It's such a damn shame that the youngest generation of cinema buffs only knows about "Jurassic Park", because they have been making really good dinosaur movies since the silent era already! Particularly Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary novel has always been a very popular story that received decent film versions in practically every decade. In case you know nothing about the plot just yet: the obnoxious and self-centered professor Challenger assembles a troop of unlikely adventurers to go on an expedition deep in the Amazonian jungle, because there's supposed to be a plateau where the dinosaurs never got extinct. The expedition sure is no field trip, since the plateau also homes giant funky green spiders and an aggressive tribe of aboriginals that don't really like intruders. Unavoidably the group also falls apart due to personal intrigues and two adventurers' mutual love-interest for the same girl. "The Lost World" by Irwin Allen by no means is a good film, but it's vastly entertaining, partly because the special effects and set pieces are so incredibly crummy! The dinosaurs are just ordinary reptiles, like lizards and even a crocodile, with fake horns glued onto them and filmed with a fish-eye lens so that they appear to be gigantic. Well, they obviously remain simple reptiles and totally don't evoke feelings of fear or engagement. The decors are quite nice, though, and this film definitely has the irresistible early 60's charm that never fails to put a smile on your face. Claude Rains, here in the final stage of his well-filled career, is excellent as the boisterous professor Challenge and he obviously amused himself with yelling at people and hitting them on their heads with an umbrella. The rest of the cast is rather forgettable, expect from the stunningly beautiful Vitina Marcus who plays the sexy native girl. Even though I only remember it vaguely, the 1925 version of the same story is a much better film, but this version will definitely appeal more to larger audiences.
68 Reviews
This World Would Have Been Spotted by Air in 1960
bkoganbing5 May 2008
The Lost World might have been a better film if it had been set back in the time when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the novel. Which would be in the pre-World War I days of 1912. Back then such a plateau might have escaped detection from modern man.
In any event it's been updated to 1960 and I remember seeing it for the first time at a downtown Rochester theater long since demolished and I was with my grandmother. She took me when I was by myself visiting them in Rochester. I remember the movie, but I also remember how slow she was moving. What I didn't know was that she was in the first stages of Parkinson's disease which would eventually kill her.
Seen as an adult it's a film better left to the juvenile set. And it could use a makeover now and replace those dinosaurs with the more realistic ones of Jurassic Park.
But I doubt we could get a cast as classic as the one I saw. Claude Rains is in the lead as Conan Doyle's irascible Professor George Challenger who was the protagonist in about five books. Not as many as that much more known Conan Doyle hero Sherlock Holmes, but Challenger has his following.
In this film he's back from South America in the country roughly between Venezuela and British Guiana at the time, deep in the interior at some of the Amazon tributary headwaters. He claims he saw some ancient dinosaurs alive on a plateau.
True to his name Claude Rains invites company and financing on a new expedition to prove him right. His rival Richard Haydn accepts as does big game hunter Michael Rennie and David Hedison who is an American newspaperman whose publisher promises financing for an exclusive.
Of course it wouldn't be right in the day of woman's liberation if the shapely Jill St. John, sportswoman and a crack shot doesn't come along with her brother Ray Stricklyn. Guiding the expedition are South Americans Fernando Lamas and Jay Novello who have an agenda all their own involving at least one member of the party.
Watching The Lost World again, I think of myself as a kid back in the day and even with such a cast it really should stay in the juvenile trade. And this review is dedicated to my grandmother Mrs. Sophie Lucyshyn who took me to the movies that day back in 1960.
In any event it's been updated to 1960 and I remember seeing it for the first time at a downtown Rochester theater long since demolished and I was with my grandmother. She took me when I was by myself visiting them in Rochester. I remember the movie, but I also remember how slow she was moving. What I didn't know was that she was in the first stages of Parkinson's disease which would eventually kill her.
Seen as an adult it's a film better left to the juvenile set. And it could use a makeover now and replace those dinosaurs with the more realistic ones of Jurassic Park.
But I doubt we could get a cast as classic as the one I saw. Claude Rains is in the lead as Conan Doyle's irascible Professor George Challenger who was the protagonist in about five books. Not as many as that much more known Conan Doyle hero Sherlock Holmes, but Challenger has his following.
In this film he's back from South America in the country roughly between Venezuela and British Guiana at the time, deep in the interior at some of the Amazon tributary headwaters. He claims he saw some ancient dinosaurs alive on a plateau.
True to his name Claude Rains invites company and financing on a new expedition to prove him right. His rival Richard Haydn accepts as does big game hunter Michael Rennie and David Hedison who is an American newspaperman whose publisher promises financing for an exclusive.
Of course it wouldn't be right in the day of woman's liberation if the shapely Jill St. John, sportswoman and a crack shot doesn't come along with her brother Ray Stricklyn. Guiding the expedition are South Americans Fernando Lamas and Jay Novello who have an agenda all their own involving at least one member of the party.
Watching The Lost World again, I think of myself as a kid back in the day and even with such a cast it really should stay in the juvenile trade. And this review is dedicated to my grandmother Mrs. Sophie Lucyshyn who took me to the movies that day back in 1960.
Entertaining As A Child
Theo Robertson13 November 2004
This film was shown a couple of times in the " Saturday Night At The Movies " slot on BBC 1 in the early 1970s and being a young child at the time I enjoyed it immensely . Come on lads if you're six years old any movie featuring dinosaurs in the present day is a movie highlight
It goes without saying that my enthusiasim for THE LOST WORLD has waned in later life . It has a totally B movie quality to it and is rather unsophisticated . There is still some amusement to be had at the special effects . Nowadays thanks to the power of technology we can watch convincing dinosaurs thudding around but in the 1960s we had to put up with actors standing in front of some back projection pretending they're frightened of a couple of giant lizards with massive fins stuck on them . Oh well at least the cheese factor means it's more entertaining than JURASSIC PARK: THE LOST WORLD
It goes without saying that my enthusiasim for THE LOST WORLD has waned in later life . It has a totally B movie quality to it and is rather unsophisticated . There is still some amusement to be had at the special effects . Nowadays thanks to the power of technology we can watch convincing dinosaurs thudding around but in the 1960s we had to put up with actors standing in front of some back projection pretending they're frightened of a couple of giant lizards with massive fins stuck on them . Oh well at least the cheese factor means it's more entertaining than JURASSIC PARK: THE LOST WORLD
It just isn't what it shoud have been . . ..
Bruce_Cook2 March 2002
Unlike `The Lost Continent' (1951), this 20th Century Fox Cinemascope production had an ample budget -- but the money wasn't spent very well. A good cast (Michael Rennie, Claude Rains, Jill St. John, David Hedison, and Fernando Lamas) are all part of an expedition that discovers a plateau in South America where dinosaurs still thrive.
Unfortunately producer Irwin Allen elected not to use stop motion animation to create the dinosaurs. Instead, the audience is treated to two hours of disguised iguanas and enlarged baby alligators. Irwin Allen also co-wrote the script, which is burdened by an excess of soap opera melodrama. The good musical score, however, is by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter.
Top quality production values and good photography make the film easy enough to watch, but there's a tragic story behind `The Lost World'. Willis O'Brien, creator of `King Kong', spent several years during the late 1950s making preparations for a big-budget remake of his 1925 version of `The Lost World'. He made his pitch to producer Irwin Allen and the big wheels at 20th Century Fox, showing them the hundreds of preproduction drawings and paintings he had done. He succeeded in persuading them to make the film -- but Fox refused to let O'Brien do the film's special effects, substituting the poorly embellished reptiles instead.
