Lost Horizon (1973)

Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

A lot of fun.

It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

This film was rarely off the TV in Britain in the 70s and 80s (critically trashed films seem to get much more airtime, maybe because they're cheap? I don't know). I admit I haven't seen it as an adult, but to a naive mind, what could be more thrilling than discovering a secret kingdom, whether it's inside your TV, at the back of a wardrobe, or over the mountains. It was certainly one of the more memorable films from my childhood, very colourful, and some of the songs were great (of course I had no idea at the time they were from the legendary Bacharach and David, who are far too harsh on them). The World is a Circle I've never forgotten and I've added it to my Spotify.And any holes in the script (Larry Kramer!) could be compensated for by gazing on the eternal loveliness of Olivia Hussey.Maybe it'll be shown on TV again someday so I can see if it's as painful for grown-ups as they say.

More of a bad idea than a particularly bad movie. Remaking the Frank Capra classic (based on the James Hilton novel) and adding some highly forgettable songs by none other than Burt Bacharach & Hal David just does not gel. The story is now legendary: a plane carrying a small group of people crashes in the mountains and the survivors are brought to a mythical land called Shangri-La. It's a place where nobody ages and there's no violence. Sounds like a dull place? Try sitting through this movie. Nothing comes together here and the addition of several ill-placed musical numbers are laughable rather than entertaining. The filmmakers further their many blunders by populating the film with the likes of Peter Finch, Liv Ullmann, Michael York, John Gielgud and George Kennedy, none of whom has any business appearing in anything even remotely approaching a movie musical. One time MGM song & dance man Bobby Van (the poor man's Donald O'Connor?) soft shoes through two numbers but adds very little. He's also saddled with performing the worst of the lousy songs...the highly idiotic "Question Me an Answer." Classy Charles Jarrott was brought in to direct and does so in a fairly straightforward manner. The direction is neither particularly imaginative nor particularly offensive. Additional wasted talent includes Jean Louis (costumes), Robert Surtees (cinematography) and Hermes Pan, who surely had his eyes closed concocting the silly choreography. The great Larry Kramer wrote the screenplay.

Do you ever get the feeling that some of the creators in Hollywood, when looking for a story to turn into a musical, are looking for a challenge? Or maybe their minds instantly turn to the most successful dramatic films? "Grand Hotel", for example. "Battle of the Bulge, the Musical" cannot be far behind."Lost Horizon" was ripe for the picking, I guess. And maybe someone saw a parallel with "The King and I" with its scenes of Asian courtly life? The result is an uneven musical. It has been noted that Bacharach and David were on the verge of breaking up their partnership when they wrote the score for "Lost Horizon". But we have to wonder if their pop sensibility was appropriate for this project.The cast is another issue, but the script does not make great demands on the actors, so perhaps the casting is not so important. Most surprising is Olivia Hussey ("Romeo and Juliet"), who can sing and dance. From today's perspective, it is rather fun to see who appears in this film. Sally Kellerman ("M.A.S.H."), George Kennedy ("Cool Hand Luke"), Peter Finch ("Two For the Road"), Michael York ("Logan's Run"), and Liv Ullman (?).The story is Jules Verne-ish--travelers discover a strange, isolated world that has mystical properties. Then a love story ensues: As the new arrivals to this world are walking up a flight of steps outside a huge lamasery, our protagonist looks up and sees a woman standing on a balcony about, oh, a quarter mile away. He is enthralled by her beauty, or at least what he can discern of it. She looks down at the large group ascending the stairs and sees one of the men stumble. He is embarrassed, but she chuckles and they instantly fall in love. We have all been there.Mix in some lengthy walks in treacherous Himalayan blizzards and some light-hearted tunes sung (and danced to) by Bobby Van, and you have "Lost Horizon", the film that wants to be everything to everybody but ends up being lost in its own murky vision.

Lost Horizon is not nearly as bad as the box office numbers would suggest. Its chief failing is the audience comes to see Shangri-La and sees, well, Burbank. Actually, it looks more like the Huntington Gardens. It would have been better to improve upon the book's shortcomings rather than try to recreate it. Perhaps a "Wizard of Oz"-like plot, where all of the people meet along parallel paths to Shangri-La, only to discover their real sanctuary was where they came from. I remember getting a preview copy of the album quite some time before the film was released. I loved the music, but would have to agree the vocal performances are a disaster. But, I was looking forward to seeing it in the theater. At nearly 2.5 hours in its roadshow release, I was checking my watch about 45 minutes into the piece. Even when I watch it on DVD today, there are large sections I fast forward through. As others have noted, why didn't Ross Hunter hire people who could sing in the key roles? Probably studio pressure for "bankable" stars who were "hot" at the time. No doubt someone also observed Bacharach & David are pop song writers, and you don't need to be a very good vocalist to sing pop--right? Well, the more recent musical disaster, the aptly named "Mamma Mia!" ABBA tribute also suffered from dreadful vocal performances. So much for the "anyone can sing pop" theory. Make no mistake, Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan are fine actors, but they should never the be the leads in a musical! Why not cast Glenn Close?But back to "Lost Horizon," I think the other problem is by the time this was released in 1972, the music and presentation were considered dated or "old school." Similar complaints were leveled at Hunters 1970 film "Airport"--calling it "old fashioned filmmaking."So, you've got three things working against the film: a dull plot, dated music, and principal vocalists who can't sing. Now some have commented that the Hollywood musical was dead by 1972. There were some other big features that only had mediocre results at this time, but just 6 years later, "Grease," with a budget of just $6 million, earned almost $400 million at the box office. No doubt it was helped by a couple of hit singles, but there was certainly some audience interest still out there. Disney seems to have found a formula that appeals to a new generation with its "High School Musical" series and its forthcoming "Teen Beach Musical." Several of the studio's animated musical features have been remade into successful Broadway musicals. Time will tell if there is a revival of interest in big budget, big screen musicals with principals who can actually sing.