Review of Lost Horizon (1937) by Les E — 28 May 2012
After modestly produced but immensely successful dramas like "It Happened One Night" and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town", Frank Capra's ambitious, large-scale adaptation of the James Hilton novel "Lost Horizon" proved a consequential artistic risk that thankfully was not without reward.
The first act - wherein a group of airplane passengers are flown deep into the Himalayas by a mysterious kidnapper - is dominated by intrigue, a mood not often associated with Capra's brand, but it really works well here.
They are seemingly rescued from the wreckage of their crashed plan and led back to the idyllic mountain city of Shangri-La, a magnificently constructed environment that brought production designer Stephen Goosson a well deserved Academy Award.
The second act, without a strong central conflict, feels like a long one to sit through, but brings up thought-provoking questions about perceptions of paradise and the hollowness or fullness of one's existence.
This review of Lost Horizon (1937) was written by Les E on 28 May 2012.
Lost Horizon has generally received very positive reviews.
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