From all reports, O'Brien's version would have been the greatest lost-land adventure movie of all time. Irwin Allen's lack of vision is puzzling in view of the fact that in 1955 he produced `The Animal World' with animated dinosaurs by Ray Harryhausen and Wills O'Brien! See my comments on `Animal World' for more info.
Unfortunately producer Irwin Allen elected not to use stop motion animation to create the dinosaurs. Instead, the audience is treated to two hours of disguised iguanas and enlarged baby alligators. Irwin Allen also co-wrote the script, which is burdened by an excess of soap opera melodrama. The good musical score, however, is by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter.
Top quality production values and good photography make the film easy enough to watch, but there's a tragic story behind `The Lost World'. Willis O'Brien, creator of `King Kong', spent several years during the late 1950s making preparations for a big-budget remake of his 1925 version of `The Lost World'. He made his pitch to producer Irwin Allen and the big wheels at 20th Century Fox, showing them the hundreds of preproduction drawings and paintings he had done. He succeeded in persuading them to make the film -- but Fox refused to let O'Brien do the film's special effects, substituting the poorly embellished reptiles instead.
From all reports, O'Brien's version would have been the greatest lost-land adventure movie of all time. Irwin Allen's lack of vision is puzzling in view of the fact that in 1955 he produced `The Animal World' with animated dinosaurs by Ray Harryhausen and Wills O'Brien! See my comments on `Animal World' for more info.
Lizards have cheap frills.
G.Spider19 June 1999
What's the point of hiring the most talented stop-motion animator of his day if you're not even going to let him do any animating? It's like hiring Fred Astaire and then telling him he's not to do any dancing.
This doesn't really follow the story in the Conan Doyle novel, but contain a few interesting twists and Challenger is certainly well-portrayed. However, the token female character (not in the novel) has a voice which is so badly dubbed-on that it's embarrassing. And who exactly thinks that lizards with spikes and frills stuck to them, not to mention Mexican Red-Kneed Tarantulas with green lights shone on them, are either frightening or convincing in the slightest? There is also a scene where two animals fight in very realistic fashion. One is reminded of cheap exploitation films where animals are forced to suffer indignities and suffering for the sake of cheering ghouls.
What could have been an entertaining film is just a tacky let-down.
This doesn't really follow the story in the Conan Doyle novel, but contain a few interesting twists and Challenger is certainly well-portrayed. However, the token female character (not in the novel) has a voice which is so badly dubbed-on that it's embarrassing. And who exactly thinks that lizards with spikes and frills stuck to them, not to mention Mexican Red-Kneed Tarantulas with green lights shone on them, are either frightening or convincing in the slightest? There is also a scene where two animals fight in very realistic fashion. One is reminded of cheap exploitation films where animals are forced to suffer indignities and suffering for the sake of cheering ghouls.
What could have been an entertaining film is just a tacky let-down.
Great entertainment for 6 year olds of all ages!
Spondonman30 September 2007
Along with King Kong this is one of the first films I remember seeing, on Saturday night TV sometime in the mid '60's. My expert judgement at 6 years old was that it was the best film ever made, over the years since it has somewhat slipped down my list but at least is still in it! Viewed through rose-tinted spectacles I still enjoy watching it and trot the vid out every 5 years or so for another wallow in personal nostalgia. Viewed dispassionately I think it's also better than both 1925 versions the long was too slow, the short unintelligible; forget any others.
Eccentric Professor Challenger challenges crusty Professor Summerlee in public to go with him on an expedition to find a plateau in South America where he (claimed) he saw prehistoric dinosaurs roaming around. A motley party is assembled to make the trip consisting of a cynical aristocrat with a secret, his eye-fodder girlfriend in pink and her eye-fodder brother, the hard working reporter who fancies her, and 2 dingy latins with plenty of secrets. A couple of hours after landing they discover prehistoric dinosaurs roaming around partial to wrecking helicopters, and we discover Challenger appears rather challenged when coming to name them. Corn abounds, the special effects are worse than in 1925, every plot device is telegraphed ahead, and every racial, sexual and class stereotype is out in force but I love it just the same! At least Jill St. John didn't twist her ankle, and the sets weren't always cardboard though.
If you didn't see this when young and impressionable don't bother, however if you did and you're not a serious type it's worth a try. You still might be horrified but you might return to a lost world of safe family adventure movies.
Eccentric Professor Challenger challenges crusty Professor Summerlee in public to go with him on an expedition to find a plateau in South America where he (claimed) he saw prehistoric dinosaurs roaming around. A motley party is assembled to make the trip consisting of a cynical aristocrat with a secret, his eye-fodder girlfriend in pink and her eye-fodder brother, the hard working reporter who fancies her, and 2 dingy latins with plenty of secrets. A couple of hours after landing they discover prehistoric dinosaurs roaming around partial to wrecking helicopters, and we discover Challenger appears rather challenged when coming to name them. Corn abounds, the special effects are worse than in 1925, every plot device is telegraphed ahead, and every racial, sexual and class stereotype is out in force but I love it just the same! At least Jill St. John didn't twist her ankle, and the sets weren't always cardboard though.
If you didn't see this when young and impressionable don't bother, however if you did and you're not a serious type it's worth a try. You still might be horrified but you might return to a lost world of safe family adventure movies.
Colorful and spectacular adventures film by Irwin Allen
ma-cortes29 January 2007
A daring expedition constituted by Professor Challenger(Claude Rains),a scientific(Richard Haydn),an adventurer named Rolston(Michael Wilding),a journalist(David Hedison),an explorer(Fernando Lamas),the magnate's daughter(Jill St John)among others journey to remote location where are roaming prehistoric dinosaurs and savage cannibal tribes still alive.They confront against the nature's most fearsome predators that savagely stalking its prey.
It's an amusing old-fashioned and dated adventure from Arthur Conan Doyle(Sherlock Holmes's author)novel that follows the wake of ¨Journey of the center of the earth¨ by Henry Levin previously filmed,in fact the finale part into the cave is similarly realized ,including a cliff-hungers scenes where the protagonists are dangling over a dangerous cliffs pursued by a cruel natives .An ambitious production values and quite entertaining considering its age.The Jurassik creatures are made by transparency as a giant spider and a lizards increased by optics effects. The story was impressive when first released but it looks pretty silly for standards nowadays. Dinosaurs delivers the goods with chills,grisly screams when the beasts appear,thus the climax film happens when the giant lizards running amok and are fighting among them.The motion picture is regularly directed by Irwin Allen, the catastrophe cinema's creator(Adventure Poseidon,Towering inferno,Swarm).This story was formerly adapted in a silent movie(1925)and with dinosaurs made by the great Willis O'Brien(King Kong).Anothers remakes are filmed in 1993 by Timothy Bond with John Rhys Davies and of course the especial adaptation by Steven Spielberg :The lost world, Jurassik Park. The flick will like to the juvenile public and and adventures movie fans but best enjoyed in big screen
It's an amusing old-fashioned and dated adventure from Arthur Conan Doyle(Sherlock Holmes's author)novel that follows the wake of ¨Journey of the center of the earth¨ by Henry Levin previously filmed,in fact the finale part into the cave is similarly realized ,including a cliff-hungers scenes where the protagonists are dangling over a dangerous cliffs pursued by a cruel natives .An ambitious production values and quite entertaining considering its age.The Jurassik creatures are made by transparency as a giant spider and a lizards increased by optics effects. The story was impressive when first released but it looks pretty silly for standards nowadays. Dinosaurs delivers the goods with chills,grisly screams when the beasts appear,thus the climax film happens when the giant lizards running amok and are fighting among them.The motion picture is regularly directed by Irwin Allen, the catastrophe cinema's creator(Adventure Poseidon,Towering inferno,Swarm).This story was formerly adapted in a silent movie(1925)and with dinosaurs made by the great Willis O'Brien(King Kong).Anothers remakes are filmed in 1993 by Timothy Bond with John Rhys Davies and of course the especial adaptation by Steven Spielberg :The lost world, Jurassik Park. The flick will like to the juvenile public and and adventures movie fans but best enjoyed in big screen
Should've Stayed Lost
utgard142 January 2014
Subpar dinosaur adventure flick based off of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novel, made once before in 1925 and a few times since 1960. It's a misfire of a movie, overflowing with a cast too large playing characters too unlikeable. The only character I really rooted for was Professor Challenger, played by Claude Rains. That was more my affinity for the actor than the part anyway. Special effects are actually worse than the effects made 35 years before! I'll take Willis O'Brien's stop-motion effects over cheap photographic tricks and reptiles with glued-on horns and fins any day. See the 1925 silent film instead. It's a lot more fun.
