airplane at the beginning of the film, and by today's standards, she's a bit over the top. Horton and Mitchell provide their usual solid and sometimes amusing support. Jane Wyman, who died only recently at 96, is lovely as Sondra. Howard, best remembered as Katharine Hepburn's fiancée George in "The Philadelphia Story" is appropriately bombastic; and Margo, who would marry Eddie Albert and have a daughter named daughter Maria, is effective in her role as an unhappy citizen. The question remains - why was she so anxious to leave Shangri-la? And what was with George anyway, that unlike the others, he could not embrace the peace and happiness of the place? We are never told. Perhaps in Capra's original, long disastrous version, we get more of an idea.
70 years later, "Lost Horizon" is a sad reminder that a) they don't make movies like this anymore; b) the world hasn't changed much and is still in the sorry state it was in 1937; and c) there isn't any lost horizon - because we never found one.