
British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash land in the Himalayas, and are rescued by the people of the mysterious, Eden-like valley of Shangri-la. Protected by the mountains from the world outside, where the clouds of World War II are gathering, Shangri-la provides a seductive escape for the world-weary Conway.... (Full plot summary below)
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British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash land in the Himalayas, and are rescued by the people of the mysterious, Eden-like valley of Shangri-la. Protected by the mountains from the world outside, where the clouds of World War II are gathering, Shangri-la provides a seductive escape for the world-weary Conway.
Leave your thoughts about Lost Horizon.
| EmanuelLevy.ComEmanuel LevyBoasting great production values, Frank Capra's film is still one of the most cherished fables made during the Depression era. |
| Washington PostPaul AttanasioGreat directors are perhaps best understood by their failures, and such is the case with "Lost Horizon. |
| Family Home TheaterJames PlathA thought-provoking drama that's worth watching if for no other reason than to be aware of this culturally significant film. It did, after all, give us the name 'Shangri-La,' which has since become synonymous with a utopian paradise on earth. |
| Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)Ken HankeClassic Capra fantasy. Not wholly successful, but essential viewing. |
| Ozus' World Movie ReviewsDennis SchwartzCapra's most challenging film is both naive and pleasantly uplifting. |
| User ReviewDave JTuesday, February 16, 2010 (1937) Lost Horizon Well made ADVENTURE DRAMA film about striving for eternal life and how we can get there. Based on a novel by Hilton of the same name about a place which cannot be found on the map called Shangra- La. What this film does quite well was debate it's issues about living in a youthful enviroment. Anybody familiar with Frank Capra's other work such as "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" will surely love this film too. Footnote: Certain scenes was actually destroyed by an earthquake so freeze frames had to be used. 4/4 |
| User ReviewBrad BThis is my favourtie movie of 1937. It's long, but it's worth it. It has a great story of a group of people who get stranded on an island and discover it's a utopia. I love it. |
| User ReviewLouise DI loved it! Of course some people complain that it's too long, and I agree, so I skipped a couple of the not so important scenes. Other than that, I loved it. The whole idea that there is some mystical village in the mountains of Tibet where there's peace and harmony and no currency! Wow. Who wouldn't want to live there? This movie does focus on some high concepts but even if you don't understand them this movie is cool. My favourite part was the ending, it was brilliant. You must see this movie. |
| User ReviewSusan BThis is by far my favorite utopian movie ever. It moves me everytime. This is an ultimate classic. |
| User ReviewMatt KThe more I see of Capra, the more I like him. This movie is not the typical comic Capra. I wish the lost parts of this film were available to us, so that we could see his whole vision as he wanted it. You can feel his brilliance in the chaotic, early scenes and their arresting sense of danger (the generous budget enabled Capra to use large crowds, and he makes the most of them). Rarely, on screen, have large numbers of human beings, whether screaming, shooting or pushing, seemed so frightening. The trip with the airplane: masterful exposition here, so well done that one can scarcely find fault. The scenes of refueling in a remote village are electrifying, and one isn't sure at first what's going on. Are they being attacked? No, but it takes a while to figure this out. The soaring over the clouds is mesmerizing in its simple beauty; while the crash-landing of the plane at what appears to be the foot of the mountain that leads eventually to Shangri La, is highly effective. And Capra, ever the master of film climate, offers us, briefly, a quite pretty and at the same time literally chilling sense of what it would be like to die, snowbound, in the Himalayas. (re-written here with thanks to telegonus). |