A popcorn movie if ever there was one!
phillindholm15 September 2007
Producer/director Irwin Allen had big plans for this one. He also had the big budget needed to craft a truly spectacular remake of the original 1925 classic silent film. And, he rightly felt that a new movie based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's science fiction masterpiece had better be up to the task. Allen originally intended using the "Stop-Motion animation" technique (made popular by Ray Harryhausen) to bring his prehistoric monsters to life. But, just as production was about to commence, Twentieth-Century Fox, who commissioned the film (and were then experiencing severe monetary shortages, due to production problems with their money guzzling "Cleopatra") slashed the budgets of nearly every film currently being produced. "The Lost World" was no exception, and Allen's dreams of a Sci-Fi Spectacular were crushed. Being a resourceful film maker, though, he did the best he could with what he had, and that turned out to be very good indeed.
For his cast, he chose British character actor Claude ("The Invisible Man") Rains to play the indomitable Professor Challenger, leader of the expedition. As Playboy Johnny Roxton, he cast another British actor, Michael Rennie. David Hedison played newsman Ed Malone, Jill St. John played Jennifer Holmes, daughter of Malone's publisher and Fernando Lamas was Gomez, the expedition's pilot. Supporting them were Jay Novello, as a cowardly guide, and Vittina Marcus as a helpful island native girl. Forced to forego his original Stop-Motion technique, Allen had to make do with photographing lizards, alligators and such, adding horns and gills when necessary. The result was pretty much the way it sounds - the creatures this bunch discovered were a long way from prehistoric beasts. Nevertheless, the movie entertains, with truly beautiful wide screen photography, a fantastic collection of colors which really bring the striking sets to eerie life.
As for the performances, they are decent enough. Rains has gotten plenty of criticism over the years for his bombastic Challenger, but that's the way the character was written, and Rains is true to the material, and highly enjoyable too. Michael Rennie is a bit colorless in his big game hunter part, but he does have some good scenes as well. David Hedison is OK as Malone, who falls for Jennifer (Roxton's girlfriend) though their romance must have ended up heavily edited, as there's little evidence of it here. Ms. St John and Ms. Marcus are mainly eye candy, (this WAS the '60s after all) but act capably enough, though for a woman described as "brave as a lioness". Jill certainly does a lot of screaming while dressed in a very flattering, if impractical wardrobe (which includes a Toy Poodle). Ray Stricklyn is very persuasive as her rather immature but compassionate brother. Lamas and Novello are the supposed villains of this piece, though Lamas has a reason for his hostility. Allen's direction is good and the score by Bert Shefter and Paul Sawtell adds immeasurably to the drama and suspense. All in all, the picture is perfect Saturday Matinée fare, and though the script is talky in places, it still delivers the goods at the climax. The movie is a textbook example of a period when celluloid escapism was all viewers demanded, and here, they got it In spades.
Fox Home Video has just released "The Lost World" as a two-disc DVD set, with special features (trailer, newsreels and galleries of promotional material) from the film on disc one, and a restored version (with a few outtakes!) of the 1925 original on disc two. Allen's film looks wonderful in it's anamorphic CinemaScope transfer, and after years of suffering through the faded pan-and-scanned prints used for TV and video this is really a revelation. The new stereo soundtracks are equally impressive and make this film, from a producer/director who would one day be known as the "Master of Disaster', (thanks to such fare as The Poseidon Adventure' and "The Towering Inferno") a must have for collectors.
For his cast, he chose British character actor Claude ("The Invisible Man") Rains to play the indomitable Professor Challenger, leader of the expedition. As Playboy Johnny Roxton, he cast another British actor, Michael Rennie. David Hedison played newsman Ed Malone, Jill St. John played Jennifer Holmes, daughter of Malone's publisher and Fernando Lamas was Gomez, the expedition's pilot. Supporting them were Jay Novello, as a cowardly guide, and Vittina Marcus as a helpful island native girl. Forced to forego his original Stop-Motion technique, Allen had to make do with photographing lizards, alligators and such, adding horns and gills when necessary. The result was pretty much the way it sounds - the creatures this bunch discovered were a long way from prehistoric beasts. Nevertheless, the movie entertains, with truly beautiful wide screen photography, a fantastic collection of colors which really bring the striking sets to eerie life.
As for the performances, they are decent enough. Rains has gotten plenty of criticism over the years for his bombastic Challenger, but that's the way the character was written, and Rains is true to the material, and highly enjoyable too. Michael Rennie is a bit colorless in his big game hunter part, but he does have some good scenes as well. David Hedison is OK as Malone, who falls for Jennifer (Roxton's girlfriend) though their romance must have ended up heavily edited, as there's little evidence of it here. Ms. St John and Ms. Marcus are mainly eye candy, (this WAS the '60s after all) but act capably enough, though for a woman described as "brave as a lioness". Jill certainly does a lot of screaming while dressed in a very flattering, if impractical wardrobe (which includes a Toy Poodle). Ray Stricklyn is very persuasive as her rather immature but compassionate brother. Lamas and Novello are the supposed villains of this piece, though Lamas has a reason for his hostility. Allen's direction is good and the score by Bert Shefter and Paul Sawtell adds immeasurably to the drama and suspense. All in all, the picture is perfect Saturday Matinée fare, and though the script is talky in places, it still delivers the goods at the climax. The movie is a textbook example of a period when celluloid escapism was all viewers demanded, and here, they got it In spades.
Fox Home Video has just released "The Lost World" as a two-disc DVD set, with special features (trailer, newsreels and galleries of promotional material) from the film on disc one, and a restored version (with a few outtakes!) of the 1925 original on disc two. Allen's film looks wonderful in it's anamorphic CinemaScope transfer, and after years of suffering through the faded pan-and-scanned prints used for TV and video this is really a revelation. The new stereo soundtracks are equally impressive and make this film, from a producer/director who would one day be known as the "Master of Disaster', (thanks to such fare as The Poseidon Adventure' and "The Towering Inferno") a must have for collectors.
