Review of Lost Horizon (1937) by Matt K — 03 Nov 2009

The 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).