So Jeremy Bushnell is having a Production Design Blogathon at the Too Many Projects Film Club and I decided to participate. Why not add a third blogathon entry for the month I say. Besides it's on production design, which I love, and when I think production design I think Lost Horizon.
Lost Horizon was directed by Frank Capra and released by Columbia Pictures in 1937. It's a fascinating movie for many reasons. First, in war torn China Robert Conway (Ronald Colman) is on a mission. The title card informs us his mission is to rescue "90 white people" from the area. Uh... okay. They get the last five on board and take off. Then their plane is hijacked and crash lands in the middle of a frozen wasteland. There's no possible hope until mysterious sherpas show up and guide them to Shangri-La, a paradise in the Himalayas where no one ages or gets sick. It's here that we see the extraordinary set design of Stephen Goosson, for which he won the 1937 Oscar, and deservedly so. Behold.
After that, we meet the High Lama, a white missionary played by Sam Jaffe. The Lama speaks in pacifist terms, encouraging Conway to stay in Shangri-La while the world's strong "devour" each other. Most of the pacifist passages were removed with the onset of World War II and finally restored years later using still images and the original audio track. The movie plays as one extended philosophical tract where the characters stand for things rather than enjoy any deep character exploration. And there's that production design. That beautiful production design.
I put together a clip of their entrance into Shangri-La, cutting out reaction shots and inserting the music of Steve Tibbets. Since Tibbets is obsessed with Eastern modes of thought and music I thought it to be a nice match. Besides, I have his CD The Fall of Us All, which titularly also seems apropos (for the confused a CD is a round silver plastic disc that people used to buy. They would have music on them. Weird, huh?). Enjoy the clip and make sure you scroll down for the added bonus video.
*************
And now for a bonus video. Since I've got the DVD handy why not throw in another scene just for fun. This scene is one of my favorites in the movie. It always makes me giddy with delight. It begins with George, Robert Conway's big talking younger brother, going all hysterical cry baby about their hopeless turn of events before slumping down into his seat to wimper. Everyone just stares blankly ahead not knowing how to react except resident venereal disease infested prostitute Gloria Stone (Isabel Jewel). She laughs her ass off, gives them the what for, then laughs some more. Laughs and laughs like the crazy whore she is. God bless her! The icing on the cake comes when her own sense of moral victory is abruptly ended by her constant hacking cough. Here's the scene (slightly edited by me). Watch and enjoy.