The Dinosaurs Are Disguised As Lizards!
romanorum111 June 2013
Or you might say that the lizards are disguised as dinosaurs. Those were horrible models that passed for sauropods and theropods. The fact is that the reason the public bought tickets to see this film was to see real-looking dinosaurs in action (as I did back in 1960) and was deceived. The uninformed movie moguls used four-legged crawlers, and attached horns and fins and spikes and frills to their bodies, and simply called them genuine dinosaur names like Tyrannosaurus and Brontosaurus (now Apatosaurus). Although they magnified the sizes of the lizards, most of them lack teeth. Are these supposed to be rip-roaring carnivores, like Allosaurus? Hey, an alligator (or crocodile or caiman) with a glued-on fin kind of looks like a Dimetrodon, doesn't it? Actually the toothed head of a Dimetrodon was more box-like in shape. But a Brontosaurus crawling, and with horns on its head? A baby Tyrannosaurus on four legs equipped with three horns? Ugh!!! By the way, does a large theropod with huge teeth really need horns? Even the movie posters, which are not the best, also misrepresented the genuine appearance of the dinosaurs. They picture a Tyrannosaurus Rex with two large horns! These facts are very annoying to those who knew much of what there was to know about fascinating creatures that lived so long ago. Didn't anybody know about the great Ray Harryhausen and his special effects? The producer/director acted as if he did not know paleontology and fooled us, and we accordingly paid our admission. So, pardon my indignation.
When we get past the scientific inaccuracy galore, we see that the action part of the story fares a little better, but just a little. Very loosely taken from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 book of the same name, Professor George Challenger (Claude Rains) and his group leave England to explore a hidden plateau located near the headwaters of the Amazon basin obscured by a deep jungle (western part of South America). Earlier, the irascible Challenger (he of the red wig) had discovered large prehistoric animals there, where the indigenous people call the "curipuri." The newly funded expedition was made to confirm his findings. An obvious mistake by the director is the idea that dinosaurs would escape detection anywhere in the world until 1960. Better to have the setting in 1912 or even 1925. But again, who was doing the thinking for this feature? The expedition includes, besides the umbrella-wielding Challenger, his rival, the skeptical Professor Summerlee (Richard Haydn) and inscrutable hunter/explorer Lord John Roxton (Michael Rennie) along with newspaperman Ed Malone (David Hedison). Uninvited but waiting for the four associates to arrive in Brazil are attractive Jennifer Holmes (twenty-year old Jill St. John) and her brother David. They manage to join the team. Jennifer is so badly under dressed that she fails by comparison with the women who were in the jungle with Tarzan. They wore the right clothes, not shorts and white shoes in the jungle. And she carries along her poodle in a basket! What? She says that she's good with a gun, but neither has a weapon nor demonstrates her skills. And she screams quite a bit. In the book no woman is part of the expedition, although the hero returns home to find that his girl has married another. Portuguese speaking guides are Gomez (Fernando Lamas) and Costa (Jay Novello). The former is the helicopter pilot, brave, but obviously has an agenda; the latter is cowardly and dubious, and also likes diamonds, yeah, large diamonds, like the size of golf balls.
Anyway, the director had early men living at the same time as the dinosaurs. Now scientists know that dinosaurs became extinct around 65 million years ago, long before the coming of man. But at least Allen followed the book in this instance. Actually the text had both dinosaurs and large prehistoric mammals living at the same time (in the Jurassic Period, which is erroneous). Gee, I wonder what happens when a Tyrannosaur (Cretaceous Period in the Mesozoic Era) engages a woolly mammoth (Pleistocene Period in the Cenozoic Era) in battle? In the feature's highlight, two crawlers actually fight each other. But what's with that giant green spider? What about the strange flora? Then we have nasty natives chasing and capturing our heroes. In the book there is a war between ape men and prehistoric Indians. In the movie an available maiden luckily shows our men a way out of the native cave-prison. But why desert her people? Ee-gad! Notice that the young lady (Vitina Marcus) hasn't a blemish on her lovely body? In that thick jungle? Despite supposed advantages in the art of movie-making, this feature cannot hold a candle to the superior 1925 silent version, which is better even in its present, unfortunately truncated form. Arthur Conan Doyle loved that original silent movie. But in the 1960 version, despite some good early aerial shots and cinematography, some of the sets are so cheap they look like they were filmed in a back lot. Normally the actors are decent to very good, except in this movie. There is some truth to the rumor that the best performances were done by the lizards disguised as dinosaurs. Of course they too were not helped by the weak script. Nice directing, Mr. Irwin Allen. You made a near-bust. That volcanic eruption came about an hour too late!
When we get past the scientific inaccuracy galore, we see that the action part of the story fares a little better, but just a little. Very loosely taken from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 book of the same name, Professor George Challenger (Claude Rains) and his group leave England to explore a hidden plateau located near the headwaters of the Amazon basin obscured by a deep jungle (western part of South America). Earlier, the irascible Challenger (he of the red wig) had discovered large prehistoric animals there, where the indigenous people call the "curipuri." The newly funded expedition was made to confirm his findings. An obvious mistake by the director is the idea that dinosaurs would escape detection anywhere in the world until 1960. Better to have the setting in 1912 or even 1925. But again, who was doing the thinking for this feature? The expedition includes, besides the umbrella-wielding Challenger, his rival, the skeptical Professor Summerlee (Richard Haydn) and inscrutable hunter/explorer Lord John Roxton (Michael Rennie) along with newspaperman Ed Malone (David Hedison). Uninvited but waiting for the four associates to arrive in Brazil are attractive Jennifer Holmes (twenty-year old Jill St. John) and her brother David. They manage to join the team. Jennifer is so badly under dressed that she fails by comparison with the women who were in the jungle with Tarzan. They wore the right clothes, not shorts and white shoes in the jungle. And she carries along her poodle in a basket! What? She says that she's good with a gun, but neither has a weapon nor demonstrates her skills. And she screams quite a bit. In the book no woman is part of the expedition, although the hero returns home to find that his girl has married another. Portuguese speaking guides are Gomez (Fernando Lamas) and Costa (Jay Novello). The former is the helicopter pilot, brave, but obviously has an agenda; the latter is cowardly and dubious, and also likes diamonds, yeah, large diamonds, like the size of golf balls.
Anyway, the director had early men living at the same time as the dinosaurs. Now scientists know that dinosaurs became extinct around 65 million years ago, long before the coming of man. But at least Allen followed the book in this instance. Actually the text had both dinosaurs and large prehistoric mammals living at the same time (in the Jurassic Period, which is erroneous). Gee, I wonder what happens when a Tyrannosaur (Cretaceous Period in the Mesozoic Era) engages a woolly mammoth (Pleistocene Period in the Cenozoic Era) in battle? In the feature's highlight, two crawlers actually fight each other. But what's with that giant green spider? What about the strange flora? Then we have nasty natives chasing and capturing our heroes. In the book there is a war between ape men and prehistoric Indians. In the movie an available maiden luckily shows our men a way out of the native cave-prison. But why desert her people? Ee-gad! Notice that the young lady (Vitina Marcus) hasn't a blemish on her lovely body? In that thick jungle? Despite supposed advantages in the art of movie-making, this feature cannot hold a candle to the superior 1925 silent version, which is better even in its present, unfortunately truncated form. Arthur Conan Doyle loved that original silent movie. But in the 1960 version, despite some good early aerial shots and cinematography, some of the sets are so cheap they look like they were filmed in a back lot. Normally the actors are decent to very good, except in this movie. There is some truth to the rumor that the best performances were done by the lizards disguised as dinosaurs. Of course they too were not helped by the weak script. Nice directing, Mr. Irwin Allen. You made a near-bust. That volcanic eruption came about an hour too late!
