Lost Horizon (1937)

[5]

In this film from the great Frank Capra (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It Happened One Night), Ronald Colman (Oscar-winner for A Double Life) stars as a celebrated diplomat who leads a small band of Brits on a plane out of war-torn China only to discover the plane has been hijacked. They crash-land in the remote mountains of Tibet, where they are rescued by the inhabitants of an unknown city with healing powers and the magical gift of prolonged life: Shangri-La. Colman’s character is immediately enamored with the paradise’s humanitarian philosophies and peaceful, simple living. But his brother (John Howard) and some of the others in the party are eager to return to England. When distant porters arrive at the village and offer to lead them on a perilous trip back to ‘civilization’, Colman must decide whether to stay or join his brother on the journey.

Lost Horizon starts off with a bang. The escape from China and crash-landing in Tibet are exciting and mysterious. But once the characters settle into the intriguing Shangri-La, the story loses momentum in exchange for repetitious pontificating on the sad state of world affairs. There’s an attempt to give Colman and Howard’s characters love interests (played by Jane Wyatt and Margo), but neither of these women are given much to work with and their subplots fail to sustain the film’s languishing middle act. Once the escapist novelty of Shangri-La wears off, the film doesn’t pick up again until the climax, as Colman, Howard, and Margo leave with the porters. Their journey ends in tragedy, with Colman determined to return to Shangri-La if he can find it.

The weaknesses of Lost Horizon are sewn into its conception, robbing the script of dramatic tension when the characters essentially reach ‘heaven on Earth’ so early in the film. Colman and Howard give solid performances, as does H.B. Warner as the monk-like host of Shangri-La. Sam Jaffe (Gunga Din) is a bit goofy as the city’s two-hundred year-old Yoda-like founder, and none of the other supporting players (including comic turns from Edward Everett Horton and Thomas Mitchell) leave much of an impression.

After a strong beginning, I really wanted to love Lost Horizon. But the script needs a stronger ‘ticking clock’ element throughout — something to propel the plot forward. At 132 minutes long, it also needs to be a shorter movie. And while the third act is certainly more engaging than the second, it doesn’t conclude to my liking. Why not have Shangri-La in peril of discovery by the outside world? Why not have our characters fight to defend their newfound haven?

Academy Awards: Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (H.B. Warner), Best Score (Dimitri Tiomkin), Best Sound, Best Assistant Director