DVD: Lost Horizon, starring Ronald Colman and Jane Wyatt, and directed by Frank Capra.
Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley gently guided from a monastery of lamas; it is an earthly paradise. The story begins with a soldier and diplomat named Robert Conway, played by Ronald Colman, rescues 90 Westerners in Baskul, China during 1935 revolution and gets his plane hijacked and lands in mysterious place in Himalayan Mountains called Shangri-La. The founder of Shangri-La is several hundreds of years old, preserved by the magical properties of the paradise he has created and he wants Conway to head the mission as a future High Lama. Most residents are very old and had found peace in the valley and Conway is expected to lead. Initially he and his rescues wish to return to civilization, but gradually they learn to love Shangri-La, including paleontologist Alexander Lovett (Edward Everett Horton), swindler Henry Barnard (Thomas Mitchell) and terminally ill Gloria Stone (Isabel Jewell). Conway is particularly enchanted, especially when he meets Sondra (Jane Wyatt), who has grown up in Shangri-La. However, he changes his mind and leaves for his home in England. Eventually he changes his mind again and finds his way back to Shangri La. The highlight of movie is filming of snow scenes in Himalayas and the avalanche that kills many Conway’s followers. It is a spectacular piece of photography even by today’s standards with computer imagery and graphics.
The message of the movie is given by High Lama in his conversation with Conway, when he says, “When brutality and the lust for power must perish by its own sword; against that time, is why I avoided death, and am here. And why you were brought here. For when that day comes, the world must begin to look for a new life. And it is our hope that they may find it here. For here, we shall be with their books and their music, and a way of life based on one simple rule: Be Kind! When that day comes, it is our hope that the brotherly love of Shangri-La will spread throughout the world.”
I strongly recommended this DVD to anyone who likes Frank Capra’s movies.
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