Irwin Allen dinosaur adventure is high in corniness.
onnanob214 April 2002
You would expect much more from an Irwin Allen film than 1960's The Lost World delivers. This film is high on silly-to-obnoxious characters, and corniness. The first few scenes in the film are particularly loaded down by corniness as we are introduced to the characters. There's eccentric Professor Challenger (Claude Rains) with his silly facial expressions, and boisterous but stuffy personality. There's Lord John Roxton (Michael Rennie) with his selfish and uncharming personality. There's Jennifer Holmes (Jill St. John) who starts out by trying to show the men a woman can also be worthy to take along on an expedition, but then becomes a useless, timid character who shows no strengths at all. The sexist remarks made by some male characters in the beginning become even more obnoxious, because Jennifer never comes through on showing strength, courage or ideas to help her crew members. The only strength she really proves is that she can pick out some elegant but inappropriate clothing to wear during the dangerous expedition. Jennifer has also brought along her silly, little poodle named Frosty. And then there's Costa (Jay Novello), a wimpy, greedy, seedy, little man. Throw in Fernando Lamas as Manual Gomez, the hired helicopter pilot who is also along for a side plot of personal revenge. He plots his murder-revenge and strums his guitar along the way (the natives even let him keep his guitar when the group is captured!) Not too many characters to really care for, but there are a few to possibly like such as Jennifer's brother, David (Ray Stricklyn.) David actually turns out to be more of a help then originally believed. A captured native girl (Vitina Marcus) turns out to be one of the better characters in the picture, but that is most likely because she has none of the corny lines and characteristics the expedition party's characters have. There's also corny drama from a love triangle that forms along the way. We all know Claude Rains (Phantom Of The Opera), Michael Rennie (The Day The Earth Stood Still) and others can do fine acting jobs, and the acting in this movie is fine--It's just most of the characters are so corny at times it should be embarrassing to the stars of the picture. The action in the film does not really build to any exciting levels as the crew is menaced by various creatures. The dinosaurs are lizards and reptiles with fins and horns applied to their bodies, and the giant spider is a rather lame effect (especially since it just hangs there, and only moves its legs a bit.) There is an unpleasant scene in which a real lizard fights a real reptile (portraying dinosaurs) that seems very politically incorrect by today's standards (and should have been a no-no even back in 1960.) Irwin Allen and 20th Century Fox could've done much better than this, and it is not nearly as good of a film as Journey To The Center Of The Earth (also from 20th Century Fox.) Still, The Lost World may entertain on a Saturday afternoon matinee level, and it is one of those movies collectors of horror and science fiction films will probably want to add to their 1950's and 1960's collections.
Irwin Allen's Lost Word
BaronBl00d25 December 2007
Okay, this version is everything most of the viewers have mentioned: decidedly trite and shallow script devoid of any real substance, wooden performances from a group of talented actors notwithstanding(for the most part), legions of clichés, some of the weakest, poorest, limited special effects seen for a movie of this caliber(what should have been shot that is), and the list could go on and on. I have no problem with almost any of that. So much could have been done with this film and the talents involved, but so little was done in terms of execution. The ho-nus of the blame must therefore go to Mr. Allen who I would never describe as a great filmmaker but who is certainly capable of better than this. Lets start with the script. It follows the pattern of all the Lost World films as a party leaves England for a hidden plateau in the Amazon region. Each person is to be a character in and of himself/herself. Claude Rains plays the fiery Professor Challenger with some conviction at times and is at the very least always a pleasant thick slice of ham. But Michael Rennie as the big game hunter Roxton, another good actor, doesn't fare nearly as well as he just looks too haggard for the role. What about David Hedison as the newspaperman along because his editor footed the bill - bland, boring, and unconvincing. Fernando Lamas - need I say more? That brings us to 2 actors - one whose performance adds immeasurably to the film because of wit and fine character acting skills and another who knows how to fill out a snug pink form-fitting pair of stretch pants and wear a low-cut blouse throughout the prehistoric jungle but has all the concern and fear of someone riding a subway. Richard Haydn gives the film's best performance playing a stereotype of a snooty professor constantly challenging Challenger with vigor and intelligence. I have always felt he was a fine character actor that just did not get the press and consideration he should have. Jill St. John plays the walking pink stretch pants and as an actress is just not convincing at all - but boy, can those pants move gracefully and with the utmost conviction! Irwin Allen's Lost World is not a horrible film or, for me, even a boring one. It is popcorn entertainment at best and will be sheer disappointment to those looking for prehistoric fun and something truly fantastical. It just doesn't have it. Just what do you get: maybe 3 lizards with horns applied to their heads somehow, a few natives that look un-native, and some big pink flower-like venus flytraps that shoot up and down like crepe paper. That is really about it. There is very little action for a film that should have been loaded with it. I am partial to the film for the actors involved(pink pants and all), the hokey, campy quality of the film, and the nostalgic sense it creates, but that will and should mean very little to most others. Bottom line, it is okay but you would do far better seeing the newer mini-series with Bob Hoskins as Challenger or, better yet, the silent version with the awesome, ground-breaking effects of Willis O'Brien.
Irwin Allen asks us to get lost in his world.
hitchcockthelegend20 September 2015
The Lost World is directed and produced by Irwin Allen, who also co-adapts the screenplay with Charles Bennett from the novel written by Arthur Conan Doyle. It stars Michael Rennie, Jill St. John, Claude Rains, David Hedison, Fernando Lamas and Richard Haydn. A CinemaScope production in De Luxe Color, music is by Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter and cinematography by Winton C. Hoch.
A loose adaptation of Doyle's novel, this version was the first talkie to surface after the silent original back in 1925. The story pitches a diverse group of travellers/explorers onto an Amazonian plateau where it is hoped that proof of living dinosaurs can be made. Monster malarkey does follow.
Given that it has a diverse reputation and average ratings on internet movie sites, you would be fooled into thinking this was a flop. Far from it! It made very good coin at the box office and it continues to be a well received fantasy favourite shown on TV schedules during holiday periods. In fact, there is a cult fan base out there whom steadfastly will defend the pic from violent attack!
Irwin Allen used his average budget in areas other than for the creature effects, this is obvious, while it's true to say that most of the acting is from the school of ham and cheese sandwich. Yet the slurpasaur effects are engaging and effective. Oh for sure none of the creatures look like dinosaurs, which begs the question on why didn't they just write it as a new raft of undiscovered dinosaurs? But suspense and peril is eked out and the world created by the art design team is impressively interesting.
The usual character stereotypes exist, including a surplus to requirements female character (St. John), who is attired in pink trousers and brings her pet poodle pooch along for the trip! The formula would get tired over the on coming decades (see Disney's Island at the Top of the World which would crib from this pic), yet there's still a lot of fun to be had with big creatures, big spiders, diamonds and a secret race of people with a specialist appetite - while you can't beat a good old chase finale topped off by peril and twisty strife.
Sometimes cheap and cheerful, sometimes full of fun and frolics, all things considered, there's a good time to be had for the discerning creature feature/fantasy adventure film fan. 6.5/10
A loose adaptation of Doyle's novel, this version was the first talkie to surface after the silent original back in 1925. The story pitches a diverse group of travellers/explorers onto an Amazonian plateau where it is hoped that proof of living dinosaurs can be made. Monster malarkey does follow.
