…and its sequels, there was THE LOST WORLD. Written as a serialized novel by Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle in 1912, it was initially made into 2 movies. First was a silent film version made in 1925 and then this one from 1960. It was produced, directed, and co-written by Irwin Allen who was dubbed the “Master of Disaster” for his later movies THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and THE TOWERING INFERNO.
There have been several film adaptations since then thanks to JURASSIC PARK but I will concern myself with this version from 1960 having already reviewed the Blu Ray edition of the 1925 film. Incidentally a shorter version of the 1925 movie courtesy of the George Eastman House comes as a bonus with this set which gives home viewers the opportunity to see and compare both movies.
Irwin Allen set his version in the then present of 1960. The plot is much the same as the earlier film with many of the same characters. An irascible zoologist, Professor Challenger, claims to have seen live dinosaurs in the Amazon jungle and with the help of journalist Ed Malone, he puts together an expedition to find them. Once there they encounter not only dinosaurs but also a tribe of cannibals.
The biggest difference between the two versions aside from one being sound and the other silent is this one’s use of live reptiles fitted out to look like dinosaurs and then magnified to giant scale while the original uses Willis O’Brien’s stop motion animated creatures. It’s difficult to watch the fight scenes today knowing that the reptiles were provoked and that some were injured and/or killed during the filming.
Aside from that one point, Allen’s version is well mounted with great sets, beautiful location photography, effective music during the cannibal scenes and enjoyable performances. The cast includes Michael Rennie (DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL), Jill St. John, David Hedison (fresh from THE FLY and just before VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA) and 71 year old Claude Rains late in his career.
I saw this movie on TV many times as a kid. My sister and I watched it together. It was one of the few times that we got along. I loved it then but seeing it now as an adult, I have mixed feelings. A lot of the movie is still engaging but I now feel bad for the reptiles and parts of it are very dated. Still if you’ve never seen it, then you should if only to see where the idea for JURASSIC PARK came from.
The Capsule Critic 