Given that it has a diverse reputation and average ratings on internet movie sites, you would be fooled into thinking this was a flop. Far from it! It made very good coin at the box office and it continues to be a well received fantasy favourite shown on TV schedules during holiday periods. In fact, there is a cult fan base out there whom steadfastly will defend the pic from violent attack!
Irwin Allen used his average budget in areas other than for the creature effects, this is obvious, while it's true to say that most of the acting is from the school of ham and cheese sandwich. Yet the slurpasaur effects are engaging and effective. Oh for sure none of the creatures look like dinosaurs, which begs the question on why didn't they just write it as a new raft of undiscovered dinosaurs? But suspense and peril is eked out and the world created by the art design team is impressively interesting.
The usual character stereotypes exist, including a surplus to requirements female character (St. John), who is attired in pink trousers and brings her pet poodle pooch along for the trip! The formula would get tired over the on coming decades (see Disney's Island at the Top of the World which would crib from this pic), yet there's still a lot of fun to be had with big creatures, big spiders, diamonds and a secret race of people with a specialist appetite - while you can't beat a good old chase finale topped off by peril and twisty strife.
Sometimes cheap and cheerful, sometimes full of fun and frolics, all things considered, there's a good time to be had for the discerning creature feature/fantasy adventure film fan. 6.5/10
Saturday night memories!
john_vance-2080626 February 2016
In the early-mid 1960s, this movie (along with Titanic and The Day the Earth Stood Still) would appear about once a year on the syndicated "Saturday Night at the Movies". As a kid I anxiously awaited the return of this one in particular.
This was definitely great fun and entertainment. Nobody would get (or deserve) any Oscars for this work, but they all deserve a round of applause and lasting appreciation.
The concept of finding a completely isolated region of the world filled with fascinating and sometimes frightening plants and animals is nearly as intriguing in our GPS-mapped existence as it was when Sir Arthur penned out the story. The fact that it was unrealistic even when this movie was made was overcome by the exuberant actors and extraordinary sets of The Lost World.
Though the characters are pretty well central-casting creations, they are portrayed with enough professionalism as to make them compelling. Even the virtually voiceless native girl played by the absolutely drop-dead gorgeous Vitina Marcus plays a big part in keeping the story together.
Great cinema? No. Great fun for a couple of hours? Definitely.
This was definitely great fun and entertainment. Nobody would get (or deserve) any Oscars for this work, but they all deserve a round of applause and lasting appreciation.
The concept of finding a completely isolated region of the world filled with fascinating and sometimes frightening plants and animals is nearly as intriguing in our GPS-mapped existence as it was when Sir Arthur penned out the story. The fact that it was unrealistic even when this movie was made was overcome by the exuberant actors and extraordinary sets of The Lost World.
Though the characters are pretty well central-casting creations, they are portrayed with enough professionalism as to make them compelling. Even the virtually voiceless native girl played by the absolutely drop-dead gorgeous Vitina Marcus plays a big part in keeping the story together.
Great cinema? No. Great fun for a couple of hours? Definitely.
Jill St. John was completely wasted....
planktonrules3 September 2017
The incredibly cranky Professor Challenger (Claude Rains) thinks that there is an oasis of primordial creatures living in the Amazonian basin. But a lot of folks think he's nuts...so he works on an expedition to prove he is right. Ultimately, the do come upon such an oasis...a land filled with both dinosaurs AND unfriendly natives. Can they make it out alive AND with proof that the professor isn't a complete crackpot?
The film uses alligators and lizards all painted up and given prosthetics to make them look 'dinosaury'. It's not at all convincing and was VERY troubling when the crew had two of these critters tear each other apart for the amusement of the audiences! Believe it or not, the silent version of this movie had better dinosaurs!!
Jill St. John was one of the most beautiful actresses of her time...there's no doubt about that. But, sadly, she is totally wasted in this film due to some very bad writing when it comes to her part. Jenny is supposed to be a very strong-minded who forces her way into a dangerous expedition. She is a very emancipated woman...yet, when danger rears its ugly head, Jenny spends most of her time crying and screaming! Not a great feminist sort of character, that's for sure! Fortunately, Costa (Jay Novello) is even more pusillanimous than she is...and both characters are really annoying. If these two characters sound annoying and poorly written, pretty much the same can be said for most of the others. Their actions and motivations OFTEN make no sense...as if the script was the least important part of this movie!
Overall, you have a silly adventure film...not completely terrible but one that should have been better.
The film uses alligators and lizards all painted up and given prosthetics to make them look 'dinosaury'. It's not at all convincing and was VERY troubling when the crew had two of these critters tear each other apart for the amusement of the audiences! Believe it or not, the silent version of this movie had better dinosaurs!!
Jill St. John was one of the most beautiful actresses of her time...there's no doubt about that. But, sadly, she is totally wasted in this film due to some very bad writing when it comes to her part. Jenny is supposed to be a very strong-minded who forces her way into a dangerous expedition. She is a very emancipated woman...yet, when danger rears its ugly head, Jenny spends most of her time crying and screaming! Not a great feminist sort of character, that's for sure! Fortunately, Costa (Jay Novello) is even more pusillanimous than she is...and both characters are really annoying. If these two characters sound annoying and poorly written, pretty much the same can be said for most of the others. Their actions and motivations OFTEN make no sense...as if the script was the least important part of this movie!
Overall, you have a silly adventure film...not completely terrible but one that should have been better.
Solid escapism for undemanding viewers.
Hey_Sweden21 May 2017
From the "Master of Disaster", producer & director Irwin Allen, comes this fantasy-adventure that may be too goofy and corny for some tastes. But it's played with a healthy, hard to resist amount of humor, and it's just old-fashioned enough - albeit in color and widescreen - to keep it reasonably fun.
Claude Rains plays Professor George Edward Challenger, a scientist who discovered something extraordinary on a past expedition. It's a plateau, deep in the Amazon jungle, where dinosaurs still roam. A news magnate finances a second expedition to the area, so that Challenger can obtain proof of what he saw. In his company will be a hunter / adventurer (Michael Rennie), the magnates' headstrong daughter (Jill St. John), who actually invites herself along, her brother (Ray Stricklyn), a journalist (David Hedison), a pilot (Fernando Lamas), a cowardly guide (Jay Novello), and Challengers' rival Professor Summerlee (Richard Haydn).
This second screen adaptation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story doesn't have much of a sense of awe & wonder, but it's staged and executed with some flair, and has its share of amusements. One thing it sadly lacks is effects work by the legendary Willis O'Brien, who worked on the first film. Here, he's credited as "effects technician", but his primary task was coming up with dinosaur designs. The so-called "dinosaurs" are actually played by ordinary Earth reptiles made to look huge through photographic trickery.
Our heroes are a likable enough bunch. Rains chews on the scenery in a flamboyant portrayal. One of his first orders of business is whopping Hedison on the head with his umbrella. St. John is cute, as is Vitina Marcus as a native gal. Rennie is a macho leading man.
It gets better as it goes along, delivering a fair amount of obstacles for the group to surmount on their way to freedom. The finale is particularly exciting as they race through mountainous tunnels and avoid lava flows. The music by Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter is rousing, the cinematography by Winton C. Hoch fairly colorful.
Seven out of 10.
Claude Rains plays Professor George Edward Challenger, a scientist who discovered something extraordinary on a past expedition. It's a plateau, deep in the Amazon jungle, where dinosaurs still roam. A news magnate finances a second expedition to the area, so that Challenger can obtain proof of what he saw. In his company will be a hunter / adventurer (Michael Rennie), the magnates' headstrong daughter (Jill St. John), who actually invites herself along, her brother (Ray Stricklyn), a journalist (David Hedison), a pilot (Fernando Lamas), a cowardly guide (Jay Novello), and Challengers' rival Professor Summerlee (Richard Haydn).
This second screen adaptation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story doesn't have much of a sense of awe & wonder, but it's staged and executed with some flair, and has its share of amusements. One thing it sadly lacks is effects work by the legendary Willis O'Brien, who worked on the first film. Here, he's credited as "effects technician", but his primary task was coming up with dinosaur designs. The so-called "dinosaurs" are actually played by ordinary Earth reptiles made to look huge through photographic trickery.
Our heroes are a likable enough bunch. Rains chews on the scenery in a flamboyant portrayal. One of his first orders of business is whopping Hedison on the head with his umbrella. St. John is cute, as is Vitina Marcus as a native gal. Rennie is a macho leading man.
It gets better as it goes along, delivering a fair amount of obstacles for the group to surmount on their way to freedom. The finale is particularly exciting as they race through mountainous tunnels and avoid lava flows. The music by Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter is rousing, the cinematography by Winton C. Hoch fairly colorful.
Seven out of 10.
"There was talk of DIAMONDS?!?..."
CatRufus55918 August 2020
"Yes, yes", replies the Wise Old Explorer in the Cave, "You'll see them." And you'll see a lot more...that you don't want or need to see...in this cardboard cutout version of Conan Doyle's classic. Poor Claude Rains! Poor Michael Rennie! Is this movie the reason that Al Hedison went by the name 'David' from that point on? I hope that no lizards were harmed during filming when those rubber fins were attached. But then Crazy Glue hadn't been invented yet. I'd tell you more, but just like The Wise Old Explorer in the Cave, I'm "Too Old...
Too Tired..." Better to watch the silent version.
Jill St. John makes this film worthwhile
vpauld9 June 2006
I first saw this film in a theater when I was 7 or 8 years old in a re-release a year or two after it first premiered. By today's standards the special effects are laughable, but you must realize that back in 1960 the state of special effects were no where near where they are today. As a kid, I loved this film. Jill St. John in her pink stretch pants and bright red boots runs around calling for her poodle "Frosty," all the while trying to prove that she is worthy of being on the expedition. My sister and I used to have most of her dialog memorized and would imitate her line readings. The film moves along at a fast pace and I still find it quite entertaining - even with its cheesy dinosaurs. If it is ever released as a widescreen format DVD, I will be sure to buy it.
Only Claude Rains and Michael Rennie stand out in weak remake
kevinolzak11 May 2020
"The Lost World" had first been made as a silent picture in 1925, Wallace Beery as Professor Challenger meeting up with dinosaurs animated by King Kong's Willis O'Brien, before bringing back to London a baby that grows to menace the entire city. With "Journey to the Center of the Earth" still in production, 20th Century-Fox tried their luck at another family friendly sci fi adventure, securing director Irwin Allen for a remake of the O'Brien original, even retaining his services though not for stop motion animation, merely the cheapest effects possible, ordinary lizards posing as dinosaurs. What became an even bigger box office bonanza than "Journey" sadly looks quite pedestrian these days, the lone human cast member who offers any spark is the 70 year old Claude Rains in the central role of Professor Challenger, barnstorming to such a degree that he even lets out an Invisible Man laugh on one occasion. Top Billed Michael Rennie ("The Day the Earth Stood Still") also fares well as a big game hunter, but the remainder simply leave little impression, particularly Jill St. John, whose annoying poodle should have gone the way of Gertrude the duck. We finally reach the South American plateau at the half hour mark, a few 'dinosaurs' creeping through the dense forest, one man eating plant who finds Jill a more tasty treat, and not one but two giant spiders who look more feeble than those concocted by Bert I. Gordon. The one hour point shows off an epic battle of monsters, lasting nearly two minutes before tumbling to their doom off a cliff, after which only a tribe of cannibals and volcanic lava present more danger for the party. Monitor lizards, an ordinary alligator, a tokay gecko and an iguana make poor substitutes for Willis O'Brien's genius, and the whole thing screeches to a halt with the hatching of the baby dinosaur (Tyrannosaurus Rex, of course) without returning to London. Allen's box office clout continued with "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and "Five Weeks in a Balloon," then TV series such as VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (utilizing stock footage from the feature film), LOST IN SPACE, THE TIME TUNNEL, and LAND OF THE GIANTS, switching gears for the new decade with mass destruction on a grand scale, the 'Master of Disaster' at the helm for "The Poseidon Adventure," "The Towering Inferno," "The Swarm," "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure," and "When Time Ran Out."
Excellent first sound version of this story
chris_gaskin12316 June 2004
This was the first sound version of the Lost World and I think it is one of the best. The silent, 1925 movie is the best. There have been several remakes since this one.
Professor Challenger takes a party to an uncharted plateau where dinosaurs still roam. They arrive there by helicopter, but not long after they get there, this is destroyed by a dinosaur. Despite this, they explore the land and capture a native cave girl, who knows how to use a gun. We learn that Lord Roxton has been here on a previous expedition and he killed Gomez's brother. After a fight between two dinosaurs, the party are captured by unfriendly natives, who are cannibals. Luckily, the cave girl who the party captured earlier helps them to escape and after meeting Burton White, the blind surviver of an earlier expedition, make their way along a narrow ridge where Challenger nearly meets his death. The party collects some diamonds and then Gomez holds everyone hostage as he wants Lord Roxton dead, but the gun shot wakes the "fire monster" and it eats Costa. Gomez then meets his death by falling in the lava helping to open a rock door. The plateau then blows its top and everyone is safe. But one last explosion causes the dinosaur egg they found to fall on the floor and break, revealing a baby T-Rex...
The "dinosaurs" in this movie are enlarged lizards with fins and horns attached to them and an enlarged crocodile. This what director Irwin Allen wanted unfortunately. Pity he did not want stop-motion, despite Willis O'Brien helping with the special effects. We also see a giant spider and man eating plants.
The movie has a great cast: Claude Rains (The Invisible Man), Michael Rennie (The Day the Earth Stood Still), David Hedison (The Fly, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea) and Bond Girl Jill St John (Diamonds Are Forever).
I enjoyed this movie, despite the non stop-motion dinosaurs.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5.
Professor Challenger takes a party to an uncharted plateau where dinosaurs still roam. They arrive there by helicopter, but not long after they get there, this is destroyed by a dinosaur. Despite this, they explore the land and capture a native cave girl, who knows how to use a gun. We learn that Lord Roxton has been here on a previous expedition and he killed Gomez's brother. After a fight between two dinosaurs, the party are captured by unfriendly natives, who are cannibals. Luckily, the cave girl who the party captured earlier helps them to escape and after meeting Burton White, the blind surviver of an earlier expedition, make their way along a narrow ridge where Challenger nearly meets his death. The party collects some diamonds and then Gomez holds everyone hostage as he wants Lord Roxton dead, but the gun shot wakes the "fire monster" and it eats Costa. Gomez then meets his death by falling in the lava helping to open a rock door. The plateau then blows its top and everyone is safe. But one last explosion causes the dinosaur egg they found to fall on the floor and break, revealing a baby T-Rex...
The "dinosaurs" in this movie are enlarged lizards with fins and horns attached to them and an enlarged crocodile. This what director Irwin Allen wanted unfortunately. Pity he did not want stop-motion, despite Willis O'Brien helping with the special effects. We also see a giant spider and man eating plants.
The movie has a great cast: Claude Rains (The Invisible Man), Michael Rennie (The Day the Earth Stood Still), David Hedison (The Fly, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea) and Bond Girl Jill St John (Diamonds Are Forever).
I enjoyed this movie, despite the non stop-motion dinosaurs.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5.
Good for kids, for adults it's fun for how hokey it is.
jwinps-561-92420621 February 2020
I first saw this when I was a young boy. It had just come out. I found it wonderful and scary. I had completely forgotten about it until I was scrolling through my channel guide. I recorded it. Everything about it is laughable: The acting, the directing, the dialogue, and more. So, why did I decide to watch it all the way through? Easy, it was a reminiscence of my childhood.
Classic Actors & Classic Film
whpratt121 February 2006
Enjoyed this version of "Lost World", because Michael Rennie,(Lord John Paxton),"The Last Generation",'71 gave an outstanding performance as a Lord of England who had some very dark secrets that eventually became known to his fellow adventurers. Jill St. John,(Jennifer Holmes),"The Act",'84 gave some great female charm to this adventure story and managed to wear fancy outfits through out the jungle, almost in high heels. Claude Rains, (Professor, George Edward Challenger),"Twilight of Honor",'63, played a very comical role at times and was very different than his usual dramatic roles in the past and "The Invisible Man". The special effects are nothing like the present day, however, for the 1960's this really was not a bad try at Sci-Fi.
Hilariously cheap fantasy adventure.
paulclaassen13 April 2023
On return from an expedition from the Amazon, zoologist Professor George Challenger (Claude Rains) claims to have seen strange things. Creatures that believe to have been long extinct, still exist on a plateau.
When asked for funding and volunteers to join him on his next mission, the most unlikely characters come forward. And so his journey starts out with a game hunter Lord Roxton, Professor Summerlee and journalist Ed Malone. Arriving at the starting point in the Amazon, they are joined by Senor Costa, who made the arrangements, and helicopter pilot Gomez. Challenger is furious to see Jennifer - whose father funded the expedition - along with her brother David, present as well. And Jennifer even brought her dog, Fuzzy!
And so these adventurers head to the plateau in search of Challenger's strange creatures, and dinosaurs. Needless to say, soon after arriving on the plateau, its the creatures that find them, and their mission becomes a quest for survival. I found the acting incredibly theatrical. The cheaply made sets also looked more like a stage play than a film set. The 'dinosaurs' were nothing more than lizards, iguanas, and crocodiles with horns and fins affixed to them!!! Hilariously cheap! I don't know how audiences believed it to be dinosaurs back in 1960 (pffffff!!!!!).
The dialogue is melodramatic and the script caused me to raise an eyebrow more than once. The group find themselves on the run from dinosaurs, creatures, and cannibals. Surprisingly, despite all the film's flaws, it was still a rather exciting adventure. So sit back, relax and enjoy a taste of vintage cinema.
When asked for funding and volunteers to join him on his next mission, the most unlikely characters come forward. And so his journey starts out with a game hunter Lord Roxton, Professor Summerlee and journalist Ed Malone. Arriving at the starting point in the Amazon, they are joined by Senor Costa, who made the arrangements, and helicopter pilot Gomez. Challenger is furious to see Jennifer - whose father funded the expedition - along with her brother David, present as well. And Jennifer even brought her dog, Fuzzy!
And so these adventurers head to the plateau in search of Challenger's strange creatures, and dinosaurs. Needless to say, soon after arriving on the plateau, its the creatures that find them, and their mission becomes a quest for survival. I found the acting incredibly theatrical. The cheaply made sets also looked more like a stage play than a film set. The 'dinosaurs' were nothing more than lizards, iguanas, and crocodiles with horns and fins affixed to them!!! Hilariously cheap! I don't know how audiences believed it to be dinosaurs back in 1960 (pffffff!!!!!).
The dialogue is melodramatic and the script caused me to raise an eyebrow more than once. The group find themselves on the run from dinosaurs, creatures, and cannibals. Surprisingly, despite all the film's flaws, it was still a rather exciting adventure. So sit back, relax and enjoy a taste of vintage cinema.
Beautiful colored Sci-Fi fantasy adventure whose special effects suffer a bit from studio budget cuts.
cgvsluis31 October 2023
This is a wonderful cast that was assembled by the director Irwin Allen to tell Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tale of the irascible Professor Challenger who discovers a lost plateau in South America where dinosaurs still exist. I understand that Allen went in with this big vision (and that makes sense based on the cast), but was hampered by the studio's dramatic budget cutting due to another film they had in the works that was going over budget. What suffered was only the special effects which turned what was intended to be stop motion dramatics into and iguana and an alligator with horns attached.
I tell you of the drawbacks not to deter you from watching this film...but quite the opposite, to encourage you to do so. Because long before Jurassic Park was this story and I think it is well acted and decently told here in this film with notable performances by Claude Rains, Michael Rennie, and Jill St. John.
This is a fun family friendly film that would be great for or youngsters who are dinosaur obsessed...but even better for adults who will follow along with the story, for their is a love triangle, betrayal, obsession and well science. I particularly like the scene with the zoological society in London. This is a recommendation from me and I hear the actual stories containing Professor Challenger are wonderful too. I might have to check one of those out.
I tell you of the drawbacks not to deter you from watching this film...but quite the opposite, to encourage you to do so. Because long before Jurassic Park was this story and I think it is well acted and decently told here in this film with notable performances by Claude Rains, Michael Rennie, and Jill St. John.
This is a fun family friendly film that would be great for or youngsters who are dinosaur obsessed...but even better for adults who will follow along with the story, for their is a love triangle, betrayal, obsession and well science. I particularly like the scene with the zoological society in London. This is a recommendation from me and I hear the actual stories containing Professor Challenger are wonderful too. I might have to check one of those out.
Excellent adventure story; undeserved bad reputation.
barring88921 February 2006
For me, this movie rates a "9 out of 10" and I'll tell you why. I have a great nostalgic feel for "Lost World." I saw it in July of 1960 when I was 8 years old. It was 20th Century-Fox's big Summer release. It had a fine cast, a workable script, excellent cinematography and a fabulous musical score. It has already been mentioned (by just about every reviewer) that the "dinosaurs" were dressed-up lizards and they were......BUT, to an 8 year old kid seeing that film in the CinemaScope (widescreen) process in a single-screen theater (remember them?) in stereo and that marvelous-looking (when it was new) Deluxe color, not only were those "dressed-up lizards" dinosaurs, but the whole thing was a "boys-adventure-come-true." And it was all wrapped up in about 97 minutes. I would LOVE to see this film released to home-video DVD in it's proper aspect-ratio and 4-track stereo sound. Be honest with yourselves now, all you armchair-critics, would you REALLY rather see "Jurassic Park" which, in the end, only had CGI dinosaurs going for it (it was really quite boring wasn't it?) or a "Lost World" which makes no pretentious political statements and just says to the viewer (to quote Sir Arthur) "I have wrought my simple plan, if I give one hour of joy, to the boy who's half a man, or the man who's half a boy." "Lost World" is a wonderful film which doesn't deserve the bad rap that it's gotten.
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